The THS football team kept this season’s momentum going with another huge victory over the  Tigers from Newberg High School. Sept 23 was a cool and temperate night that began with minimal to no rain and a Tigard student section decked out in all green.

THS started on defense with senior Garrick Gargurevich setting the pace of the game  by kicking a touchback right from the start . Both teams appeared evenly matched for several changes of possession until senior Ryan Minniti made a 75 yard touchdown run with about three minutes left in the first quarter. The ever consistent Gargurevich nailed the extra point kick making the score 7-0 for THS.

This is when the rain started to pick up into a heavy shower. However, THS did not slip up with the bad weather, recovering the ball inside the Newberg five yard line shortly after the kickoff. Minniti proved once again to be one of the team’s go-to running backs as he carried the ball to another touchdown for Tigard. Gargurevich scored the extra point with no problem making the score 14-0 for THS with about two minutes left in the first quarter.

At this point, Newberg got a foothold in their offense. They strung together several very successful plays with their very fast running back Michael Tarakhchyan. With 42 seconds left in the quarter, Newberg’s wide receiver Davis Smith scored their first touchdown. However, their holder had a small wobble when receiving the long snap, giving Aksel Thorsfeldt enough time to jump in front of their kicker and block the extra point attempt. With less than a minute of the first quarter left, the score was 14-6 for Tigard.

Braden Lenzy continued the Tigard push with an 85 yard kickoff return and a touchdown right after. Gargurevich again made the extra point, making the score a comfortable 21-6 at the first quarter

The second quarter began with a series of fouls for unnecessary roughness and facemask penalties  on both teams. But, after holding off another aggressive Newberg push, Tigard got the ball and scored a field goal, making the score 24-6 about halfway through the second quarter.

Newberg then had another string of successful handoffs and was able to score their second touchdown. Making a risky move, they went for a two point conversion to help even out their score, and they made it. The score was 24-14 with about 1:31 left in the second quarter.

Not to be one-upped on running yards, Tigard made their own successful series of runs that got them another quick touchdown with a 20 yard run. As one could expect, Gargurevich made the extra point making the score 31-14 at the half.

The third quarter was wholly a standstill between the two teams of Tigers. Both teams made excellent runs  and touchdown attempts but could not put anything in the end zone for most of the quarter. This tension was broken when junior Spencer Smith made an interception at the Newberg two yard line near the end of the quarter. The very next play, Smith swiftly carried the ball into the end zone for a touchdown with only 15 seconds left on the clock. Gargurevich made the extra point making the score 38-14 Starting out the fourth quarter with a bang, Newberg’s Michael Tarakhchyan made a 62 yard run for a touchdown only 20 seconds after the quarter began. This made the score 38-21.

Continuing their momentum however, Tigard made several very successful passes and runs, working the ball up their 31 yard line. After a quick timeout, a pass by senior Ryan Worthley to senior Scott Ostrom secured a touchdown, making the score 45-21.

The Tigard kickoff was then immediately recovered by senior Justin Lyons, giving THS possession of the ball again. Minniti once again showed his calibre as a running back and made several impressive runs, shoving through the Newberg defense and earning Tigard another touchdown. Gargurevich’s kick went wide and smashed into the uprights, denying the extra point. This made the score 51-21 with 6:32 left in the game.

The game concluded with another series of fouls and neither team being able to score another touchdown. While both teams made several big plays, neither were significant enough to change the score. The game ended at 9:35 p.m. with a score of 51-21 for the Tigard Tigers.