Tigard puts it together at the right time

The Tigers roll to a 56-15 win over Forest Grove in Pacific Conference opener

By Dan Brood

The Times, Oct 8, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

DAN BROOD / The Times

NO. 4 — Tigard junior running back Nick Moore (43) powers his way into the end zone for his fourth touchdown of the night. Moore helped the Tigers score a 56-15 win over Forest Grove.

TIGARD – It’s said that timing is everything.

Well, the Tigard High School football team must be a big believer in that statement.

The Tigers, after going 1-3 while playing a brutal non-league schedule, seemed to put things together at just the right time – at the start of Pacific Conference play.

Tigard, clicking on all cylinders on offense and playing some unyielding defense, rolled to a 56-15 win over Forest Grove in a Pacific Conference opener played Thursday at Tigard High School.

“We needed this big,” said Tigard junior running back Nick Moore, who scored four rushing touchdowns in the victory. “We wanted to show we can play. We wanted to come out and play physical. We were aiming at this game. We came in and did our job.”

With the win, the Tigers upped their overall record to 2-3, but, more importantly, it gives them a 1-0 mark to start league play.

“We really wanted to get off to a good start in league,” said Tigard junior safety Spencer Smith, who had a fumble return for a touchdown. “I think this one can get us going big time – we really needed it.”

Forest Grove fell to 0-1 in league play and to 1-4 on the season with the loss.

“We’re in a tough division and we need to step up,” said Forest Grove sophomore running back Jon Dober, who scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Vikings. “We’ll work hard in practice and get ready.”

Tigard got off to a super-fast start in Thursday’s league opener. Two plays after Tiger junior Michael Flannigan returned a punt 33 yards to the Viking 11-yard line, Moore scored on a 5-yard run up the middle to give Tigard a 7-0 lead just 1 minute and 17 seconds into the contest.’

The next time Tigard had the ball, junior quarterback Brian Gehring completed a 20-yard pass to junior receiver Austin Steffen to set up a 1-yard TD blast by the 5-foot-7, 220-pound Moore, upping the Tigard lead to 14-0 with 4:46 to play in the first quarter.

Moore added yet another touchdown run, this one coming from three yards out, in the first play of the second quarter to up the margin to 21-0.

Tigard junior fullback Beau Hansen got in on the scoring, reaching the end zone on a 7-yard run to push the lead to 28-0 with 8:08 remaining in the first half.

Smith capped off the big first half for Tigard by scooping up a Forest Grove fumble and running 20 yards for a touchdown that gave the Tigers a 35-0 advantage with 25.1 seconds left before halftime.

“It was a toss play and Ralph (Greene) hit their guy,” Smith said. “The ball was just there, I picked it up and ran. That felt really good.”

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