DeForest defense leads football win over Oregon

DeForest relied on its defense and a single score to claim its first football victory of the season against Oregon.

In its third road game in as many weeks, DeForest leaned on a stubborn defensive effort to defeat the Oregon Panthers 8-7 on Friday, Sept. 4 to open Badger-Large play.

“I’m really proud of the players and coaches for the game plan this past week,” DeForest coach Todd Grundahl said. “They did a great job coming in with a plan and sticking to it, and of course, the players executing it.”

In the defensive slugfest, neither team scored in the first or second quarters. Oregon scored the first touchdown of the game on their first drive of the third quarter, taking a 7-0 lead over DeForest.

That lead held until the fourth quarter before DeForest made their push.

Defensive performance

Early in the fourth quarter, threatening to find the end zone, senior quarterback Tru Killerlain scrambled to his right. He rushed for a five-yard touchdown with 8:34 remaining.

DeForest opted for a two-point conversion. They completed it on a pitch to senior Cooper Brown, who rushed to the left side of the end zone untouched.

Before DeForest even scored, Coach Grundahl said he knew his team was going for the two-point conversion in an attempt to take the lead.

“We felt our defense was playing so well that even if we didn’t get it, we’d still be able to hold them and get the ball back,” Grundahl said.

Indeed, DeForest got the ball right back.

With Oregon inside their own 40-yard line, senior cornerback Gabe Wahl picked off the quarterback near the Panthers’ 15-yard line with 5:31 remaining.

It was DeForest’s second interception of the game. Senior linebacker Gabe Lavold picked up a key interception inside Oregon’s 19-yard line with 8:16 remaining in the second quarter.

Senior linebacker Gabe Lavold picked up DeForest's first of two interceptions on the evening. Lavold’s interception came in the second quarter inside Oregon’s 19-yard line. DeForest’s second interception came from senior cornerback Gabe Wahl inside the Panthers’ 15-yard line with less than six minutes in the fourth quarter.

But Oregon threatened to score one last time. Facing third-and-9 from the 34-yard line with just 50 seconds remaining, the Panthers rushed up the middle. They were one yard short of a first down.

That one final stop encapsulated a valiant defensive performance from DeForest.

“Our defense did a tremendous job against the run,” Coach Grundahl said. “We were able to knock down some passes, do some good things, and put some pressure on the quarterback. Our defense played lights out.”