Scio's season ends with a 36-8 defeat to Knappa in the 2A semifinals

By Jesse Sowa

Albany Democrat-Herald

WILSONVILLE - An unexpected playoff run came to a quick end Saturday night.

Bryan Sablan and sixth-ranked Knappa were too much for Scio in a 2A semifinal at Wilsonville High School. Sablan rushed for 152 yards and scored four touchdowns in Knappa's 36-8 win.

Knappa advances to play No. 2 Culver in the championship game next Saturday. Culver defeated No. 1 Lakeview in the other semifinal.

Scio (8-5) entered the postseason as the Tri-River Conference's third seed and unranked but still managed to win two playoff games.

"I'd say we were overachievers and the future looks bright," said Scio coach Kyle Braa, whose team included just four seniors and had sophomores at many key positions.

Braa, a Scio graduate, found it hard to look ahead after what his team had accomplished this season.

"I've never been a part of a team, as a player, as a coach, that's had this kind of commitment, this kind of passion," he said.

Scio steadily moved the ball Saturday but only once did it result in a touchdown.

Coulter Mastenbroek, one of the state's leading rushers, found yards hard to come by against a defense that was bent on stopping the run.

Mastenbroek, a junior, rushed for 83 yards on 26 carries. Senior Wyatt Briggs had 124 yards on 30 carries.

Briggs and his teammates shared hugs and tears with teammates, coaches, family and friends after the game. He said his team couldn't have been closer this season.

"I've never been part of a group that's been more closely meshed," Briggs said. "And wanting it … that bad, allowed us to do this."

Knappa (11-1) scored the first 14 points of the game, first on a 19-yard pass from Cody Strickland to Sablan and then on an 84-yard Sablan run.

Scio got back in the game with Briggs'

1-yard run with 9:31 left in the second quarter. Mastenbroek's two-point conversion run made it 14-8.

Knappa responded with two more touchdowns before halftime.

The backbreaker came in the third quarter, when Scio took the opening possession and used 9:36 off the clock and didn't score.

Trailing 29-8 at that point, Scio needed points but didn't get any.

On fourth-and-long from the Knappa 11, Briggs was stopped for a 2-yard loss.

Scio ended one more drive in Knappa territory and another at the 50.

Despite his team's late run, Briggs said his team wasn't overachievers.

"It's a group of people that had heart and did what they were supposed to do," he said.

Knappa 36, Scio 8

SCIO 0 0 8 0 - 8

KNAPPA 14 15 0 7 - 36

First quarter

K: Bryan Sablan 19 pass from Cody Strickland (Trevor Oja kick), 9:55

K: Sablan 84 run (Sablan pass from Tevan Klauser), 5:37

Second quarter

S: Wyatt Briggs 1 run (Coulter Mastenbroek run), 9:31

K: Sablan 32 run (Sablan run), 8:14

K: Sablan 4 run (Oja kick), 2:08

Fourth quarter

K: Klauser 5 run (Oja kick), 1:36

Rushing

Scio: Briggs 30-124, Mastenbroek 26-83, Rezentes 6-15, Westberg 21-7; Knappa: Sablan 10-152, Klauser 11-100, Lemire 4-28

Passing

Scio Westberg 0-4-0-0; Knappa: Strickland 2-2-0-40

Receiving

Scio: none; Knappa: Sablan 2-40