New-look Barlow football stuns Sandy 28-14

Published 11:36 pm Thursday, October 26, 2023

A pair of Barlow football senior teammates channeled some flag football magic in their final regular season game together.

For Karter Wilcox and Jett Fay, it has been friendship and huddles for nearly their entire lives.

“We have amazing chemistry, we have been playing since Kindergarten,” Wilcox said. “In flag football we were undefeated, then Bruin youth football. That is my best friend, I love Jett.”

There was only one temporary speedbump in that long career lining up alongside each other in the backfield. After his freshman year with the Bruins, quarterback Wilcox was frustrated by how run-focused the offense was. So he transferred to Clackamas for his sophomore season. With Wilcox gone, Barlow asked longtime running back Fay to step under center.

“I didn’t blame Karter for wanting to transfer,” said Coach Tracy Jackson. “And with him gone we gave Jett the start.”

So when Wilcox returned to the Bruins, they stuck with their new quarterback.

“Karter worked hard and helped us in lots of other spots,” Jackson said.

But after a rough start to the 2023 season, plagued by injuries, Barlow decided to make some changes. Seniors Nicholas Roth and Jose Ruiz were named starting guards last week, in a win over Reynolds, and then in the days leading up to a crucial Mt. Hood Conference capper against Sandy, Barlow made another shift. Wilcox back at quarterback, Fay at running back.

The results were electric.

“It felt amazing to be back at quarterback, I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” Wilcox said.

“It was very nostalgic, I played running back my entire life,” Fay said. “it’s nice to not have to worry about anything except getting into the end zone.”

With that new dynamic backfield, Barlow beat Sandy 28-14 Thursday, Oct. 26, in hostile territory. The win put a damper on the Pioneers’ Senior Night, and gave the Bruins a jolt to their ranking as the experts decide playoff seeding.

“It feels awesome, there was a lot of talk again on social media,” Fay said. “This is Sandy’s Super Bowl, and just another game for us.”

“We were more physical than them, we toughed them out,” Wilcox said. “Applied pressure and kept the foot on the gas.”

The pair packed the stat sheet. Wilcox threw for 257 yards and 2 TDs; and Fay threw for 23 yards, ran for 149 yards and 2 TDs, and had 3 catches for 43 yards. After the game the two embraced and celebrated.

“We said we loved each other — we’ve been doing this since youth football,” Fay said. “It was nice to get that duo back again.”

Helping Wilcox in his return to quarterback was star senior receiver Sentori Martino, who had 8 catches for 139 yards and a TD and 2-point conversion. He also snagged two interceptions in the second half.

“He is the best receiver in the state,” Wilcox said.

It was back-and-forth in the first half. Each time the Bruins (4-5, 4-3 League) scored the Pioneers (4-5, 4-3 League) got one back. Senior receiver Kaidan Porter had a 57-yard touchdown catch from senior quarterback Billy Lucas late in the first quarter to tie it 7-7, and then Sandy took a one-point lead midway through the second when bruising senior Cole Rotzien rumbled in for a 1-yard score.

At the break it was 20-14, but the second half was all Barlow.

Fay added to the lead with a 47-yard touchdown run, capitalized by a 2-point conversion pass from Wilcox to Martino. And then Martino put on his defensive showcase with his two interceptions to kill those promising Pioneer drives.

Meanwhile the Bruins kept churning the ball on the ground, leaning on the experience of Fay to pick up big chunks and run down the clock. Between the turnovers and running, Sandy only got three possessions in the second half.

“We got hit with injuries really early in the season, and finally found some combos that are working for us,” Coach Jackson said. “This is a big moment for our kids.”

The nail in the coffin came during a 4th quarter drive by the Pioneers. After Lucas picked up a key fourth down conversion earlier in the drive with a speedy scramble, Sandy again found itself facing a fourth down attempt. A successful run from Rotzien was erased by a false start, and the subsequent fourth-and-7 was an incomplete pass by senior receiver Simon Willis on a trick play.

Penalties were a problem for the Pioneers. They had two kick return touchdowns erased by chop block flags.

“That is such a big call — you have to actually see it to make it,” said a frustrated Coach Josh Dill to the referee after the flag removed one of those homerun plays.

Now both teams await the sometimes nebulous OSAA ranking system to see where they are destined to play in postseason. While it may not have been an automatic lose and you’re out scenario for the Bruins, they are definitely sleeping easier with that final win under the belt.

“Now we might get a shot at a home game,” Coach Jackson said.

This is the veteran coach’s final stretch. After 43 years coaching football, Jackson is retiring at the end of the season. So every victory is a chance to keep doing what he loves.

“I’m old,” he said with a smile. “The games mean the same whether I am retiring or not. In a month I’ll be in another state with my wife of 45 years. We want to do things and spend time together.”

“But right now it’s all about getting these guys ready to go,” he added.

And for Wilcox and Fay, it means at least one more chance to capture that flag football magic.

“We are going to bring everything we got,” Fay said.