Just over halfway through the first half of the varsity football season and already the Warriors have tied their wins from last year. The team sits on a 2-3 record with four games left to play as of Oct. 4.
The Warriors started their season on Sept. 1 with an away game at Parkrose. Parkrose scored first, but Cleveland had a quick response with a 10-yard Payton Coe rushing touchdown. The Warriors immediately took the lead when Hank Blaha got an interception in Cleveland’s endozone, and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. Parkrose drew even on their next drive, but the tie wouldn’t hold for long. Max Copus had a 51-yard touchdown run to make the score 20-14. Copus put together an amazing performance, with 196 yards on 22 carries, and two touchdowns in a 28-18 Warriors win.
The Warriors next game, on Sept. 8, was against South Eugene was their home opener. In their first game in front of their home crowd Cleveland put on a show. The Warriors won in dominant fashion with a final score of 36-12. Copus put on another outstanding performance. He had 22 carries for 138 yards and 3 touchdowns. The team’s quarterback, James Ho, also had a great game with 83 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown. Ho’s passing touchdown was an impressive 52-yard completion to Pokii Waiwaiole. This game also featured a packed student section, who stormed the field after the big win to celebrate with the team.
In the second home game, on Sept. 15, Cleveland played rivals Franklin. Cleveland suffered their first defeat of the season, with a final score of 42-6. This was the first league game for both teams. Despite the final score, Copus turned in another great game. He had 17 carries for 95 yards and the team’s only touchdown. The team had 158 total yards, 135 of which were on the ground.
Cleveland’s most recent game was away against Ida B. Wells on Sept. 21. With a final score of 13-36, it was a second straight defeat for the Warriors, but the game was not without its highlights: notably, a 36-yard rushing touchdown from Copus, who had 96 rushing yards in total. Ho had a passing touchdown, nine completions on 13 attempts for 74 yards, and a touchdown to Copus.
The highlight of the season for this Cleveland team has definitely been junior running back Copus. He has 525 rushing yards in just the first four games this season, as well as seven touchdowns. That’s over 131 rushing yards per game, and almost two touchdowns a game. He has been someone that Cleveland can count on whenever they need a big play.
The Warriors will look to get their season back on track after two disappointing losses in a row.
