Day After Report: Week 7

COVERAGE NOTES AND SOME POSSIBILITIES:
As of Saturday evening, we have not decided on what our game of the week will be in Week 8. We will be at a few games, of course, we just don’t know which one will be the marquee event. There is no league game in the 4A or 3A GSHL that just shouts “We Gotta Be There!” For rivarly purposes, Skyview and Columbia River will battle in a non-league game. That is always a fun environment. As far as a league game with the most importance in Southwest Washington in Week 8, well, that might be in the 2A GSHL. Washougal (1-1 in league) is taking on Mark Morris (2-0). With R.A. Long already 3-0 in league play, and with only two playoff berths, well, it’s a big game for the Panthers. Again, not so sure where to go for our top game just yet.

Quarterback Makaio Mobbs found some success with receiver Cedrique Chaney, who caught seven passes for 125 yards. But Mobbs was held to 11-of-28 passing for 143 yards. 

Meanwhile, the Kelso rushing attack managed 62 yards on 32 carries.  

Front-line defenders Ryan Johnson, Josh Stolz, Tyler Gold, and Chris Mitchell made plays all night. And it almost seemed like the Hilanders were not even trying to run Johnson’s direction. Then there was superb linebacker play, led by Dan McCoy. As noted in the game story, the tone was set early. Kelso had a total of 16 yards in its first four possessions.

Mountain View’s defense has been tough all season. The Thunder held Camas to its lowest point total of the season, albeit 27 back in Week 2. And the Thunder held Union to 10 points in Week 5. Considering Union has scored 112 points in the past two weeks, that 10-point performance shows the Thunder have something good going on under coach Adam Mathieson and staff.

Plenty of running room here: The Mountain View offensive line was moving mountains Friday, leading to 323 rushing yards. P.J. Jones ended up with 136 yards and two scores. Jeff Carmody’s 10-yard run late in the game gave him 100 yards, including a touchdown. And Sterling Reynolds finished with 92 yards and a score. (Quarterback sacks and such account for the team total being 323.)

A cold dish: A year ago, Kelso beat Mountain View 49-21. The Thunder remember it well.

“This means a lot,” linebacker Dan McCoy said. “We got crushed when we went to Kelso (in 2009). We really wanted some revenge.”

Running back P.J. Jones agreed.

“This was the game we were looking to the whole year, pretty much,” Jones said. “We focused, prepared, and did what we were supposed to do.”

What it means: Mountain View, at 3-1 in league play, now has the inside track at finishing second in the 3A Greater St. Helens League. Kelso also is 3-1 but has games with Prairie, still fighting for a playoff spot, and first-place Camas. Mountain View has a game with 0-4 Hudson’s Bay in Week 8, then a Week 9 game with Columbia River. That last game could be big for a lot of teams.

That was fast: Camas got off to a quick start after Heritage muffed the opening kickoff. The Papermakers recovered at the Timberwolves’ 30-yard line, and quarterback Logan Grindy opened the scoring with an 18-yard TD run less than three minutes into the game.

The Papermakers quickly got the ball back as Jeremy Faulkner intercepted a pass, leading to a field goal and a 10-0 lead just minutes into the game.

Dahlberg started slowly, but he warmed up in the second half. Through his first 13 passes of the second half, Dahlberg had 11 completions for 179 yards and two touchdowns. That included a 56-yarder to Nate Mitchell, an 11-yard fourth-down TD pass to Tim Hergert, and a 48-yard TD pass to Andy Bemis.

“I’ve been working hard in practice, talking to the coaches,” Dahlberg said. “They keep saying I’ll get my chance.”

Dahlberg was pleased with his team’s performance in the final two quarters: “Best half of football we’ve had this year.”

Trailing 31-0 in the third quarter, Heritage put together a 93-yard drive that took 5:20 off the clock. The march featured a 56-yard pass, a fourth-and-9 conversion, and a fourth-down touchdown pass.

“I was trying to bring the team together and be a leader,” Dahlberg said.

Big play, defense: Late in the first quarter, trailing 17-0, Heritage drove to the Camas 3-yard line where it faced a third-and-goal. This could have been a game-changing moment for the Timberwolves. Instead, Camas’ Damon Kosaki ended the drive by intercepting a pass and returning it to midfield, maintaining the Papermakers’ momentum.

Cruise control: After rolling up 280 yards of offense in the first half, Camas employed a conservative gameplan over the final two quarters. The Papermakers ran 23 times for 114 yards while throwing seven passes in the second half.

Running clock, 112, and a heckuva streak: For the second week in a row, the Union Titans scored 56 points. For the second week in a row, the Union Titans got the game to the “running clock” format. Union went up by more than 45 points midway through the third quarter, and the rest of the game went by in a flash. 

Battle Ground did kick a field goal, but the Union defense still has not given up a touchdown since the second quarter in Week 3. (There has been a special teams TD or a defensive touchdown against the Union offense, but no TDs against the Union defense.) That’s 222 minutes, 27 seconds of game play.

No. 25 earned his yards: With injuries taking their toll on the Battle Ground Tigers, the team was forced into using sophomore running back Trevor Ingram against that tough Union defense. And he ran hard all night long. Ingram ended up with 54 yards on 17 carries. He also caught four passes for 42 yards.

