‘Nasty as possible’ Sandy rides punishing attack to 4-game win streak

“We want to be the most physical team.”

Author:
Dave Ball
Publish date:
Oct 15, 2022 3:25 AM EDT

By Dave Ball

SANDY — The locker room was not a fun place to be after Sandy’s 45-0 loss to Tigard in the second week of the season.

The Pioneers were determined not to repeat that feeling.

“We took that loss personally,” junior running back Cole Rotzien said. “We were not OK with getting beat up.”

“The captains took accountability, and they said, ‘This is not who we are’,” Sandy coach Josh Dill said. “The next week, we gave Central (Catholic) a fight in the first half, and we’ve been rolling ever since.”

The Pioneers held defending 6A champion Central Catholic to a touchdown late into the first half before giving way to the Rams in a 41-6 loss.

Since that 0-3 start, Sandy has won four in a row to vault itself into playoff contention after Thursday’s hard-fought 14-7 win over Reynolds.

The Pioneers pride themselves on winning the battle in the trenches, clearing wide paths for their assortment of running backs. That was on display in Thursday’s opening drive that featured four consecutive runs for first downs — Mataio Olomua for 17 yards, Rotzien for 11 and senior Garrett Willenberg for another 11. The drive ended with Willenberg finding his way 16 yards to the end zone.

“We want to be the most physical team,” Willenberg said. “Every play, you can feel it. It’s like delivering body shots in boxing. You wear them out, and you deliver that final blow. That’s what our offense is right now.”

It’s a punishing style that was helped in the offseason when Dill added Rock Gullickson to his staff. Gullickson spent 40 years as a strength and conditioning coach in the NFL and college. The 67-year-old Minnesota native retired to the Boring area to be around family. This marks his first season coaching at the prep level.

“I’ve been away from it for a few years now, and I missed being around the guys and being a part of something,” Gullickson said. “Our juniors and seniors realize that they are determining the destiny of this season’s team.”

The foundation was laid with weight room sessions during the summer, but the transformation has been about more than barbells and bench presses.

“It’s a two-part thing. There is the physical piece where you are seeing your squat number has improved 50 pounds,” Gullickson said. “There is also the mental part — a swagger, a self-confidence. I look better. I feel better.”

Sandy had to work into the fourth quarter for Thursday’s win.

Two missed field goals and a fourth-down failure killed scoring chances, and a blocked field goal resulted in Anthony Dickson’s 80-yard touchdown return to send the game to halftime with a 7-7 score.

“We finished with a lot of yards, but that did not equate to a lot of points tonight,” Dill said. “We worked the clock and kept moving forward, but we have to eliminate some of those mistakes.”

Sandy Reynolds football Oregon October 13 2022 Dave Ball 1

Sandy’s defense put up a brick wall all night.

Four times Reynolds started drives in Pioneers territory.

Not once did the Raiders move the chains.

“The only answer is to be the most physical team and stand them up,” Sandy lineman Aaron Menchaca-Olivas said. “We want to leave no doubt on the field.”

Sandy’s defense forced a fumble along the sideline early in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Rotzien powered up the middle 18 yards for the winning score.

“Our O-Line was blocking really good, and we were running over them the whole game — I figured we had to break one of them sooner or later,” Rotzien said. “Our team wants to be as nasty as possible in the run game, getting those yards after contact.”

The win streak boosts the Pioneers to 4-1 in the Mt. Hood Conference, setting the stage for another Thursday night showdown, this time against Nelson (5-1) with second place at stake.

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