The Barlow Bruins are on the cusp of breaking into the upper echelon of the Mt. Hood Conference.
The Bruins football team sent a message that they are ready to take the next step following their 21-14 overtime win over the Clackamas Cavaliers Friday night.
The Bruins won the game with an opportunistic and big-play-centered performance. Junior Sentori Martino blocked a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds of regulation. Senior running back Hunter McDonald scored the go-ahead touchdown in overtime and freshman defensive back Caleb Perry intercepted a potential game-tying touchdown pass in the end zone to seal the win.
Barlow coach Tracy Jackson said the Bruins’ road to the win will help build the confidence of his team.
“This win is going to be really good for us down the road. We’ve been there and we’ve done it. So there’s no reason we can’t do it again,” Jackson said. “You don’t lose hope when you have a chance to make a big play somewhere. Fortunately, we had a couple of big plays in the game.”
The Bruins (2-2, 2-0 in Mt. Hood Conference) were able to pull out the close win after they finished on the other side of a tight game two weeks ago, when they suffered a 21-20 loss to Mountainside in Week 2.
Jackson said the Bruins played the Mavericks, No. 7 in The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Week 4 power rankings and No. 1 in the OSAA rankings, tough. They lost after an extra point attempt to tie the game was blocked following a touchdown in the third quarter.
“We played right with them the whole game. I think you have a lot of little things you can build on,” Jackson said. “I like the way we played, but we just couldn’t get it done at the end.”
The loss to the Mavericks helped set the stage for the win against the Cavaliers, a team the Bruins had not defeated since winning 42-37 during the 2011 season.
The win marked the Bruins second consecutive win, following back-to-back losses to open the season. Barlow lost 20-8 to Lake Oswego in Week 1 and then fell to the Mavericks. They have an opportunity to win their third consecutive game when they face the David Douglas Scots Friday night.
The Scots (0-4, 0-2) were shut out in their first three games and have been outscored 180-6 in the first four games.
“I know they haven’t scored a lot of points in these first four weeks, but I don’t want them to break through against us,” Jackson said. “I don’t care how good they are or aren’t. I just want us to play our best ball game.”
The Bruins were on the verge of breaking into the top half of the conference last season, finishing fifth in the nine-team conference. They look poised to take the next step in 2022.
“I want us to be respected. I want us to be in the conversation,” Jackson said. “When people talk about our conference, I want Barlow to be in that conversation.”
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