UMATILLA — On the soccer field, Abrahan Garcia keeps the ball out of the net. On the football field, he puts the ball through the uprights.
Garcia worked his magic Thursday Oct. 9, kicking the game-deciding PAT in the second quarter as Umatilla held on to beat McLoughlin 7-6 in an Eastern Oregon League game at the Milt Durand Sports Complex.
“It was a close one,” Umatilla coach John Williams said. “Closer than it should have been. The penalties hurt us. They killed some good drives and big plays got called back.”
The Vikings (3-4 overall, 1-1 EOL) scored on a 35-yard pass play from Jayden Perches to Bryce Morris. Garcia added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
“He had a good punt too,” Williams said of Garcia. “Pinned them at the 5-yard line. That helped us out pretty good.”
Mac-Hi (2-4, 0-2) had a chance at a field goal right before the half, but Daniel Castillo’s 47-yard attempt was just short.
The Pioneers went on an eight-play 88-yard drive in the third quarter that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Dallen Duncan. Mac-Hi attempted a 2-point conversion, but Duncan was hit in the backfield by Kyle Carlton and Linkin Zamudio, giving the Vikings a 7-6 lead.
“I knew if we got it, we would win,” Mac-Hi coach Vince Roff said. “We just couldn’t make it happen. It was a good game. Our defense played lights out. Our defense was stopping them all night. We got stops when we needed them, but we couldn’t get anything going on offense.”
The Pioneers blocked a 35- yard field goal attempt by Garcia in the first quarter, and even though Zamudio ran for 144 yards, he did not find the end zone.
“He had a lot of yards called back because of penalties,” Williams said. “We were really solid on defense. That has been the norm. We just need to get the offense going.”
Mac-Hi had an opportunity late in the game to try and take the lead, but ran out of time.
“There were 25 seconds on the clock,” Roff said. “We ran a play from the 10. I thought we would run a play, spike the ball and kick a field goal. By the end of the play, time ran out before we could spike the ball. A lapse of judgement on my part.”
Defensively, Carlton led the Vikings with nine tackles and a quarterback sack, while Zamudio had eight tackles, Edwin Madrigal six, and Morris five.
For the Pioneers, Duncan ran for 87 yards and caught four passes for 32 yards. Randall Montgomery threw for 54 yards and ran for 55. Masyn Lindsey was on the receiving end of three catches for 37 yards.
“We’ve got to figure it out on the offensive side of the ball,” said Roff, whose team had 216 yards of offense. “Our defense is keeping us in games. It was a defensive battle. Their D line did what it needed to do.”
Photos by Kathy Aney.
Mac-Hi quarterback Randall Montgomery attempts to evade Umatilla defender Josue Arroyo (74) on Oct. 9, 2025, in Umatilla.
Umatilla's Bryce Morris gets ready to catch the ball and run in for a touchdown while playing Mac-Hi on Oct. 9, 2025, in Umatilla.
Mac-Hi's Thomas Hoel attempts to interrupt the kick of Abrahan Garcia on Oct. 9, 2025, in Umatilla. Hoel blocked the kick but got called for roughing the kicker.