Dufur falls to Powder Valley in first gridiron clash Thursday, Sept. 2

Dufur Football kicked off its season on Thursday, Sept. 2. Photo by Kristin Whitley

Jack Henderson

Coach Jack Henderson said he liked what he saw from Quarterback Josh Taylor and running back Cody Phillips in their season opener against Powder Valley in a 1A football clash on Thursday night, Sept. 2.

Henderson described the game as a bit ‘strange’ in the 42-14 loss.

“The first half was a defensive struggle… and the second half was a shoot-out. Powder Valley wore us down. The game was quite a bit closer than the final score.”

Powder Valley had a really good team and they returned everybody from last season,” Henderson added. 

He also saw some bright spots on his squad to build upon.

“It was Josh Taylor’s first start in quarterback, and he did a good job in executing the offense,” Henderson said.  

Sophomore Cody Phillps at runningback, led in rushing and also returned an interception for a touchdown.

“It was a typical early-season game,” Henderson said, noting teams struggle to connect in first games whether it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Dufur Rangers. 

The game gave Henderson a good gauge on the physical prowess of his team. He will be pushing his team to get into game shape or having the cardio to play hard for a full four quarters.

Next up for Dufur is an away league game at Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat on Sept. 10. 

Here is the rest of Dufur’s schedule: 

9/10 - 7 p.m. @ Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat - League

9/17 - 7 p.m. vs. Sherman/Condon - League

9/24 - 6 p.m. @ Enterprise - League

10/1 - 1 p.m. @ Crane

10/8 - 7 p.m. @ Pilot Rock - League

10/15 - 7 p.m. @ Ione/Arlington - Leage

10/22 7 p.m. vs. Imbler - League