Bulldogs avenge loss to Cascade

Sep. 5—Baker had to cover more than 350 miles on the ground to get to its first football game of the 2022 season, but once the Bulldogs arrived at Cascade High School they pretty much stayed in the air.

Baker junior quarterback Paul Hobson and a trio of receivers made for a potent aerial attack as the Bulldogs held off the Cougars 34-26 on Saturday, Sept. 3 in Turner.

The win avenged Baker's 2021 season-opening 35-0 loss to Cascade at Baker Bulldog Memorial Stadium.

Hobson completed 18 of 25 passes for 260 yards and four touchdowns. He had no interceptions.

"He played a great game," Baker coach Jason Ramos said of Hobson. "He's showing his maturity, making better decisions. He looked like a seasoned quarterback."

Fifteen of Hobson's 18 completions were distributed among the trio of juniors Hudson Spike and Malaki Myer, and freshman Rasean Jones.

Spike (six catches for 120 yards) and Myer (five catches for 64 yards) each had two touchdown catches.

Jones had four catches for 57 yards.

The Cougars struggled to defend Spike, at 6-foot-2, and Jones, at 6-foot-1.

Their height, combined with their leaping ability, gives Baker a formidable duo, Ramos said.

"Having two guys that can do that is going to create match up problems for any opponent," he said. "We're going to utilize that."

Hobson also completed passes to senior Tate Powell and junior Dash Bloomer.

"We have a great collection of receivers," Ramos said. "We're really excited about that."

Junior running back Kayden Garvin had Baker's other touchdown.

Baker took control in the first half, leading 27-12 at the intermission.

Cascade was threatening to cut the lead in the third quarter, but the Baker defense stopped the Cougars on fourth down inside the Baker 20 to preserve the lead.

"We got key stops at key times, and that was a big one," Ramos said.

After a Baker punt, Cascade scored one of its four running touchdowns, and the 2-point conversion narrowed the lead to 27-20.

But Baker quickly responded with its final touchdown to boost the lead back to 34-20.

"I was very proud of them for their answer in that moment," Ramos said. "We knew we could move the ball on them."

Cascade scored in the final minute, but Baker recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

Ramos said he would have preferred to have put the game away earlier, but he was pleased with how the team handled the onside kick.

The game was a major contrast in offensive styles.

Although total yardage was nearly even — Cascade had 380 total yards, Baker 373 — the Cougars relied almost exclusively on their rushing attack, with 311 yards on the ground and just 69 passing yards.

Ramos said he expected Cascade would emphasize its rushing game, and try to use its size advantage on the offensive line.

"We knew coming in they were going to do what they do," he said.

Ramos said he was generally happy with Baker's run defense, which held the Cougars to an average of 4.9 yards per carry.

"We would like to tighten up some things defensively, but we played good enough to win," he said.

Baker was slightly more balanced on offense, with 260 passing yards and 113 rushing yards.

The Bulldogs distributed the 24 carries fairly evenly.

Sophomore Jaxon Logsdon was the leading rusher, with 36 yards on eight carries. Hobson gained 34 yards on five carries, Garvin had 17 yards on seven rushes, and Powell had 26 yards on four carries.

Defensively, Logsdon and Powell had seven solo tackles each. Junior Izek Cleveland had six solo tackles, and Myer and Jones five each.

Ramos said it was crucial for Baker to take a two-score lead in the first half, since Cascade, with its limited passing attack, "isn't built to come back quickly" from a large deficit.

He said the Bulldogs were excited not only about avenging last year's loss to Cascade, but about playing well against a solid team.

"I think they realized the importance of that game," Ramos said. "It was a chance to show where we're at as a team. It was a good statement game."

The Bulldogs will have a chance to make perhaps an even bigger statement this Friday, Sept. 9, when they open their home schedule against Homedale, Idaho.

Ramos said the Trojans will be a formidable foe.

"They're really good this year," he said. "It's a next level challenge for us this week."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Baker then returns to the road, traveling to Vale to take on the Vikings at 6 p.m. PDT on Friday, Sept. 16.

"Vale traditionally is good," Ramos said. "We don't have any easy games on our schedule."