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Brown, EP deliver in thrilling win over Crater By Danny Penza Updated: Oct 15, 2022 12:25 AM A A 4 View all photos With the ball on the Crater 4-yard line and senior running back David Brown having another monster game, just about everybody in the crowd at Dutch Meyer Field probably figured it was going to No. 13 yet again. And, yet, it didn’t. On just his fourth carry of the night, junior Hugo Perezchica rumbled in from 4 yards out to score what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 97 seconds to go in ninth-ranked Eagle Point’s thrilling 21-17 comeback win over rival Crater on Friday night. “We did a free call to see how (Crater) lined up and we felt good about it,” said Eagle Point head coach Erik Johnson of the decisive playcall. “We tried to go to David earlier on that same play and they shut it down. We know Hugo’s a workhorse and he’s going to get every yard he can.” Crater (2-5, 1-4 Midwestern League) had one last shot to get the win with time winding down. The Comets got as close as the Eagles’ 10-yard line but, being down by four, had to go for the touchdown rather than attempt a field goal. On what proved to be the final play of the game, Crater quarterback Ben Higginson was forced to scramble out of the pocket, only to be met by a trio of Eagle Point defenders and tackled for a minimal gain as time expired. “When we got down there, we made a couple of good grabs to get down to the 10, but we stalled out when we needed to throw the ball,” said Crater head coach Berk Brown. “We had a big drop that hurt us, and you get into a two-minute situation with a sophomore quarterback and on the last play of the game he ran a different protection than what we work in two-minute and there was just a little bit of confusion that didn’t allow us to get in there and win the game.” The night, however, proved to belong to Brown and the Eagles, who picked up their first win over the Comets since 2016. EP ended up going 7-3 that season, which was the last time the Eagles made the state playoffs. With their win Friday night, the Eagles improved to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the MWL, remaining a game behind league-leading Thurston (5-2, 5-0) in second place. Brown, who entered the night as Class 5A’s leading rusher, was as much of a workhorse as he’s been all season long. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior carried the ball a career-high 38 times for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also had four receptions for 52 yards. At halftime alone, Brown nearly accounted for 200 yards of total offense, with 134 rushing yards and 65 receiving yards. “You go with what’s working and you go with what’s working all season,” said Johnson. “We tried to spread the ball around, but when it comes down to it, our line is confident and obviously David is, too. We didn’t plan on him having that many carries going in, but whatever — he wanted the ball.” The Eagles tied the game at 14-all less than a minute into the fourth quarter on Brown’s 3-yard touchdown run, his second trip to the end zone of the night. Crater, however, drove right down the field to retake the lead, with Andrew Schatz hitting a 40-yard field goal to put his team ahead 17-14 with 8:46 to go. That’s when Eagle Point went almost exclusively to Brown, giving the ball to its senior running back time and time again. The Eagles ran seven minutes off the clock and moved methodically down the field. Brown had two carries from inside the 5-yard line, only to gain 2 yards and then lose what he had just gained. On third down, Johnson and the Eagles’ coaching staff turned to Perezchica, who spun off a pair of potential tackles as he fell into the end zone. Jameson Struble hit the extra point, giving Eagle Point a 21-17 lead. “We went back to what we trust,” said Johnson. “Bryton had a big run on fourth-and-5 to keep that drive alive.” Crater had never trailed in the game until its final drive of the game. The Comets took a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter when Scott Price returned a punt 52 yards after racing down the Crater sideline to break free. But it was the first-quarter chances to score that coach Brown was lamenting. “We had some opportunities early in the game where we had a couple of fields goals — one got blocked and the other we missed,” he said, “and if you put those six points on the board, it’s a different ballgame.” Less than three minutes later, the Eagles tied it on Brown’s first TD of the night, a 5-yard run, as the teams went into halftime at 7-all. The Comets retook the lead on their first drive of the second half, as Higginson capped a five-minute drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Higginson ran for 90 yards on 16 carries and finished 15-of-27 for 109 yards through the air. Price caught six passes for 69 yards. Luke Higginson finished with three sacks — all in the first half — for Crater, while Isaiah Daniels had the lone interception for either team on the night thanks to a nice catch in the back of the end zone on a Livingston deep ball from midfield. “We had our ups and downs, for sure,” said coach Brown of the Comets’ night offensively. “I think Ben Higginson continues to shine when the lights are the brightest, and as a sophomore quarterback stepping in for Shane (Wood), he’s been such a pleasant surprise and such a great kid. He made some big throws, but we weren’t securing the ball on the perimeter — we dropped four or five passes that would have led to first downs and continued to keep our offense on the field. I think our run game is doing really well but we need to clean up our pass game.” Eagle Point quarterback Bryton Livingston was 9-of-19 for 80 yards and an interception, with the majority of those yards coming in the first half. Hayden Weaver had 2 1/2 sacks for an Eagle Point defense that allowed fewer than 20 points for the first time this season. “You know the saying ‘bend but don’t break’? That was basically what we did,” said Johnson. “The first half, I thought we did much better defensively. Crater did a good job making adjustments at halftime, but we didn’t break. And that’s how we’ve been all season.” Eagle Point07014—21 Crater0773—17 C — Price 52 punt return (Bramucci kick) EP — D. Brown 5 run (Struble kick) C — B. Higginson 4 run (Bramucci kick) EP — D. Brown 3 run (Struble kick) C — FG Schatz 40 EP — Perezchica 4 run (Struble kick) Reach reporter Danny Penza at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @penzatopaper. Eagle Point's Hugo Perezchica goes over the pile for a score during the 4th quarter at Dutch Meyer Field in Central Point Friday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Eagle Point's David Brown pushes through the line for a score at Dutch Meyer Field in Central Point Friday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Crater's Spencer Bramucci makes an interception at Dutch Meyer Field in Central Point Friday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Crater's Andrew Schatz runs for a first down at Dutch Meyer Field in Central Point Friday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]