The new era of Canby Cougar football rolled on Friday as the Cougs hit the road to face the heavily favored Tigard Tigers, ranked No. 2 in the state. The visited Cougs put up a good fight but ultimately fell, 51-27.
A casual glance at the Tigers’ previous two games, both wins, over Sunset (45-22) and Barlow (35-3), shows Canby actually fared pretty well against the perennially strong contenders.
The game featured a bit of a reunion, as Canby head coach Jimmy Joyce and Tigard head coach John Kemper met on the field as opposing coaches for the first time. Fifteen or so years ago, the two had roomed together in a “fleabag apartment” when they were teammates at Linfield College in McMinnville.
The sentimentality, evidently, was short-lived, as Kemper’s Tigers scored on their first series and didn’t let up on the pressure much until the final whistle. The Cougs actually managed to even things up after that first score, on a 75-yard bomb from senior quarterback Andrew Peters (No. 8) to junior speedster Chance Miller (Nos. 21/24).
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Andrew Peters floats a perfect pass and Chance Miller does the rest, 75 yards for a @Canby_Football touchdown! Tied 7-7 after Tigard scored on their first series. Let’s go Cougs! #CanbyProud
But that’s the closest they would come. They trailed 20-7 at the end of the first quarter, and though they continued to move the ball on offense, their D was no match for the Tigers machine.
Peters rounded out his night with another touchdown pass to senior receiver Jack Linman (Nos. 2/7), his first of the season. Bruising running back Wyatt Ramos (No. 44) again led the ground assault and, despite a juggled hand-off in the third quarter, managed to bully his way in for a score, literally carrying the ball on his back.
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Even with a tough handoff, Wyatt Ramos literally carries the ball behind his back across the line for a @Canby_Football touchdown! Canby trails 41-21 with 3:12 to go in the 3rd quarter. Go Cougs!!! #CanbyProud @derekwwiley
The Cougs’ final score came on another connection to Miller, this time from backup QB Mikey Gibson, a junior, who got some burn in the fourth quarter.
It was their highest scoring game under the leadership of Joyce, the former longtime offensive coordinator for Beaverton High School. Though their record stands at 0-3, the improvement from last year’s winless campaign is obvious. They have been much more competitive, and have already matched their season total for points in only three games (62).
The Cougs will finally be back home next week, as they again take on the Tigers, this time from Newberg. Newberg is 2-1 and fresh off a 41-0 rout over Summit.
