After Many Years, Umatilla Set For Return To Football Playoffs

    The Umatilla High School football team is headed to the state playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Bulldogs, which secured a 6-4 record on Friday night with a 16-8 win in cold and rainy conditions at Bronson, will travel to Keystone Heights this Friday for the first round in the playoffs.
    Keystone Heights defeated Umatilla earlier this season by a score of 68-13 on September 17.
    “We are excited about another opportunity to compete against Keystone Heights,” said Umatilla head coach Charlie Cerney. The game will be in Keystone Heights beginning at 7:30 p.m.
    The playoff berth serves as a vindication of a plan for Cerney, who in past seasons has seen his team struggle to maintain enthusiasm during seasons that featured lots of losing.
    “My two points of emphasis since I’ve been here are academics and the weight room. School is the main reason they’re here, and they need to graduate. I spoke about having confidence on Mondays, and that comes with being competitive.”
    With a new scheduling philosophy, the team was able to play more competitive games, and learn how to win, and then to raise its performance even further when opponents realized they were facing a ‘new’ Umatilla.
    “I tried to schedule some games you should win, schedule some games that will be tough, and complete the schedule with competitive games. I feel we accomplished that and it gave the players a ton of confidence heading into the playoffs. They know they can compete with anyone now and they are excited about the opportunity to prove it against a team we struggled against early in the season. We feel like we are a much better team than we were in week four.”
    Beyond the on-field success this season has brought, Cerney is happy with his program’s growth in the classroom.
    “Our team GPA for Term 1 was 3.2. Last year, it was a 2.9, so we are winning the classroom as well and I am extremely proud of our efforts in that area.
    “These young men have worked hard and have earned everything they’ve gotten this season,” Cerney said.