Hawks secure playoff berth with 57-14 win over Athens

OREGON – Coming into to its regular-season finale against Athens, Oregon desperately needed a win Oct. 25 to qualify for the playoffs. Building a 35-0 halftime lead, the Hawks (5-4) secured that berth, likely in 3A, with a 57-14 win.

“I’m proud of how we played. We were clicking on all three phases,” Oregon coach Broc Kundert said.

When asked at halftime what pleased him most, Kundert didn’t hesitate a bit when he mentioned the passing of Benny Olade, who was 3-for-4 at that point for 91 yards.

“Benny’s looked perfect out there. Every week he has been improving,” Kundert said.

For a team that converted to a ground game after 3-year starting QB Jack Washburn wasn’t able to play this year because of a health problem, Olade’s passing added an extra dimension to an offense that lost fullback Logan Weems to injury this week.

A positive for Oregon was the return of end Josh Crandall, who caught a 30-yard touchdown pass and saw some action on defense. Crandall got a second opinion on his injury, allowing him to play.

“We didn’t think we’d be seeing him,” Athens coach Ryan Knox said. “They were more physical than us.”

The Hawks forced four first-half fumbles and drove at will on its five first-half touchdowns against the defending 2A state runner-ups who lost 19 starters.

Keaton Salsbury recovered the first fumble at midfield and five plays later Hunter Bartel ran in from 9 yards out for a 6-0 lead. After a 65-yard drive, Olade scored from a yard out and connected with Crandall on the PAT for a 14-0 lead.

Avery Lewis had a 20-yard touchdown run and Cooper Johnson tacked on a 40-yarder for a 28-0 lead. The play that excited the large home crowd the most, though, was a 46-yard bomb from Olade from his own 4-yard to a wide-open Kade Girton.

“They caught us selling out on the run,” Knox said.

After halftime, Bartel scored to make it a running clock. Sophomore Jakobi Donegan stepped in for Olade and had touchdown runs of 15 and 46 yards. A shorthanded defense also started a pair of sophs at linebacker.

Under Kundert, Oregon will be returning to the playoffs for the second year in a row after a 9-year absence. It is their 16th appearance in the 50-year history of the IHSA playoffs, with its highest finish a second place in 2000.

The Hawks, the 13th seed, will travel to Princeton on Friday, Nov. 1, for a 7 p.m. game against the fourth-seeded Tigers.