COTTAGE GROVE — The Hidden Valley offense’s mantra has been to take what it is given.

On Saturday, when the Rainier defense dared the Mustangs to pass the ball by playing one deep safety in a Class 3A state semifinal, Hidden Valley quarterback Sam Vidlak took advantage of it.

“We can’t always run people over like we did last week against Cascade Christian,” Vidlak said. “We like to take what the defense gives us. Every game someone else will step up. My dad [offensive coordinator Mark Vidlak] did a great of calling plays.”

Behind a strong performance from the junior quarterback, No. 1 Hidden Valley took down No. 5 Rainier 42-22 to earn its first state championship game berth since 1978.

The Mustangs (12-0) will play No. 2 Santiam Christian (12-0) on Saturday at noon at Roseburg High School.

“This has been our goal for this group since we were little kids,” Vidlak said. “We wanted to come in and change the culture. We went from one win when we were freshmen to going to the state championship.”

Rainier (9-3) entered as the defending state champion, but it lost 14 seniors from last year's roster.

“We had a couple of opportunities and didn’t take advantage,” Rainier coach Mike King said. “They left it all on the field. That’s all I can ask for. I am so proud of our boys. Hidden Valley was the better team.”

On a night where the Hidden Valley offense was limited to just 41 rushing yards on 22 carries, Vidlak completed 17 of 19 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns.

“They left the pass wide open today, so we chose to pass the ball,” Hidden Valley coach James Powers said. “Sam and our receivers did a good job of taking advantage of the defense.”

Lawrence Matusik led Hidden Valley with eight receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown, while Jeremiah Noga had five catches for 64 yards. Four other receivers had at least one catch for Hidden Valley, with Cameron Decker and Tobias Powers each scoring.

The Mustangs forced three total turnovers. Dylan Neil returned a fumble 70 yards for a score in the first quarter.

“Everyone stepped up and played well,” Vidlak said. “From the offensive line to the running backs to the receivers, everyone had a big game.”

Hidden Valley jumped out to a 28-6 lead early in the second quarter. The Columbians responded by scoring the next 16 points to pull within 28-22 late in the third quarter.

The Columbians ran 71 plays while Hidden Valley ran 41, and they ran the ball 62 times for 299 yards. David Katon had 23 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Kenney Tripp had 22 rushes for 47 yards and was 4-of-10 passing for 54 yards but threw two interceptions.

“We have a young team and bring back a lot,” King said. “We lose the big guys on the line, but we bring back a lot of skill players.”

Hidden Valley, which had won its games by an average of 35 points per game coming in the semifinal, scored the final 14 points of the night.

“They were a physical team and we knew it,” James Powers said. “The thing about our kids is when they play a physical team this season, they have been able to match them or out-physical them. They got within one score and that lit a fire in the boys.”

Matusik set the tone early for Hidden Valley on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Vidlak in the first quarter. He ran over a Rainier defender to get into the end zone.

“I caught the ball and saw a lot of open space,” Matusik said. “I saw the defender between me and the end zone. I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me from scoring. I wanted it more than he did.”

Matusik’s biggest contribution for the night was helping out Noga, who struggled with two drops and a fumble in the first half.

“I felt a lot of stress,” Noga said. “It was a big game, but Lawrence touched my heart with a good talk. I had all my teammates behind me.”

Hidden Valley was called for 13 penalties for 130 yards for the game. It has been an issue for the team all season.

“We need to clean that up,” Matusik said. “Especially against a great team like Santiam Christian, who we see next week, the penalties can come back and kill us.”

Elias English got into his first game since breaking his foot on the opening kickoff of the season against Sutherlin. He lined up during the victory formation for the Mustangs.

“It felt good to get out there,” English said. “I’ve been out all year. I’ve been waiting to get into the game all year.”

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Reach sports reporter Ehsan Kassim at 541-474-3728 or ekassim@thedailycourier.com.