Tigard runs past Canby

Grady rushes for 216 yards and three TDs in the Tigers' 31-14 win

By Dan Brood

The Times, Oct 5, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

DAN BROOD / THE TIMES

GO, GRADY, GO — Tigard senior Scott Grady (21) with lineman Ryan Thomas right behind him, ran for 216 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Tigers' 31-14 win over Canby.

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TIGARD — On Thursday, Scott Grady served as a water boy for the Tigard High School freshman football team.

On Friday, Grady took care of about everything else – with some help from his friends.

Tigard, with Grady, a senior running back, rushing for 216 yards on 30 carries, sprinted to a 31-14 victory over Canby in a crucial Pacific Conference opener played at Tigard High School.

“This is a big win for us,” Grady said after the game. “It’s us and Canby. We knew this was a big game, but we’re still taking things one step at a time.”

With the victory in the game between two of the teams expected to contend for the Pacific Conference title, Tigard not only got off to a 1-0 start to league play, but it also improved to 2-3 on the season. Canby, which came into the game as the No. 7-ranked Class 6A team in the state, moved to 0-1 in league games and to 4-2 on the season.

“This is huge,” said Tigard senior left tackle Ryan Thomas. “It’s the first step to the league title. That’s our first goal — the league title.”

Thomas, and his fellow offensive linemen, including Andrew Cox, Kevin Wright, Seth Rose and Jonathan Langvin, paved the way for the Grady and the Tigers to rush for 326 yards on 54 carries as a team.

“It’s just getting low,” Thomas said of the success up front at the line of scrimmage. “We all had a great game tonight. And it’s unbelievable blocking for our running backs. There’s always an opportunity to bust a big play.”

Grady, playing full time for the first time since suffering an ankle injury back on Sept. 7, looked to be so close to busting a big play almost every time he touched the ball as he had 10 rushes of 10 or more yards.

“I just wanted to help the team out, and the linemen did a fantastic job,” he said. “I’m limping a little bit now, but I’ll be OK.”

Grady, before his big game Friday night, ended up in the role of a water boy on Thursday when he watched the Tigard freshman game.

“I know I get mad when I’m out there and I don’t get my water,” he said with a laugh.

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