Recap & Top Prospects: Lincoln vs. McDaniel
Although there are many outstanding high school football players and teams in Oregon, I couldn’t watch them all last week. I could only attend one Friday night game last week. I decided to watch the Lincoln Cardinals match up against…
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Continue ReadingAlthough there are many outstanding high school football players and teams in Oregon, I couldn’t watch them all last week. I could only attend one Friday night game last week. I decided to watch the Lincoln Cardinals match up against the McDaniel Mountain Lions at McDaniel high school. In this article, I will recap some of the top prospects and the scoring from Lincoln’s 19-14 victory against McDaniel from last Friday, September 15, 2023.
It was homecoming for McDaniel, and the stands were quite packed. The Cardinals got the win, 19-14. Entering the game, Lincoln was winless, sitting at 0-2. McDaniel on the other hand entered the game with a record of 1-1. This game was the first league game for both squads. Lincoln’s head coach is Cody Schnaufer, who I spoke to before the game. Entering the game, discipline was the key for Lincoln, in addition to making McDaniels’ QB, Crawford, throw the ball more. “We have to be disciplined and need to contain #1, Tre’Marion Crawford, and make him beat us with his arm,” said coach Schnaufer. Although Lincoln dominated for the first three quarters, the McDaniel Mountain Lions climbed their way back into the game late and made things interesting. Lincoln’s starting QB, Liam Eldridge had a slow start but finished the game strong.
Lincoln kicked off to start the game, and then they immediately made McDaniel punt after forcing a three and out. Shortly after the Mountain Lions punted, Lincoln got on the scoreboard first. With 9:37 remaining in the first quarter, Lincoln’s Emmett Togni Emmett Togni 5'10" | 170 lbs | RB Lincoln | 2024 State OR scored a rushing touchdown to put the Cardinals up 7-0 early in the first. At the end of the first quarter, Lincoln held a one possession advantage of 7-0. With just over nine minutes left in the second quarter, Lincoln’s starting quarterback, Liam Eldridge had an 18-yard run. Late in the second quarter, McDaniel had a decent drive going. This drive was ended by Emmett Togni Emmett Togni 5'10" | 170 lbs | RB Lincoln | 2024 State OR ‘s interception and then 20-yard run with 1:07 left in the half. Lincoln pushed their way up the field, and then scored on an Eldridge QB keeper to put Lincoln up 13-0 with eight seconds left in the first half. Following this score, the Cardinals missed a PAT. After the Cardinals kicked off with eight seconds to go in the half, Mountain Lions freshman wide receiver, Dontae Stidum Jr. impressively almost took it to the house for McDaniel. After Stidum Jr caught the ball at the 10 yard line, he quickly ran from the 10 yard line all the way into Lincoln’s redzone. Stidum Jr. was then tripped up at the 10 and stumbled at Lincoln’s five yard line as the first half clock expired. Fortunately for Lincoln, Dontae Stidum Jr. didn’t score, and they went into the half up 13-0.
The first big play of the third quarter occurred with 9:35 left in the third. During this play, McDaniels’ starting quarterback, Tre’Marion Crawford, completed a 23-yard pass to Jake Brewer. Minutes later, Lincoln had possession again. With just under five minutes left in the third quarter, Lincoln fumbled, which was recovered by McDaniel. This turnover was Lincoln’s first of the game. At the end of three, Lincoln led 13-0 still.
The fourth quarter is where the game became really intriguing. In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals had possession for a while, until they fumbled and the Mountain Lions recovered the ball with 5:13 left in the fourth. Then McDaniel turned the ball over and Lincoln’s Emmett Togni Emmett Togni 5'10" | 170 lbs | RB Lincoln | 2024 State OR scored again with 4:44 remaining in the game. After Togni’s touchdown, Lincoln’s PAT attempt was blocked, making the score 19-0 Lincoln. Plays later, McDaniel’s Jake Brewer completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to Dontae Stidum Jr., which made the score 19-6. Then, the mountain lions converted on a 2-point play, which made it 19-8 Lincoln. A minute later, with 3:25 left in the game, Lincoln’s Finn Davies threw a pass that was picked off by McDaniel freshman Johnny Gayton, who is a 5 ‘9 158-pound cornerback. Following Gayton’s interception, the Mountain Lions would score shortly after. With two and a quarter minutes to go in the game, McDaniel’s Brandon Kyle scored a rushing touchdown to put McDaniel within five points. The Mountain Lions went for two, in efforts to shorten their deficit to just three points. McDaniel’s two-point attempt was unsuccessful, as their rushing play was stumped by Lincoln’s resilient defense. Unfortunately for McDaniel, they were out of timeouts. Lincoln did a couple of running plays and then kneeled it to retire the game.
