Tigard runs strong, but big-play Canby wins

The Cougars clinch the Pacific Conference title with a 42-28 victory over the Tigers

By Dan Brood

The Times, Oct 31, 2009, Updated Oct 31, 2009

DAN BROOD / The Times

LOOKING TO SCORE — Tigard junior fullback Beau Hansen (left) eyes the end zone as he's being tackled by Canby senior Nikita Martishev. Hansen, who rushed for 159 yards on 31 carries, was stopped just short of the goal line, but the Tigers scored two plays later.

CANBY – The Tigard High School football team controlled the clock.

The Tigers controlled the football.

But, when it was all said and done, Canby was in total control of the race for the Pacific Conference championship.

The Cougars, coming up with timely big plays on both offense and defense, scored a 42-28 win over Tigard in a league game played Friday at Canby High School. With the victory, Canby clinched at least a share of the Pacific Conference title while also securing the No. 1 seed from the league going into the Class 6A state playoffs.

“Canby is a great team,” said Tigard senior receiver/defensive back Ian McGetrick, who scored a pair of touchdowns for the Tigers. “This was a tough loss, but we gave it everything we had out there.”

With the win, No. 3-ranked Canby stayed unbeaten in league play at 4-0 while also moving to 7-1 on the season. The Cougars hold a one-game lead over second-place Tualatin with one game to play. Canby beat the Timberwolves 41-26 back on Oct. 23 to claim the tiebreaker edge between the two squads.

Tigard fell to 2-2 in Pacific Conference play (3-5 on the season) with the loss, putting the Tigers in a tie with Newberg for third place in the league standings.

“We played hard, and we’re happy,” said Tigard junior running back Michael Flannigan, who had 95 rushing yards and 96 receiving yards in the contest. “We never put our heads down.”

Tigard, behind the running of Flannigan and junior fullback Beau Hansen and strong offensive line play, controlled the football for most of the game. The Tigers ran 69 offensive plays to 41 for the Cougars and they also had the ball 32 minutes and 35 seconds of the 48-minute contest. Tigard even held a 489-466 edge over the Cougars in total offense.

But Canby made up for that with big plays. The Cougars had two touchdown runs of more than 80 yards. They had a onside kickoff return for a touchdown and they came up with a pair of interceptions and a pair of fourth-down stops on defense deep in their own territory.

“Canby is an outstanding team,” Tigard coach Craig Ruecker said. “And they made a couple big plays on both offense and defense – they made a couple more than we did, and that was the difference.”

Tigard got off to a strong start to the contest. The Tigers, in their first possession, moved 63 yards in 13 plays, mostly runs by Flannigan. They capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by McGetrick on a reverse, giving Tigard a 7-0 lead with 1 minute and 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

Canby tied the score early in the second quarter on a 6-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Josh Yoder to senior Ryan Wall.

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