GRANTS PASS — The seventh-ranked Hidden Valley football team couldn't match the speed and quickness of unranked Ontario.
And in the end, that edge by the nimble-footed Tigers on the turf of Mel Ingram Field proved to be the difference as Ontario held on for a 32-26 victory in a Class 4A quarterfinal on Saturday.
Ontario (8-3), the second seed from the Greater Oregon League, will play No. 2-ranked Siuslaw next weekend in a semifinal contest.
Skyline Conference champion Hidden Valley ended its season at 9-3.
The Mustangs drove deep into Ontario territory late in the contest but turned the ball over on downs. Ontario took over with less than a minute to play and ran out the clock.
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Jules DeVos punched in a touchdown run from 1 yard out and quarterback LB Draper hooked up with Peter Downs on a 75-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion attempt failed, however, leaving the Hidden Valley deficit at 25-23.
Ontario answered on a Loren Stewart 2-yard plunge and Hidden Valley's Jorden Nielsen banged in a 26-yard field goal to make it 32-26 midway through the final stanza.
But that was as close as the Mustangs would get.
Hidden Valley led 10-3 after the first quarter.
Following an Ontario field goal to start the scoring, Jordan VanCleave returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
Nielsen added a 29-yard field goal, but the second quarter was all Ontario.
Junior quarterback Bryson Sap tossed a 5-yard TD pass, and sandwiched a 4-yard scoring run around a short field goal to give the Tigers a 19-10 edge at the half.
Stewart finished with 197 yards on 33 carries to pace Ontario's 318-yard rushing attack.
Sap completed 9 of 17 passes for 139 yards with one interception.
DeVos led Hidden Valley with 89 yards rushing on 18 attempts, while Draper completed 5 of 16 for 151 yards.
The Tigers held a commanding 457-276 advantage in yards on offense.
Ontario 3 16 6 7 --32
Hidden Valley 10 0 7 9 --26
O — Haueter FG 29
HV — VanCleave 98 kickoff return (Nielsen kick)
HV — Nielsen FG 29
O — Mauney 5 pass from Sap (kick blocked)
O — Haueter FG 21
O — Sap 4 run (Haueter kick)
O — Stewart 66 run (pass failed)
HV — DeVos 1 run (Nielsen kick)
HV — Downs 75 pass from Draper (pass failed)
O — Stewart 2 run (Haueter kick)
HV — Nielsen FG 26
