By ANNIE FOWLER, The CUJ
PENDLETON — Pendleton played step for step with Weiser (Idaho) in the first half, but the Wolverines turned up the pressure in the second half for a 70-45 victory Friday, Sept. 20, over the Bucks.
“We had a tough time stopping them,” Pendleton coach Erik Davis said. “They ran the ball well. They are a good football team. They run a tough offense that is hard to simulate.”
Weiser (2-2) is ranked seventh in the Idaho 4A football poll.
The Bucks (1-3) led 19-14 after the first quarter, but trailed 35-32 at the half.
“We moved the ball and scored a lot,” Davis said. “When you score 45 points, you should win games. A loss like this, you can learn from it and move forward, or fold up shop. I know the coaches aren’t ready to fold. We haven’t even hit league yet. It’s not ideal to be 1-3. When you see 70 on the board, it isn’t a good thing.”
The Bucks did several things well against the Wolverines. Colson Primus completed 26 of 34 passes for 409 yards and three touchdowns. Mason Strong was on the receiving end of 12 catches for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
Tugg McQuinn ran for 166 yards on 22 carries and four touchdowns, and caught three passes for 19 yards and one touchdown.
Pendleton had 624 yards of offense and 26 first downs to Weiser’s 568 yards and 24 first downs.
Defensively, Miles Kennedy led the Bucks with four tackles, while McQuinn and Deacon Pace each had three.
“It’s frustrating,” Davis said. “We are thin and inexperienced and it shows in certain aspects of our game. We just don’t have the numbers to platoon kids. We have Estacada for a nonleague game before Baker (Oct. 3). Estacada is run heavy, and Baker has the best athlete (Rasean Jones) in the state. He is hard to handle.”
