Waldport High School’s football season ended Friday night in the high desert of southeastern Oregon.
Lost River High School of Merrill, Ore. used a punishing ground game and a stifling defense to hand Waldport a 63-32 loss in the Class 1A state quarterfinals football playoffs. The Irish finished 8-2 for the season.
Waldport was ranked No. 5 in Oregon’s Class 1A football playoffs and beat Elgin of Union County at home last week, 72-30. It was the first Waldport football playoff win in 42 years. Lost River was ranked No. 4 – that’s why the Irish traveled there — and beat Camas Valley 38-0 at home in the first round.
Friday night, Lost River scored just three minutes into the game and converted the point after for a quick 8-0 lead. Waldport came back in the first quarter to score with 2:54 left to make it 8-6 after its point after touchdown failed.
Lost River then scored the next two touchdowns until Waldport scored with 5:23 left in the second quarter. The Raiders scored twice more in the second quarter, including a touchdown with just seconds remaining to take a 40-18 lead into halftime.
Lost River, 10-1, put the game out of reach on the first play of the second half with a long run and two-point conversion to make it 48-18, then scored off an interception to make it 56-18 after three quarters.
Waldport scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a fumble return for a touchdown to make the final score 63-32.
The Fighting Irish left Waldport at 9 a.m. Friday on a chartered bus that included a light-and-sirens escort through town from Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue before embarking on the 300 mile trip to Merrill.
Great job Irish! It’s gotta be tough playing a game after a six-hour bus ride.