West Albany dominated visiting Hillsboro from start to finish behind the two-way play of quarterback Reese Miller and linebacker Matt McHenry, winning 42-21.

Miller got the Bulldogs on the board first with a 13-yard strike to Elliott O'Bryan midway through the first quarter before Miller, playing defensive back, intercepted Spartans quarterback Diminique Mims on the first play of the second quarter for a 39-yard touchdown return.

West Albany sabotaged two of its second-quarter drives with penalties and Hillsboro got a chance to get back into the game. A 13-play drive was capped off by a 14-yard scoring pass to Robbie White following a 35-yard connection on the previous play.

With three minutes until halftime, West Albany drove 60 yards, riding Anthony LaCoste and Elliot O'Bryan towards the goal line with Miller finishing it off with a two-yard dive into the endzone.

LaCoste finished with nine carries for 105 yards rushing, while O'Bryan grabbed four balls for 103 yards, 60 of them coming on the second play of the second half for the senior wideout's second score of the night.

"LaCoste had his yards and Miller did his job tonight though the air, so we were a bit more balanced tonight. That's a good sign (before league play begins)," West Albany coach Randy Nyquist said.

"We just need to focus on being a better football team and staying focused. We had a few mental errors tonight and we have to eliminate those."

With two sacks already under his belt, running back and weak-side linebacker Matt McHenry bulldozed the Spartans' defense to clinch the game and give the Bulldogs a 35-7 lead.

The senior ironman also finished the final 11 yards of an 80-yard drive with three carries and a touchdown.

"I love hitting wherever I am playing on the field," said McHenry after the game.

"We've played some tough teams so far and we haven't completely clicked yet, but we have a lot of good people on this team."

Nyquist said McHenry's effort stands out among his teammates.

"(McHenry) plays full speed on both sides of the ball," says Nyquist. "He plays the way the game is suppose to be played."

West Albany (3-0) travels Woodburn to begin Mid-Willamette Conference play on Friday.

West Albany 42, Hillsboro 21

Hillsboro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 7 0 14 - 21

West Albany . . . . . . . . . . . 7 13 15 7 - 42

First quarter

WA: Elliot O'Bryan 13 pass from Reese Miller (George kick), 6:33

Second quarter

WA: Miller 39 interception return (kick failed), 11:40

H: Robbie White 14 pass from Dominique Mims (Starkman kick), 3:20

WA: Miller 1 run (George kick), 0:02

Third quarter

WA: O'Bryan 60 pass from Miller (Miller run), 11:15

WA: Matt McHenry 4 run (George kick), 3:32

Fourth quarter

H: Smythe 30 run (Starkman kick), 5:04

H: Hill 1 run (Starkman kick), 1:33

WA: Johnson 50 run (George kick), 0:04

Individual statistics

Rushing: West Albany 42-273; Anthony LaCoste 15-105, J.C. Johnson 10-76, Miller 10-56, Shawn Bruner 1-25, Matt McHenry

5-11, Alec Olson 1-0; Hillsboro 18-73, Smythe 15-92, Mims 1-1, Hill 1-1, Rodriguez 1 (-3).

Passing: WA 6-16-2-130; Miller 5-8-0-119, Nick Orsborn 1-6-2-11; Hillsboro 19-34-1-215; Mims 18-39-1-208, Hill 1-2-0-7.

Receiving: WA 6-130; O'Bryan 4-103, Bruner 1-16, Ruckert 1-8; Hillsboro 19-215; Robbie White 8-84, Browde Hastings 5-63, Tyson Fernstrom 3-33, Dylan Trotter 3-22, Jack Iverson 1-7.