TOR Nighthawks beat up on lowly Dayton

Taking advantage of stellar field position earned by their defense, the Nighthawks of Tekoa/Oakesdale/Rosalia posted a 37-6 win over league punching bag Dayton Friday night at Oakesdale.

LEAGUE STANDINGS

Waits./Pres. 3-0 7-0 185 62

DeSales 2-1 4-2 220 137

Asotin 2-1 3-2 170 202

Tek/Oak/Ros 1-2 3-3 123 109

Dayton 1-2 1-5 28 167

Tri Cit. Prep 0-3 2-4 86 183

"We just took what they gave us," said Nighthawk Coach Ken Lindgren. "Fortunately they gave us some opportunities up close."

The five touchdowns scored by TOR came on just 269 yards of total offense.

"Give it to our defense and our return game Friday night," said Lindgren. "They stepped up and gave us some great field position."

The first score came on an 11-yard drive capped by Joe Gaines’ seven-yard scamper. Lance Lindgren set up the score when he picked up a Dayton fumble on the Bulldogs’ first possession and returned it 20 yards to set up the quick strike.

TOR iced the game in the second quarter on two short TD runs, one by Earl Gaines and the other by Scott Eberle.

A lineup of ‘hawk runners rolled up 173 yards rushing as they ran out the second half clock.

Lindgren credited his trench warriors for opening up big running lanes.

"I was really impressed with our line play," said Lindgren. "They really put it together on both sides of the ball."

The big pass came on the third play of the second half when Eberle hit Joe Gaines on a 58-yard scoring bomb.

Sophomore Will Dedic racked up a good share of points, kicking a field goal for four extra points and booking the final score with a 20-yard run.

TOR can lock up a post season spot in the league crossovers with a win this Friday against Tri-Cities Prep at Pasco.

The Jaguars fell 7-28 to undefeated Waitsburg-Prescott.

"They played pretty tight with WP last week. And that’s a long trip. They should put up a tough game against us," Lindgren said.