Philomath High School’s football program has seen its share of blowouts over the years with several ending up with winning margins in the 40- to 49-point range. But for this list, we narrowed it down to the last five times the Warriors won by 50 or more points.
Winning by 50-plus points is probably not as easy as it once was with mercy rules now in effect. But Philomath pulled it off in a 2021 win over Valley Catholic, even though the game went to a running clock early in the second half when the Warriors were leading by 35-plus points.
The Philomath 5: City parks on the north side
Ten city parks (with an 11th on the way) can be found in various spots around Philomath to provide local residents and those passing through with opportunities to spend some time outside. Most of the locations feature playgrounds and spots that work well for enjoying a picnic lunch. The Marys River Park and Natural Area…
The 2015 team that went 8-2 and had that memorable playoff game against Cascade in Corvallis is included in the list as well. That particular Warriors team almost got two on the list but came up one point short in a 67-18 win over Yamhill-Carlton (a 49-point victory).
The 1988 squad that defeated Dallas for the state title had a 90-0 blowout win that some old-timers might remember. From Woody Bennett’s quotes after the game, it sounds like Philomath could have scored 100 or more on Junction City that night.
Then you go back to the 1982 season for the final two scores on the list. Gene Dales was in his second year as head coach and at the time, the Warriors were stuck in a stretch of mediocre seasons. In fact, just two years earlier, Philomath had gone 0-9 and scored only 57 points all season.
Let’s get on with this week’s Philomath 5.
1. Sept. 3, 2021: Philomath 52, Valley Catholic 0
Playing on the road, running back David Griffith scored three touchdowns, quarterback Caleb Jensen ran for two scores and threw for two others and quarterback Kaden Muir ran one in. On defense, Ty May returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown and on special teams, Isaac Lattin hit a 40-yard field goal and was good on all seven of his extra point attempts.
“I think there’s a massive boost for the kids. It just validates what we did in the offseason and what the coaches have been teaching and what we’ve been doing in practice,” PHS coach Alex Firth said. “It shows them that if they do what we ask them to do, we can have some real success.”
2. Oct. 8, 2015: Philomath 55, Newport 0
The Warriors overwhelmed an overmatched Newport squad with 468 total yards in a game that was 34-0 by halftime. Quarterback Kenan Conner threw for 147 yards and four touchdowns and also found the end zone on a run. Tight end Cal Stueve caught two TD passes and running back Logan Williams scored twice on runs. Riley Davis, Trenton Looper and Casey Croy also scored touchdowns.
Philomath, coached by Troy Muir, scored touchdowns so quickly that the Warriors had a mere 16 minutes of clock time when it came to time of possession. The defense held Newport to 84 total yards. Looper had 104 yards rushing on nine carries.
3. Sept. 9, 1988: Philomath 90, Junction City 0
Backup running back Jason Start rushed for 172 yards and four touchdowns in the 90-0 rout. The Warriors led 55-0 at halftime.
“I’ve never been in this situation,” PHS coach Woody Bennett said. “I had my third-string kids out there, and I had some kids play positions they’ve never played before.”
Quarterback Geoff Grass threw for three touchdowns and running back Greg Yechout had 152 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the win. The Warriors finished with 478 yards of total offense while holding Junction City to 148.
Philomath would go on to win the AA state title with a 28-21 win over Dallas.
4. Sept. 10, 1982: Philomath 66, Elmira 12
Quarterback Rick Hines threw for 139 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 60 yards in the 54-point win. Andy Burbank scored three TDs on a run, catch and interception return. In addition, Mike Horn had 126 yards rushing and scored two TDs.
Perry Brown, Troy Johnson, PD Serry, Bill Hendricks and Randy Giron also scored touchdowns.
The Warriors rolled up 495 yards of total offense with 356 on the ground.
“We’re running the wishbone offense the way it’s supposed to be run,” PHS coach Gene Dales said. “Plus our offensive line has dominated the line play. …”
Hines was the new starting QB after the Week 1 starter, Mike Baumgartner, left the school to move with his family to northern California.
5. Sept. 3, 1982: Philomath 60, Chemawa 0
The Warriors opened the season by scoring nine touchdowns and pitching a shutout in a victory in Salem. Rick Hines and PD Serry ran for two touchdowns apiece. Mike Horn, Rick Johnson, Mike Baumgartner and Mike Shandy also scored on offense. John Block was good on six extra points.
Hines finished with 84 yards rushing on eight carries. Serry had 59 yards on four carries. Jaime Brockamp recovered a fumble in the end zone for another Philomath TD.
The defense allowed just 92 total yards. Linebackers Kreg Stueve and Russ Watkins led with 12 and 11 tackles, respectively. Vince Dye had two interceptions.
Despite the encouraging start in 1982, Philomath went on to score only 70 points over the next seven games and finished with a 5-4 record.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
