Lamonica To Williams Combo Tears Up Huskies

Aurora - Cascade quarterback Nick Lamonica completed eight of eleven passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns, two to Tyrell Williams, as the Cougars upset Capital Conference leading North Marion 29-12 on the road.

The first of two key sequences came in the last minute of the first half. North Marion, trailing 15-12, had held Cascade, forcing the Cougars to punt from their own 9 yard line, and took over at the Cascade 40 with 46.4 seconds left.

However, Husky quarterback Adam Hayden misfired on four consecutive throws, and the Cougars took the ball back with 26.6 seconds left. Which was more than enough for Lamonica.

Lamonica found Williams for 20 yards, and after a timeout, scrambled for seven more, before getting out of bounds at the 33 with 8.7 seconds left. Williams then shook free of the Huskies’ coverage down the left sideline, and Lamonica fired a strike for a touchdown with 2.5 seconds left, and Cascade carried a 22-12 lead into halftime.

“Our running game set that up,” Williams said. “Their defensive backs were crowding up and inside, and (with my speed) I could get outside a couple of steps. Nick threw a perfect pass, and all I had to do was turn and score.”

“Our offense is built on the run,” Cascade Coach Karl Elliott said, “and they worked to take away most of our sweeps. But to do that meant they had to turn Tyrell lose.” Williams collected seven catches, for 158 yards and two scores.

The next critical sequence came in the latter half of the fourth quarter, again involving the passing game. Cascade had driven to the North Marion 15, but a holding penalty and a loss on a third down rush brought up fourth and 18 for the Cougars from the Huskies’ 26 yard line.

Lamonica found Thomas Smith on a 26 yard seam route for a touchdown, putting Cascade up 29-12, the most points the North Marion defense, which entered the game as 4A’s best scoring defense, has given up in a game this season.

“Once again, the line did a great job,” Lamonica said. “We put that play in last week. We didn’t expect them to expect Thomas, who hasn’t played a lot, to get deep.”

“It was worth all the practice,” Smith added.

On North Marion’s first play of the ensuing drive, Williams intercepted Zakk Smith’s option pass off a pitch out. “They showed the toss sweep, but I knew it couldn’t be,” Williams added. “They needed bigger plays, faster. So I dropped off into coverage, and cut under their receiver.”

Another interception with 3:10 left by Collin Goettch finished off the Huskies.

1^st. quarter

After North Marion went three and punt on the game’s first possession, Cascade drove to the North Marion eight yard line. But the Huskies’ defense stiffened, dumping Robbie Federico for a loss on fourth down.

A holding penalty backed North Marion up, and defensive end Zach Rouse scored the game’s first points, sacking Hayden in the end zone.

After the free kick, Cascade proceeded to drive 44 yards on seven plays for the game’s first score, a 13 yard pass from Lamonica to Williams in the corner of the end zone. An 18 yard keeper by Lamonica set up the scoring opportunity.

North Marion responded with the first five plays of a nine play, 55 yard drive that carried into the second period.

2^nd. quarter

Zach Borowczak capped the drive with a five yard touchdown carry, but Hayden’s pass on the two point conversion was incomplete, and Cascade retained an 8-6 lead.

The Cougars used a 22 yard Lamonica to Williams completion, and a 37 yard fly sweep by Towrey to key a 62 yard drive that Konagher Hampton capped with a three yard scoring run to answer. Dyllan Mongenel’s kick opened the Cascade lead to 15-6.

North Marion responded with their best drive of the night, marching 70 yards on 12 plays, and keeping the ball out of Lamonica’s hands, for 5:14.

A 19 yard Hayden to Klint Pippert pass keyed the drive, which Borowczak capped with a 9 yard scoring scamper with 3:09 left in the first half. Josh Turner’s extra point kick was low, and deflected, leaving Cascade up 15-12.

North Marion’s defense forced Cascade into a three and punt, taking over with 46.4 seconds left, and looking for a late score to tie or take the lead going to the locker room. Instead, Hayden’s four incompletions set up the opportunity for Lamonica and Williams to open the margin to 10 points.

3^rd. quarter

The third quarter passed quickly, as both defenses stifled drives with fourth down stops. North Marion’s only drive of the period ended when Pippert’s pass to Borowczak from the up position in the Huskies’ punt formation was only good for 9 yards on 4^th. and 10.

Cascade’s second drive pushed into the fourth quarter, as the Cougars worked to shorten the game.

4^th. quarter

North Marion’s defense forced another turnover on downs two plays into the fourth quarter, but the Huskies couldn’t mount a drive, with a holding penalty a major contributing factor. Several key plays were wiped out by untimely North Marion penalties on the night.

