The Marist Catholic Spartans had plenty of monkeys to get off their backs entering Saturday’s OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union 4A football state championship game at Spiegelberg Stadium in Medford.
They were 0-4 in final games dating back to 2010, including a 38-24 defeat last year to Henley, their championship game opponent.
And, with the chance to avenge last year’s loss to the Hornets at home during a September regular-season game, the Spartans lost again, 19-16.
Marist Catholic did not squander its latest opportunity. The Spartans led from start to finish and excelled in all phases in a dominating 30-6 win.
They didn’t just shake the monkeys off; they shoved them away with determination and finality.
The story of the game played out over three minutes spanning the end of the second quarter to the start of the third. After Marist Catholic utterly dominated the first 23 minutes of the first half, allowing only one Henley first down against five punts, the Hornets scored on a 59-yard catch and run from Joe Janney to Mark Carpenter in the last minute to send Henley into the locker room down just 16-6, with momentum and the anticipation of receiving the second-half kickoff.
That momentum evaporated in a 3-and-out, which included the second of three Ryan Lemley sacks on the afternoon and a pass break up from Joe Thornton.
Marist Catholic got the ball back at its own 39-yard-line and needed only three plays to break the game wide open. Facing third-and-8 after Henley senior Mark Carpenter swatted away a deep pass intended for Aaron Bidwell, Marist QB Nick Hudson went right back to his most prolific receiver and, this time, connected on a streak route over a Henley defender’s outstretched arms, good for 59 yards and a score.
With Henley unable to run the ball effectively and Janney besieged every time he dropped back to pass, the 17-point deficit seemed insurmountable if Marist Catholic took care of the ball.
They did that very thing, and added one more touchdown late in the game to cap off a soul-crushing drive that consumed almost nine minutes and finished with Hudson hitting CJ Giustina from five yards out.
Marist sophomore Conner Harvey was named Moda Health Player of the Game for the victors after rushing for 177 yards on 29 carries. He had 43 yards on the ground on that final drive and was a catalyst all game long. The running game was something that Marist Catholic did not have the first time these teams met this year.
“I trusted my linemen and knew we were going to get the job done,” Harvey said. “I just had to find a hole and run all over them. It was a huge win for us and nice to get back at them.”
“Our ability to run the ball was the difference,” said Spartan first-year head coach Zach Loboy.
“They started running the ball really well,” said Matt Green, Henley’s first-year head coach. “They are a well-coached team. They had a good game plan and executed.”
Marist Catholic, which reached the championship game after three playoff blowouts, started quickly over a Henley team that survived to defend its title after a furious semifinal rally to defeat Cascade by a touchdown in overtime. The Spartans got a terrific kickoff return to create a short field, then used a strong Harvey run and Hudson pass to Cash Andrus for 23 yards to get as close as the Hornet 11-yard-line. Hudson’s “fumble and stumble” stalled the drive, but Marist Catholic came away with points nonetheless on Christian Guerrero’s 30-yard field goal.
There would be no more scoring for the next 12 minutes. Henley, with Janney, last year’s championship game hero back in the lineup at quarterback after missing last week with a knee injury; went 3-and-out four straight times to start. LB Brody Buzzard controlled the middle of the field for Marist Catholic and shared a sack with Jackson Skinner. Dawson Reiling added a sack for the Spartans.
Henley’s defense also was stout during this stretch, which was impressive because the half was played largely in the Hornets’ end. Janney and Carpenter played well in the secondary to slow Hudson’s aerial assault, Jason Kern had a huge sack to disrupt Marist’s second drive, Bryson Montag recovered a fumble deep in Henley territory to stymie the Spartans’ third drive and a holding penalty effectively ended their fourth.
A 24-yard Henley punt gave the ball to Marist Catholic on the Hornet 42-yard line with less than six minutes remaining before halftime. The Spartans finally took advantage, capping a five-play drive with Harvey’s scoring plunge from inside the one. The 98-second drive featured two long plays: a Hudson pass to Harvey on an improvised play for 28 yards on 2nd-and-20; and a Harvey rush for 22 yards.
Marist Catholic scored again a little over two minutes later, as Hudson hit Guerrero in stride on an out and up route for 43 yards to cap a 78-yard drive that took five plays.
The Spartans thought they’d be taking a 16-0 lead to the locker room, but Henley’s late-half magic changed that, and the complexion of the game to that point.
Marist Catholic, however, never allowed Henley to extend its momentum. The Spartans held Henley to just over 100 second-half yards and put Janney on the ground five times as the Hornets were forced to pass on every down to try to get back in the game.
For the game, Marist Catholic (12-1) held a 433-190 advantage in yards gained and controlled the clock as well. In addition to Harvey’s 177 yards on the ground, Hudson threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw no interceptions after yielding four in last year’s championship game.
“It’s awesome,” Loboy said about the win. “We have such a great group of kids who worked so hard. They’ve been playing great football the last several weeks and only gave up 13 points in the playoff. I’m so happy for them.”
To be fair, Henley came into the game very banged up, with key players all over the field out or diminished, including Janney, whose legs were a key factor in last year’s final.
“We were injured coming in but who isn’t Week 13?” Green said. “They started running good at the end of the season. It’s hard to defend all facets of game. They played hard. We just couldn’t get stops.”
With two trips to the championship game and one title to build on, Henley (11-2) is already looking forward to 2025, when Janney will be back full strength for his senior year.
“Next year we hit the weight room and get ready to go again,” Green said.
johnt@osaa.org
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