Of all the Cascade football players who experienced last year’s agonizing overtime loss to Henley in the Class 4A semifinals, senior Bryce Kuenzi felt the most motivated as the Cougars returned to the semifinal stage Saturday in McMinnville.

Kuenzi tore his left ACL late in the regular season last year and had to watch from the sidelines as the Cougars came up just short of reaching the final.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” he said. “Last year, I was out at this time. Now, I’m here, ready to play.”

And Kuenzi made the most of his moment, rushing for 259 yards and matching a career-high with six touchdowns on 33 carries to lift the Cougars past Scappoose 55-19 and into their first title game since winning the 2015 championship.

“We knew it was gonna be a tough game,” Kuenzi said.

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