Baker rallies to top Stayton

The Bulldogs (9-1) had been  in that position only one other time this season, suffering their only loss of the year at Ontario.

But this time, a few halftime adjustments and a tightening of the belt on defense helped the Bulldogs come from behind to edge Stayton 23-16. The win propels Baker into the quarterfinals Thanksgiving weekend at home against defending 4A champion Astoria. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Bulldog Memorial Stadium.

“I’m pleased, proud, all those words,” said Baker coach Dave Johnson. “The kids did great. They kept their composure despite all of the distractions.

“They played with great determination and poise. They battled the whole game. I think that says a lot about the boys.”

Baker quarterback Jesse Brown connected on a 14-yard touchdown pass with Trace Richardson with 1:49 left in the game to lift Baker on top.

Stayton had forged a 16-3 first-half lead on touchdowns by quarterback Sawyer Clark and a Clark-to-Coby Proctor pass.

Baker battled back to pull within 16-10 with 49 seconds left in the first half on a 5-yard TD run by Brown.

“In our typical fashion we scored in the final two minutes of the first half,” Johnson said. “I think in 10 games this season we’ve done that seven times. And, I don’t know how many times we did that last year. The kids just bowed their necks and kept playing.”

Then, midway through the third quarter Baker’s Stephen Talbot scored on a 14-yard run to tie the game at 16-16.

Baker drove inside the Stayton 10 yard line twice in the fourth quarter only to lose the ball on fumbles on the muddy, wet field.

Then with 1:49 left Brown dropped back to pass, and had to scramble to avoid the Stayton rush. As Brown stepped to the side Richardson broke open in the end zone.

“We made the plays when we needed to,” Johnson said.

“I was particularly proud of the defense. Those kids executed almost flawlessly.

“Our kicking game was outstanding. Offensively, we were just inches away from having big plays on many occasions. Really, all phases of our game really did well,” Johnson said.

Stayton made one final bid to at least send the game into overtime, driving to the Baker 13 with 34.3 seconds left. Clark then faded back to pass but Baker’s Colten Richards stepped in front of the intended receiver at the goal line for the interception.

“Brandon Dolby had a great pick earlier in the game and that was a super play by Colten. He was exactly where he was supposed to be,” Johnson said.

Baker opened the scoring in its initial drive of the first quarter. The Bulldogs drove to the Stayton 2 before stalling in the mud. Dekker Smith then gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead with an 18-yard field goal.

That’s where the score remained until 9:41 was left in the first half. Clark then gave Stayton an 8-3 lead with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Stayton then went ahead 16-3 when Clark found Proctor on the receiving end of a 57-yard TD aerial.

Each team finished the game with four turnovers.

Baker finished with 298 yards in total offense, Stayton 272.

Johnson said the Bulldogs also were pleased with the fan support.

“One more time our fans showed their support and class,” the Baker coach said. “In fact one time Jesse couldn’t hear me calling an audible, the fans were so loud.”

Baker    3    7    6    7    — 23

Stayton    0    16    0    0    — 16

B — Smith 18 FG

S — Clark 2 run (Campbell pass from Clark)

S — Proctor 57 pass from Clark (Campbell pass from Clark)

B — Brown 5 run (Smith kick)

B — Talbot 14 run (Kick failed)

B — Richardson 14 pass from Brown (Smith kick)

Individual statistics

Rushing — Baker: Talbot 27-169, Brown 9-13, Austin 1-8. Stayton: Blythe 18-67, Lindemann 5-42, Cade 12-40, Clark 8-24, Weitman 3-8.

Passing — Baker: Brown 8-15-1-108. Stayton: Clark 3-13-2-89.

Receiving — Baker: Talbot 3-20, Barr 2-38, Dolby 1-21, Durflinger 1-15, Richardson 1-14. Stayton: Proctor 3-89.

Interceptions — Baker: Dolby, Richards. Stayton: one.