Tigers remain undefeated with win

Clatskanie continued its tear through Oregon 2A 9-man football with a 55-26 whooping of Neah-Kah-Nie last Friday. After the Pirates opened the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown pass, Clatskanie senior running back Lucas Andreasen countered with an 87-yard touchdown run. Junior Gunner Engen's kick gave the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game. Following Andreasen's second touchdown of the game, a 10-yard run, the Pirates countered with an eight-yard touchdown pass. However, the team came up short of their ensuing two-point conversion.

Spilling over into the third quarter, Clatskanie would score three straight touchdowns, beginning with sophomore quarterback Will Van Voorst connecting with senior wide receiver Daylon Gutierrez for a 30-yard touchdown. Junior Michael Simpson would stretch the lead in the third quarter with a 62-yard touchdown run, which would be followed by a 77-yard run by Andreasen. The bleeding would stop, at least temporarily, for the Pirates with a 16-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion to bring the score to 33-20 Clatskanie. However, the Tigers would reel off another three straight touchdowns to stretch their lead to 55-20. Senior Ayden Blackshire hauled in a 32-yard pass from Van Voorst, and Andreasen had a 29-yard rushing touchdown to close out the third quarter. Andreasen's fifth rushing touchdown of the night would come in the fourth quarter. A long touchdown pass by the Pirates would bring the score to its final of 55-26.

Andreasen's five touchdowns and 248 yards rushing led the team, and Van Voorst led the team through the air, connecting on 12 of 17 of his passes for 180 yards and two scores. Gutierrez led all receivers with 62 yards on four receptions, including one for a touchdown late in the first half. On the defensive side, Blackshire led the team with nine tackles and shared the team lead in sacks with Van Voorst. The pair each had a pair of sacks, and Blackshire had four tackles for a loss. Gutierrez had the lone interception of the game for the Tigers.

"[It's] definitely nice to start the season so strong," said Head Coach Sean Gorley. "NKN played us tough in the first half. They made some great plays. We got the ball back with 38 seconds left before half and were able to make some big plays and score. I think that really changed momentum. Overall, [it was] just a good team effort all the way around. Now we look to a huge matchup this week with Knappa. [It] should be a good one."

Clatskanie (7-0) faces Knappa Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. and closes out its regular season Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. against Nestucca.