To say the Canal Bowl has turned into a one-sided affair might be putting it mildly.
After Mazama’s (6-1, 4-0) 54-7 win over Klamath Union (1-6, 0-5) Thursday night, the Vikings have now outscored the Pelicans 219-39 in their last four meetings. They’ve won the last 10.
Still, excitement for the game hasn’t waned at Mazama. The Vikings ran onto the field after halftime holding the Canal Bowl trophy aloft and were mobbed by the student section immediately after breaking their postgame huddle.
Mazama head coach Vic Lease, who improved his Canal Bowl record to 10-1, said the history behind the game keeps it from losing its significance. He recalled his first season at Mazama in 2013, when the Vikings lost to Klamath Union at home after the Pelicans made a goal-line stand at the end of the game.
“That game…sticks in my head,” Lease said. “The way the game ended, being stopped on the one-yard line and their students rushing the field…it has stuck in my head.
“For 10 years in a row, it’s been motivation to not allow that to happen again.”
This year’s win not only extended the longest winning streak by either team in Canal Bowl history, it gave Mazama the series lead for the first time ever at 23-22. Klamath Union won the first six games in the series from 1979 to 1984, and the Pelicans’ last Canal Bowl win in 2013 was their ninth in 10 years.
“We had a big goal this week,” Mazama quarterback Tyson Van Gastel said. “We had a chance to make history.”
Van Gastel, playing in his final Canal Bowl, led the Vikings with 136 rushing yards and three touchdowns on five carries, all in the first half.
It didn’t take long for Mazama to seize control of the game. On the opening kickoff, Aaron Dunavant forced and recovered a fumble to give the Vikings the ball at the Klamath Union 18-yard line. Two plays later, Seth McLane scored on a 6-yard run and Kristopher Baldwin ran in the 2-point conversion to put Mazama up 8-0.
After Klamath Union went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Vikings strung together a 64-yard scoring drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Baldwin, who also ran in the 2-point conversion. On the first play of the next drive, Zach Atmadinata forced another Klamath Union fumble that was recovered by Jack Kaefring, setting the Mazama offense up at the Pelicans 31-yard line. Four plays later, Van Gastel scored his first touchdown of the night from 18 yards out and Jayden Justice ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Vikings a 24-0 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first quarter.
The first four drives of the second quarter lasted a combined 3:24. Tyson Van Gastel broke off a 71-yard touchdown run two plays after an interception by his younger brother Brody Van Gastel and scored again on a 39-yard run immediately following Atmadinata’s second forced fumble–this time recovered by Ryan Murdock.
With 8:36 remaining in the first half, Mazama led 40-0, and the running clock was on.
Klamath Union didn’t fold, though. The Pelicans put together a drive that–somewhat ironically–ended with the Vikings making a goal-line stand as time expired.
Mazama bookended the third quarter with touchdowns; Kristopher Baldwin ran the opening kickoff back from 78 yards out, and Bodie Norlock scored on a 67-yard run with less than a minute remaining.
Klamath Union was able to avoid the shutout as Lamar Cuellar threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Spooner with around seven minutes left in the game.
Mazama finished the night with 313 yards of offense on just 28 plays.
“That’s what a good week of practice will do for you,” Lease said. “We finally had a really good week and everything came together tonight.”
Next Friday, the Vikings host Henley (6-0, 3-0) in a game that will likely decide the Special District 4 champion and the No. 1 seed in the 4A playoffs, while the Pelicans host Philomath (3-3) in a non-league matchup. Both games start at 7 p.m.
