Davenport football season ends with first-round loss to Toledo

MOSES LAKE--A season that featured a lot of winning came to an end with a defeat for the Davenport football team. The No. 8 seeded Gorillas fell to the No. 9 seeded Toledo Riverhawks 44-35 in the first round of the state 2B playoffs Saturday, Nov. 13 at Lion's Field in Moses Lake.

Davenport finished its season 9-2 overall with the loss, while Toledo improved to 10-2 and moved on to take on No. 1 seeded Kalama in the state quarterfinals next weekend.

"We knew coming in they'd run a similar style as us, and we knew the last team to have the ball would probably win," Davenport head coach Justin Young said. "They're a solid team, and they played us tough. They just played better than us tonight...we started off really good, but just couldn't sustain it."

The Gorillas started the game strong. Davenport marched down the field on the game's opening drive, and junior Sam Schneider highlighted the drive with a 44-yard touchdown run to put the "home team" up 6-0.

Schneider then picked off Toledo quarterback Wyatt Nef's pass that was deflected by senior Tate Foster. On the next play, senior Marcus Delafield ran up the middle for a 27-yard score, and Davenport led 14-0.

Toledo got on the board on its next drive when Nef kept it himself up the middle for a 21-yard house call.

Davenport was forced to punt on the ensuing drive, but Toledo muffed the kick and junior Matthew Wines pounced on the ball for the Gorillas. Junior quarterback Evan Gunning scored a six-yard touchdown to put Davenport up 21-7 three plays later.

Nef managed his second 21-yard score on the next Riverhawk series to pull Toledo closer. A possession later, senior Justin Filla gave Toledo its first lead on a 61-yard house call and a two-point conversion.

Davenport took the lead back 28-22 on a two-yard diving score by Schneider that was set up by a 50-yard kickoff return by Brenick Soliday and a 34-yard pass from Gunning to Soliday. Toledo marched down to the Davenport one-yard line as the halftime gun drew near, but Schneider stuffed Filla on fourth-and-goal as the halftime horn sounded to maintain the Gorillas' 28-22 lead.

The stop proved vital, as Filla took the first play from scrimmage in the second half 70 yards into the end zone to give Toledo a 29-28 lead 23 seconds into the third quarter.

The Gorillas responded with one of their best drives of the game that culminated in an 18-yard Delafield score to take a 35-29 lead.

Schneider continued a beastly game on the next Toledo drive, making a four-yard tackle for loss on third down and a nine yard sack on fourth down to force a Riverhawks punt. Davenport couldn't do anything with the opportunity, however, after Gunning fumbled on third-and-long, but Schneider got another tackle for loss on Toledo's drive to force a second-straight punt.

Once again, Davenport's offense came up short, and Toledo re-took the lead 36-35 on a 72-yard scoring run by Filla.

"They didn't do anything on defense that we haven't seen all year," Young said. "They just had some guys up front that were pretty good."

Davenport came up empty on offense as the third quarter wound to a close, and Toledo ran the clock down to 4:08 remaining on its next drive while moving into the red zone. Schneider kept up his monstrous game, however, making a fourth-and-inches stop to give his team the ball back at the 15-yard-line.

Young called a screen play for Schneider on the next drive, and the junior may have taken the pass to the house if completed. However, Gunning's attempt was picked off by the outstretched arms of Geoffrey Glass, and Toledo re-gained possession with 2:15 left.

The drama wasn't over, as Filla fumbled with 44 seconds left at the Davenport 21-yard line. Nef squashed any hopes of a Gorilla miracle, however, with a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown off a Hail Mary-like attempt by Davenport backup quarterback Jaeger Jacobsen followed by a Filla two-point conversion that would be the final score.

Davenport's season came to an end, but it was a season worth celebrating, Young said.

"It's been a great season. This group has been so much fun to coach," Young said. "It's disappointing for them and it's disappointing for us when we lose the game, but this loss can't overshadow what this team has accomplished this year."

GAME STATS

Davenport offense

Schneider: 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns, one reception for 20 yards

Delafield: 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns

Soliday: 34 rushing yards, two receptions and 43 receiving yards

Gunning: Five rushing yards and one touchdown, 64 passing yards, one fumble and one interception

Davenport defense

Schneider: 15 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception

Foster: Five total tackles, one tackle for loss and one batted pass

Delafield: Nine total tackles

Willie Waters: Seven total tackles

Jarrett Jacobsen: Five total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss

Toledo offense

Filla: 260 rushing yards and three touchdowns

Nef: 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns

Glass: 47 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards

Toledo defense

Nef: 40-yard interception touchdown return

Glass: One sack and one interception

Author Bio

Drew Lawson, Editor

Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.

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