ASHLAND, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon Mountaineers continued its climb in the Frontier Conference standings, delivering a complete performance Saturday afternoon at Raider Stadium in Ashland, defeating the Southern Oregon Raiders 21-7. Behind a steady performance from quarterback
Elia Kirisimasi and a relentless defensive effort, the Mounties improved to 3-3 on the season and remaining perfect at 2-0 in conference play.
From the outset, Eastern Oregon set the tone, stifling the Raiders' opening drive and forcing two fumbles, though they were unable to recover either. On their first possession, Kirisimasi led the offense on a quick 44-yard, five-play drive, capping it with a 3-yard touchdown run. Kicker
Ethan Cutler added the extra point to give EOU an early 7-0 lead, signaling the start of what would become a dominant performance.The second quarter proved to be a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to sustain drives. After a fumble was recovered by Southern Oregon on the Mounties' first possession of the quarter, EOU's defense responded strongly, forcing the Raiders into a quick four-play series. Despite another turnover on the next drive, a heads-up play by Macmillan kept the ball in Mountaineer hands. Later, with the Raiders threatening near the red zone,
Jason Grant intercepted a critical pass, and near the end of the half,
Cole Martin added another interception to keep SOU scoreless in the second quarter.
After a scoreless second quarter, the Mounties struck again late in the third. After a key 71-yard pass to
Kaden Malesis, Kirisimasi rolled out on second-and-goal from the 4-yard line, finding
Dalin Knighten in the corner of the end zone to extend the lead to 14–0. The Raiders answered almost immediately, returning the kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, trimming the lead to 14–7. However, EOU remained unfazed, using the momentum from their earlier scores to march down the field again. Kirisimasi orchestrated a nine-play, 47-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Cutler's extra point pushed the Mountaineers' lead to 21-7 with nearly 11 minutes left to play. The Mountaineer defense continued its dominance, recording four sacks from four different players and limiting Southern Oregon's quarterback to just 4 of 9 passing attempts in the final minutes.
Despite being out gained in total yardage (290 to 237), Eastern Oregon made the most of their opportunities, particularly in the red zone, where they converted a perfect 3-for-3. In contrast, Southern Oregon failed to capitalize on their lone red-zone trip and never found an offensive rhythm against the suffocating Mountaineer defense.
Nehemiah Medrano led the defense with 13 tackles (6 solo), while
Michael Lenke added 10 tackles (8 solo). The defense applied constant pressure on the Raider offense, forcing hurried throws, registering six sacks, and snagging two interceptions. Special teams also played a key role, with Cutler going 3-for-3 on extra points, punting for 309 yards on seven attempts, and handling 4 kickoffs for 249 yards. Lenke returned two kickoffs for 41 yards, and both Grant and Martin contributed interceptions.
This win marks Eastern Oregon's second consecutive victory in Frontier play. The Mounties will return home next week, looking to continue their climb in the conference standings against #20 College of Idaho. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM PT at Community Stadium.
