CORVALLIS — Midway through the fourth quarter with Philomath trailing Crescent Valley by five points, junior quarterback AJ Altishin and senior wide receiver CD Nuño were not able to connect on third- and fourth-down pass plays that would’ve moved the chains.
Frustration hung in the air with the team’s high-powered offense forced off the field.
Gallery: PHS football at Crescent Valley (Oct. 3, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 20-15 football loss at Crescent Valley High School on Friday.
Then with just 94 seconds remaining, Philomath got the ball back after blocking a field goal but would need to go 80 yards to pull off the victory. Instead, the possession ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1 and the Raiders celebrated a 20-15 win.
Those moments on the team’s final two drives were representative of how much of the evening unfolded. Philomath’s offense appeared disjointed much of the time with the quarterback and receivers not in sync. The running game had its moments but overall, the team suffered from a lack of continuity with its execution.
“There were guys open and we just mistimed balls,” PHS coach Alex Firth said. “There just was no offensive rhythm.”
Philomath (3-2 overall, 0-1 Special District 3) looked just fine on its first offensive series. The Warriors went 80 yards in eight plays on a drive that included first-down catches by Nuño and junior Kaden Howard. On a third-and-6 play, senior Rocco De La Rosa took an option pitch and scampered 33 yards to the end zone.
Freshman Max Grapoli nailed the extra point and the Warriors were off and running with an early 7-0 lead.
Crescent Valley countered with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that took six minutes off the clock. Quarterback Ryan Williams hit a wide-open Elijah Adler in the end zone to knot the score.
In the second quarter, the Raiders took a 13-7 lead when Williams found junior Sterling Holland on a 16-yard touchdown. The drive occurred after Crescent Valley sophomore Elliott Bayless pounced on a Philomath fumble near midfield.
The Raiders put together an impressive drive to open the second half. Crescent Valley went 72 yards in 15 plays on a possession that saw a heavy lean on the team’s running game. All but two plays were runs and the Warriors could not get off the field on third down. Junior running back Cooper Hazelton scored on third down from the 5.
The possession took more than seven minutes off the clock.
Philomath countered with a touchdown on its next possession. Catches by Nuño and Howard and a run by junior Gavin Bennett moved the chains and helped the Warriors move inside the 20. On third-and-2 from the 10, Nuño picked up another first down on a run out of the wildcat formation. Then with first-and-goal from the 4, Philomath ran the same play and Nuño waltzed into the end zone.
Firth elected to go for two and Nuño converted with yet another run to cut Crescent Valley’s lead to 20-15 with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Raiders moved the ball effectively to begin the fourth quarter but came away with no points despite driving inside the 10. Philomath’s offense picked up a first down on the ensuing possession but three straight incompletions ended the drive.
Crescent Valley then ate up more clock time with its next drive, which got down to the 10 and ended with the blocked field goal. But Philomath was unable to do much with its final chance with the ball.
Crescent Valley’s running game averaged just three yards per carry but still played a pivotal role by working the clock and moving the chains when needed to keep Philomath’s dangerous offense off the field. The 1-2 punch of sophomore Dushawn Stephens and Hazelton accounted for a combined 126 yards on 28 carries.
Firth said the opponent was running a “really simple scheme” and off the top of his head could not say definitively why the Warriors struggled to stop it.
“They just ran the same play over and over again,” Firth said. “I don’t know schematically if something was broken or we just had an assignment blow or what — we’ll just have to look at it on film.”
Crescent Valley used an offensive strategy utilizing the slot receiver motioning in and it worked with some consistency to create gaps and running lanes.
“We have an eight-man box so there really shouldn’t be anywhere to run the ball,” Firth said. “So we’ve got to figure out if it’s scheme or if it was just a matchup issue or what.”
Junior lineman Jamin Peters had an exceptional game on defense with a number of stops, including a well-timed tackle for loss in the fourth quarter that backed up the Raiders in the red zone. Also on defense, senior Ben McGovern had a key sack on a third-and-9 play midway through the second quarter.
“Jamin played pretty well and I was proud of some of the young guys that got in there and filled in for guys that were getting hurt,” Firth said. “Cole (Barron) stepped in and played a lot of defensive tackle for us just because we have some guys that are beat up on the line. So someone like that stepping into that role was big for us.”
On offense for Philomath, Bennett ran for 56 yards on 10 carries but lacked stamina after fighting illness this week. Senior Lake Mulberry had just three carries and left the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
Nuño was the team’s top receiver with 10 catches for 78 yards. Altishin completed 14 of 34 passes for 136 yards.
Philomath will need to get right to work on Monday with a short week of preparation. The Warriors will play Thursday evening in a league game down at Cottage Grove. A lot of work awaits in practice.
Firth was asked what he talked to the players about in their postgame chat.
“I told them to not let it define our season — don’t let it beat us twice.”
Crescent Valley 20, Philomath 15
Friday, Oct. 3, at Field of Dreams, Crescent Valley HS, Corvallis
Team 1 2 3 4 F Philomath (3-2, 0-1) 7 0 8 0 15 Crescent Valley (3-2, 1-0) 7 6 7 0 20
First Quarter
PHS — De La Rosa 33 run (Grapoli kick), 9:23
CV — Adler 7 pass from Williams (Patel kick), 3:24
Second Quarter
CV — Holland 16 pass from Williams (run failed), 9:01
Third Quarter
CV — Hazelton 5 run (Patel kick), 4:55
PHS — Nuño 4 run (Nuño run), 0:54
Category PHS CV First Downs 14 19 Total Net Yards 250 275 Rushes-Yards 22-114 44-132 Passing 136 143 Punt Returns 0-0 1-3 Kickoff Returns 2-59 3-38 Interception Ret. 0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 14-34-0 15-21-0 Punts 3-33.3 3-34.3 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0 Penalties-Yards 5-63 7-75
Individual Statistics
RUSHING—Philomath, Bennett 10-56, De La Rosa 4-51, Nuño 4-11, Mulberry 3-5, Altishin 1-(-9). Crescent Valley, Hazelton 11-64, Stephens 17-62, Ochoa 7-15, Pannebaker 4-12, Williams 5-(-21).
PASSING—Philomath, Altishin 14-34-0-136. Crescent Valley, Williams 15-21-0-143.
RECEIVING—Philomath, Nuño 10-78, De La Rosa 2-36, Howard 2-22. Crescent Valley, Adler 4-31, Holland 3-47, Ochoa 2-23, Pannebaker 2-10, Hazelton 2-5, No. 88 1-20, Stephens 1-7.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Crescent Valley, Patel 27 (Blocked)