HILLSBORO – One year after wrestling the Mt. Hood Conference football title away from perennial champion Central Catholic, Nelson wasn't about to let the Rams take it back.
When the No. 2 Hawks trailed Central Catholic by a touchdown in the second half in a first-place showdown at Hillsboro Stadium Friday night, they found a way to dodge the upset and pull out a 20-19 victory.
“I don't think we played to our best ability, but we got it done,” Nelson senior quarterback Braylon Gaines said. “We got the win, that's all that matters.”
With the victory, Nelson (6-1, 3-0) holds a one-game lead over the Rams (2-5, 2-1). The Hawks, who play a nonleague game against Sprague next week, can clinch the outright conference title by beating rival Clackamas (2-5, 1-1) in the regular-season finale Oct. 30.
In Friday's game, senior Kevin Cohen scored on runs of 22 and 7 yards as Nelson came back to take a 20-13 lead over Central Catholic early in the fourth quarter. But the Rams, behind junior quarterback Kody Grant, would not go away.
Grant made several clutch throws on a 17-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock. When he hit senior Kaden Bozovich in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown pass, the Rams were within 20-19 with 3:16 left.
That's when Nelson senior linebacker Asa Kirkland -- who in the third quarter applied the pressure that led to Central Catholic missing an extra-point attempt -- came through again by blocking a try by Rams junior kicker Caden Bertapelle.
The Hawks ran out the clock and celebrated the win, even if they were less than impressed by their play. Central Catholic finished with a 310-281 edge in total yards.
“This week our practice was a little off,” junior running back Jalen Crichton said. “That's probably why our performance was how it was.”
Gaines put a positive spin on it.
“We played to the worst of our ability, and we're beating a top team in our conference,” Gaines said. “It just shows that we can win at any cost. If we're playing well, if we're playing bad, we'll pull it out. We're going to get that win.”
The loss stung the Rams, who were riding a two-game winning streak after getting several key players back from injuries.
“We all wanted this game,” said Grant, who completed 17 of 25 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown. “It was a big game, pretty much to see who's going to win the Mt. Hood Conference.
“Although the season hasn't gone the way we wanted it to, we showed what we can do tonight. It's not great this season, but we really came out and showed we can hang with these top teams. I think we'll be good the rest of the season.”
Central Catholic wasted a scoring opportunity in the first quarter when Grant's quarterback sneak was stopped short on fourth-and-goal at the Nelson 1. The Rams took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter when they strip-sacked Gaines and junior Bennett Wissel returned the fumble 32 yards for a touchdown.
Gaines countered with a nine-yard scoring pass to senior Malachi Garlington midway through the second quarter, but the extra-point attempt failed, and Central Catholic led 7-6.
The Rams opened the second half with a 77-yard touchdown drive, capped by a one-yard run by senior Armani Tonga. The lead stood at 13-6 after the extra-point try sailed wide.
Sparked by the running of Crichton, who played his first full game since suffering an ankle injury Sept. 11 vs. Oregon City, Nelson's running game came to life. Crichton carried four times for 37 yards, setting up a 22-yard touchdown run by Cohen that made it 13-13 late in the third quarter.
Cohen rumbled for a seven-yard score early in the fourth quarter to give the Hawks a 20-13 lead, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
The Hawks had 135 of their 192 rushing yards in the second half behind the tag-team duo of Cohen and Crichton. The burly Cohen finished with 16 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns and the explosive Crichton had 16 carries for 109 yards.
“Those two guys worked so well together today,” Nelson coach Aaron Hazel said. “We told them all week, 'It's thunder and lightning.'”
The return of Crichton gives the Nelson offense a new dimension.
“You kind of saw, he's a breakout player,” Gaines said. “We don't win this game without him. He's really that guy, and he knows it. We've just got to keep him healthy, and he's got to keep going. He's the best running back in the state.”
Crichton returned last week against Reynolds and ran for a touchdown on his only carry. He responded well to the heavier load Friday.
“I'm very blessed to be back on the field this early,” Crichton said. “I felt great. A lot of things I felt I could have done better. I've got to work on my explosiveness because my ankle's been tweaking. Once I get that back, I feel like I can be complete to this team.”
Gaines, who passed for 1,570 yards and 19 touchdowns through six games, had a modest night, going 10 of 15 for 89 yards and one score. Garlington had five catches for 60 yards and one touchdown.
jerryu@osaa.org
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