Grant Union football head coach Jason Miller led his team to victory against Reedsport in Saturday's first round playoff game in John Day.

The Grant Union Prospector football team had two key players down with injuries in Saturday’s first-round state playoff game, but the team overcame the adversity with a 30-12 victory over the Reedsport Braves.

Grant Union will face the Heppner Mustangs in the quarterfinal round at 1 p.m. next Saturday in Heppner at the Morrow County Fairgrounds.

Grant Union head coach Jason Miller said the team worked through the challenges well.

“We had a couple injured players, and the guys had to step up and fill positions they’re not used to,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of subs, and it took awhile to get them in the right spot and do the right thing, but eventually we got them there and they came through.”

The Prospectors, hosting the Braves at Three Flags Field, had a commanding 16-0 lead in the first quarter before the injuries.

Prospector quarterback Wade Reimers scored on a 44-yard touchdown run in the first minute and a half of play, and running back Cameron Hallgarth scored the two-point conversion.

The ball back in the Braves’ hands, Grant Union’s Cauy Weaver sacked the Reedsport quarterback on third down.

On Grant Union’s next possession, Hallgarth scored a 30-yard touchdown run with Reimers keeping the ball for the two-point conversion.

Reimers was injured in the last 5 minutes of the first quarter, sitting on the sidelines, and Zack Deiter took over as quarterback.

The Braves’ Joe Hixenbaugh scored a touchdown for the Braves in the second quarter, which ended 16-6.

The Prospectors halted the Braves as they approached the Grant Union 1-yard line with stops from Prospector Elijah Humbird and Taylor Hunt.

Things looked grim for Grant Union as running back Cameron Hallgarth went down with an injury on the Prospectors’ next drive. However, with a minute and a half to go, Deiter made an 80-yard touchdown run, and the quarter closed with Grant Union leading 22-6.

Humbird had a sack to start the fourth quarter, and Weaver recovered a Braves fumble.

On the next drive, Deiter connected with Kellen Shelley on a pass as the team approached the goal line.

Deiter scored the touchdown and two-point conversion.

With just seconds left in the game, Hixenbaugh scored for the Braves again on a touchdown, and the game ended.

Miller said his team played well on both sides of the ball.

“Defensively, we really stepped up and shut them down. They scored six points the whole game, and that last one was kind of a ‘gimme.’ They stepped up when they had to and made stops. I was impressed with defense,” he said. “Offensively, we made plays we had to make, and O line was awesome.”

Grant Union had 280 rushing yards and 24 receiving on 52 plays. Reedsports had 141 rushing yards and 180 receiving on 55 plays.

The Prospectors next travel to Heppner, which beat Gold Beach last weekend 55-20.

The Mustangs of the Coumbia Basin Conference, seeded fourth, have a 7-2 overall record, 3-1 in league.

Stanfield shut out Heppner 14-0 on Oct. 21, and their only other loss was to Cascade of Leavenworth, Washington.

The fifth-seed Grant Union is 6-3 overall, and they are the Wapiti League champions, finishing 3-0 in league play.