In the second half McDaniel had nine penalties while Lincoln had eight. Both teams were plagued by numerous penalties throughout the game. The game ended in dramatic fashion, with an action-packed fourth quarter. The Lincoln Cardinals defeated the McDaniel Mountain Lions by five points, with a final score of 19-14.
Outstanding prospects from the game:
Stats: 49 yards total, 23 rushing on 7 carries, 26 receiving yards, 2 TD’s, 4 tackles.
Emmett Togni Emmett Togni 5’10” | 170 lbs | RB Lincoln | 2024 State OR is a 5’10, 170-pound senior running back and defensive back for the Lincoln Cardinals. Togni had himself a fantastic game, which was his best performance so far this season. Togni made a difference on both sides of the field, & exemplified why he is so versatile and valuable to Lincoln’s team. Togni accounted for two out of the three touchdowns the Cardinals scored in their 19-14 win over McDaniel.
Dontae Stidum Jr.
Dontae Stidum Jr.
Stats: 127 all-purpose yards, 42 yards receiving, 1 reception, 1 touchdown.
Dontae Stidum Jr. is a 6 ‘3, 175-pound freshman wide receiver for McDaniel. Stidum Jr. made his presence known by returning a kickoff all the way to the 5 yard line to end the first half. He almost scored on that play. With his extreme speed, Stadium is able to effortlessly blow by defenses. He is also tall and strong, making him more difficult to defend. In the fourth quarter, Stidum Jr. caught a clutch pass thrown by Brewer to help cut McDaniel’s deficit to just five points. Dontae Stidum Jr. is already showing superstar potential as a freshman now. I can only imagine how talented and improved Stidum Jr. will become in the coming years.
Liam Eldridge
Liam Eldridge
Stats: 6 carries for 35 yards rushing, 8/17 passing for 97 yards, 132 all-purpose yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 0 interceptions.
Liam Eldridge is 6 ‘2, 190-pound junior quarterback for the Lincoln Cardinals. He’s an extremely versatile quarterback who had a great performance last Friday, September 15th. After starting off slow, Liam Eldridge heated up in the second half. Eldidge had a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, and rushed for 35 yards in the game. Liam Eldidge is a junior now, with a lot of potential. I’m excited to continue to watch his growth as a quarterback.
Jake Brewer
Jake Brewer
Stats: 35 rushing yards, 47 passing yards, 82 all-purpose yards, 1 passing touchdown, 0 interceptions.
Jake Brewer is a 5’10, 155-pound senior RB, DB, and QB for McDaniel. Brewer took over at QB in the third quarter after McDaniels starting quarterback Tre’Marion Crawford got injured. Brewer excelled at running the ball for the mountain lions. He’s a strong back who is also very quick. Brewer also showed his versatility by completing some solid throws while filling in at quarterback. In the 4th quarter, Brewer completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to Dontae Stidum Jr., making the score 19-14 Lincoln at that point. Look out for Jake Brewer this season, as he will definitely turn some heads.
Tre’Marion Crawford
Tre’Marion Crawford
Stats: 75 passing yards, 40 rushing yards, 115 all-purpose yards.
Crawford is a 5’7, 122 pound sophomore quarterback for the McDaniel Mountain Lions. Despite his lack of height and weight, Crawford is a speedy quarterback who is extremely resilient. There were multiple times in the game where he got himself out of a muck and turned a disaster into a highlight play. Crawford is a crafty athlete who continuously dodged defenders left and right while on the run. Despite struggling to be consistent with his deep ball, Crawford had himself an outstanding game against Lincoln. Tre knows how to run the ball. He ran the ball a lot in McDaniel’s loss to Lincoln, and made some impressive plays. Unfortunately Crawford got injured, but he will continue to shine once he’s healthy again.
This game between Lincoln and McDaniel was super exciting. It came down to the wire in the fourth quarter which made the game extremely interesting. I will definitely keep my eye on both Lincoln & McDaniel this season, as they’re both talented teams that both roster versatile athletes. McDaniel are led by head coach Russell Millage, while Lincoln are led by head coach Cody Schnaufer.
The match was well fought by both sides. It was an extremely competitive game, especially in the fourth quarter. It was anyone’s game to win in the fourth, yet Lincoln prevailed over McDaniel in the end. Both the Cardinals and the Mountain Lions will continue league play this week. Lincoln will play their next game on the road at Jefferson this Thursday, September 21. McDaniel will match up against Grant at Grant high school this Thursday, September 21, 2023.