Philomath High’s football team didn’t waste any time Thursday night at Gladstone.
The Warriors scored 30 points in the first quarter, led 44-8 at halftime and cruised to a 51-24 Special District 2 victory over a shorthanded Gladstone squad.
“It kind of went the way we thought it would go,” Philomath coach Alex Firth said. “They had 18 healthy players to start the game, so they were outmanned at the beginning. We just did what we do, ran the ball, threw the ball, got a lead, and then we started getting kids in and getting them some experience.”
Senior Gavin Bennett, back in the lineup after missing last week’s game, led the way with 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries.
Bennett set the tone on the first play from scrimmage with a 19-yard run and later caught a 15-yard pass to get the Warriors into the red zone. After a series of penalties against both teams, senior quarterback AJ Altishin finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run with 9:56 left in the first quarter.
Philomath then scored 23 points in the final 4:45 of the quarter. Bennett broke free on a 54-yard touchdown run, and the Warriors got two more points on a safety when a Gladstone snap went through the back of the end zone. Senior Bryce Hruska returned the ensuing free kick 65 yards for a touchdown, and sophomore Mason Bennett capped the outburst with a 7-yard scoring run with 18 seconds left in the period.
Firth said a new twist in the running game paid off.
“Our offensive line is dominant at the point of attack,” Firth said. “We put in a new version of power this week, kind of a little spin on it that I don’t know that anybody else runs, and I’m not going to say what it is. But we were opening giant holes right up the middle, so it was pretty easy going straight downhill.”
Gladstone got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with a 3-yard run by senior quarterback Ezra Meyer and a two-point conversion pass. Philomath answered with two more touchdowns before halftime. Hruska returned an interception 25 yards for a score, and Gavin Bennett added a 41-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left in the half.
The running-clock mercy rule went into effect at the start of the second half, and Firth got in several of the team’s younger players. Gladstone scored 16 points in the third quarter on a 49-yard run by Meyer and a 52-yard touchdown pass from Meyer to sophomore Hank Sanders.
Junior quarterback Jayce Iverson closed the scoring for Philomath with a 9-yard touchdown run with 2:58 remaining. Sophomore Max Grapoli made all seven of his extra-point kick attempts.
Mason Bennett finished with 74 rushing yards on four carries as Philomath piled up 241 yards on the ground. Junior Nathen Seits caught two passes for 47 yards.
Firth singled out Gavin Bennett and the interior of his offensive line.
“I think Gavin ran really hard. He was impressive running the ball,” Firth said. “And our line — Chase (Leslie-Morrison) and Jamin (Peters) are just such a force up there. Running behind them is such a big deal for us. We were really successful running the ball inside with them.”
Philomath (3-4 overall, 2-2 Special District 2) has a bye next week before playing at Stayton on Oct. 23. The Warriors close the regular season Oct. 30 at home against Estacada.
“We’re pretty battered, just a bunch of nagging injuries we’ve got to get rid of, so it comes at almost the exact right time,” Firth said in reference to the bye week. “We’re going to get some guys healthy, get some guys back, be ready for Stayton in a couple weeks and go from there and see if we can make a playoff run.”
Philomath 51, Gladstone 24
Thursday, Oct. 8, at Gladstone HS
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Philomath (3-4, 2-2) | 30 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 51 |
| Gladstone (0-6, 0-3) | 0 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 24 |
Note: The running-clock mercy rule went into effect for the second half.
FIRST QUARTER
PHS — Altishin 10 run (Grapoli kick), 9:56
PHS — G. Bennett 54 run (Grapoli kick), 4:45
PHS — Safety, 3:09
PHS — Hruska 65 kickoff return (Grapoli kick), 2:58
PHS — M. Bennett 7 run (Grapoli kick), 0:18
SECOND QUARTER
GHS — E. Meyer 3 run (Sanders pass from E. Meyer), 6:58
PHS — Hruska 25 interception return (Grapoli kick), 5:11
PHS — G. Bennett 41 run (Grapoli kick), 1:55
THIRD QUARTER
GHS — E. Meyer 49 run (Browning run), 6:03
GHS — Sanders 52 pass from E. Meyer (Delariva run), 0:20
FOURTH QUARTER
PHS — Iverson 9 run (Grapoli kick), 2:58