Another completion to Williams keyed Cascade’s next drive, this one for 43 yards, and it set up Lamonica’s pass to Smith for a 29-12 lead.

Forced to pull out all the tricks, the Huskies tried the option pass by Smith that Williams intercepted at the North Marion 35 yard line. Cascade couldn’t pick up a first down, but they did force the Huskies to burn their time outs, before handing the ball back over on the North Marion 26, with less than four minutes left.

Hayden narrowly averted a sack, and then an interception, before Goettsch got one at the Husky 43 yard line, and Cascade proceeded to run out the clock.

Hayden completed eight of his 16 passes for North Marion, for 120 yards, and Borowczak led the Huskies on the ground, with 63 carries and two second quarter touchdowns, on 16 carries.

The win improved Cascade’s Capital Conference mark to 4-2, and 6-3 overall, ensuring a winning season in Karl Elliott’s first year back as coach after a 10 year absence. The Cougars will complete the regular season next week at home, with a non-conference game against the Illinois Valley Cougars (0-9, 0-4) of the Skyline Conference. IV lost to Henley 52-13 tonight.

North Marion fell to 4-1 in conference, and 7-2 overall. The Huskies visit Stayton, also 7-2 & 4-1, next week.

Estacada (4-4, 3-2) defeated Gladstone (2-6, 1-4) 19-13 in overtime tonight on the Gladiators’ field to stay alive in the conference race, while Stayton picked up a 28-17 non-conference win over the Taft Tigers.

The winner of next week’s North Marion at Stayton game is the #1 seed from the Capital Conference.

If Stayton wins, North Marion & Cascade are in. Cascade is #2 with a win over Illinois Valley OR a Cottage Grove win over Sisters, sending the Lions to the playoffs, and increasing Cascade’s overall point total in the NFHS tie-breaking system the Capital Conference employees when head to head and league games can’t break the tie. Otherwise, North Marion is the #2 seed.

If North Marion wins, Stayton is still in, as #2, having beaten both Cascade and Estacada. Estacada is #3 with a win over La Salle (2-6, 1-4), having also beaten Cascade, otherwise Cascade is #3.

La Salle lost to visiting Molalla (2-6, 1-4) 44-41 tonight.

Cascade 8 14 0 7 - 29

North Marion 0 12 0 0 - 12

1^st. qtr.

Cascade – Safety, Zach Rouse tackled Adam Hayden in end zone. 5:53

Cascade – Tyrell Williams 13 yard pass from Nick Lamonica (kick wide right) 2:27

2^nd. qtr.

North Marion – Zach Borowczak 5 yard run (pass failed) 10:41

Cascade – Konagher Hampton 3 yard run (Dyllan Mongenel kick) 8:29

North Marion - Borowczak 9 yard run (kick blocked) 3:09

Cascade – Williams 33 yard pass from Lamonica (Mongenel kick) :02.5

4^th. qtr.

Cascade – Thomas Smith 26 yard pass from Lamonica (Mongenel kick) 5:27

Passing

Cascade – Lamonica – 8-11, 3 TDs, 0 Int., 184 yards.

North Marion – Adam Hayden 8-16, 0 TDs, 1 Int., 120 yards; Klint Pippert 1-1, 0 TDs, 0 Int., 9 yards; Zakk Smith 0-1, 0 TDs, 1 Int.

Rushing

Cascade – 44-165, 1 TD; Robbie Federico 12-23; Dillon Davidson 10-26; Shawn Towrey 6-61; Konagher Hampton 4-23, 1 TD; Brandon Gonzalez 4-9; Dakota Kittleson 1-7; Tyrell Williams 1-(-1); Lamonica 5-19; Pinkerton 1-(-2).

North Marion - 25-62, 2 TDs; Borowczak 16-63, 2 TDs; Alvin Castro 3-11; Smith 3-1; Hayden 3-(-13).

Receiving

Cascade – Williams 7-158, 2 TDs; Thomas Smith 1-26, 1 TD.

North Marion – Pippert 5-78; Castro 1-13; Kip Pearson 1-10; Remington Steele 1-10; Borowczak 1-9.

Returns

Cascade – Williams 2-29; Towrey 1-23.

North Marion – Nate Summers 2-31; Borowczak 1-27.

Punts

Cascade – Rouse 2-65 yards.

North Marion – Josh Turner 2-60 yards.

First downs

Cascade – 12.

North Marion - 7.

Fumbles-Lost

Cascade – 1-0.

North Marion - 1-0.

Penalties

Cascade – 8-51 yards.

North Marion - 7-61 yards.

CC

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