Turnovers, penalties doom Tigers

SCRAMBLE: La Grande quarterback Carson Miller tries to escape the pass rush of Umatilla defenders in the Tigers’ 34-22 loss Friday night at Community Stadium. Casey Kellas/The Observer

The Tigers got outscored 22-0 in the first two quarters and committed a number of penalties and turnovers in a 34-22 loss to the Vikings.

Umatilla set the tone of the game right out of the gates, returning the opening kick off all the way back to the Tigers’ 25-yard line. They followed that with a 21-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game.

“Those first couple of minutes we would like to have back,” La Grande head coach Matt Wolcott said. “They came out and were ready to play. You just have to credit Umatilla, they outplayed us tonight.”

LHS seemed to find some fluidity on offense in the third quarter when quarterback Carson Miller scampered for a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers on the board. A two-point conversion made it a 22-8 game.

Miller finished the game as the Tigers’ leading rusher with 59 yards on 12 carries. He also completed four passes for 100 yards and one score.

Umatilla answered back with two straight touchdowns of their own, and the Vikings took a 34-8 lead with just 9:22 remaining in the game.

La Grande never surrendered though, as the defense came up with a fumble recovery that they returned for a score.

With 3:56 remaining, Miller hooked up with Brandon Powell on a 35-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 34-22.

Again the defense stepped up and stopped the Umatilla offense, but an interception by Miller with just two minutes left ended all hopes of a comeback.

“We just didn’t play a consistent game,” Wolcott said. “Right when we would get a drive going we would shoot ourselves in the foot with a penalty or turnover.

“The kids need to be more disciplined on the field and not make those little mistakes.”

The Tigers defense played another solid game against a very good offensive team. Umatilla brought in a duo of running backs that combined to rush for over 250 yards the week before. But LHS held Austin Bieren to 93 yards on 17 carries, and Taylor Pankey to just 52 yards rushing. Umatilla only threw the football eight times for 56 yards.

“I think this game was a step in the right direction for our team. We can build off that second half and try to carry some momentum into next week,” Wolcott said.

The running game never really got going for the Tigers, as Brice Ericson, Evan Humphreys and Walker Hudkins combined for just 53 yards between the three of them. Justin Hancock led the Tigers with two catches for 27 yards, while Powell and Andrew

Humphreys each had one catch apiece. La Grande compiled a total of 180 yards of offense on 35 plays for the game.

“We like to have a balanced offense and we have a lot of confidence in the passing game, but we have to be able to execute and stay on the field to get things going,” Wolcott said. “But we never gave up tonight, and I think that just shows what type of players we have, we are going to fight until the end.”

The tough schedule for the Tigers continues next week when they take to the road for a showdown against Fruitland.