SKYVIEW 42, EVERGREEN 3
No surprise here, as Skyview rolled against a team that is struggling. (Paul Danzer reporting from Kiggins)

Efficient: Kieran McDonagh was 11 of 14 for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Parker Henry had 95 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Ellis Henderson caught three passes, two for touchdowns. Skyview outgained Evergreen 358-126.

Ouch: Skyview receiver Karl Graves left the game with a bum ankle. The Storm hope he will be OK, if not for Week 8, then at least for the Week 9 game against Union.

What it means: The Skyview and Union victories were expected. Skyview is now 3-0 in the 4A GSHL and plays a non-league game next week. Union will take on Evergreen. If the Titans win to get to 3-0, that will set up a Week 9 showdown for the league title.

Almost a costly turnover: Ahead by eight points, Columbia River was trying to run out the clock when the ball came loose. Fort Vancouver recovered the fumble and gained new life. Richard Vansiclen then cashed in with a 6-yard touchdown run with five seconds left in the game. The two-point try, a pass, was knocked down, preserving the River victory.

What it means: For River, it’s a win, and a needed one. It got the Chieftains to 5-2 overall, clinching a winning regular season, and moved them to 3-2 in league with one league game to play. They are still alive for a playoff berth. For Fort, the Trappers showed some guts. Not just with this comeback attempt, but for rebounding after getting beat up by Mountain View the previous week.

Question regarding my story in Friday’s paper: There was a comment online wondering why my feature on a few Columbia River sophomores was even worthy of a story. The commenter figured there are plenty of teams with sophomore starters.

The story featured four players who see significant minutes, including two starters — quarterback Clayton Frank and running back Remick Kawawaki. The comment caught me off guard at first, because I thought, hey, maybe I missed something.

But after thinking about it, I am convinced that this is a story.

This is an established program using sophomores who earned their first-string status in training camp at the quarterback and running back slot. And off the top of my head, I cannot recall this happening at an established program at the 4A or 3A classification. (I define established as either a program with a long-tenured head coach or a program traditionally competing for playoff berths. In Columbia River’s case, it’s both.) Coach John O’Rourke could not remember the last time he had this many sophomores starting right out of training camp without injuries to older players. And he believes it is the first time since the 1970s that a sophomore quarterback has won the starting job at CRHS.

So yeah, take the tradition of Columbia River football along with that information, and it is the beginning of a story. Then add that the Chieftains started 4-2 (and are now 5-2) and Kawawaki had four 100-yard rushing games out of the five he had played (now, it’s five out of six), well, we thought it was interesting. And whether they make the playoffs or not, the Chieftains have secured a winning season.

There are sophomores playing at a lot of programs, but it is rare for a quarterback-running back combination. Sometimes you’ll see a starting running back or a sophomore quarterback, but not both at the same time for an established program.

This explanation is not meant to demean the person who left the comment. I appreciated it. It made me think. I just hope this explanation helps.

The fracus: In the third quarter, with the Eagles driving, an altercation broke out in the backfield after a running play up the middle. No idea what started it, but I saw several swings taken. It appeared players from each team were ejected, but I didn’t get the numbers.

Two good QBs: Prairie starting quarterback Colin Seitz was sacked for an 8-yard loss on a third-and-goal play to stop the opening drive of the game. The Falcons then missed a field goal. Seitz did not return to the game, and a report in the press box said Seitz came into the game with a bad shoulder.

Backup quarterback Coleman Weisenborn ended up passing for 144 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass to Tyler Vea. Weisenborn also rushed for a score.

Close but no-go against the Prairie defense: The Eagles started the fourth quarter with a first-and-goal and didn’t score, settling for a field goal that was blocked.

In the final four minutes, they drove to the Prairie 21-yard line and had a a run for no gain followed by three incomplete passes.

After Prairie went 3-and-out, Bay had the ball at the Falcon 28 thanks to a pass interference penalty with 20 seconds left, but Jesse Zalk intercepted a pass to end that threat with 14 seconds left.

A very long 3-yard TD run: Jesse Zalk also scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. Well, that’s what it says in the boxscore. But it was not a traditional run. Zalk was the holder on a field goal attempt. But it was either a bad snap, or he did not get the handle of the ball in time, so he took off running. He went to one side of the field, before turning back and finding some blockers. So it was a 3-yard touchdown run, but he might have run close to 25 or 30 yards.

Strong effort: Richard Carter led Hudson’s Bay with 132 yards rushing on nine carries, with a touchdown.

A little history: Washougal coach Bob Jacobs said he believes it is the first time Washougal has beaten Woodland since 1999. I know it hasn’t happened since I came to The Columbian in 2000. So, yeah, it’s been a long time. 

To be fair, the teams did not play each other every year, and there have been some cloes battles. Last year, Woodland won 6-0. And there was a 27-26 game a few years back.

This time, the ball bounced in Washougal’s favor. 

Colton Sullivan, while trying to hold for a field goal attempt, instead scrambled and looked to pass after either a bad snap or a bobbled hold. The pass was tipped more than once before Austin Toffell caught the ball for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:41 left in the game.

“We had more than enough opportunities to score,” Jacobs said. “That last one was one of those deals where we just got fortunate.”

Hey, the Panthers will take it. After all, it’s been a long time since they beat the Beavers.

Air it out, Beavers: Woodland quarterback Adam Shoup threw three touchdown passes, including two to Logan Piper. 

What it means: Well, don’t look now, but the Washougal Panthers have an important game in Week 8. Washougal improved to 1-1 in the 2A GSHL and will take on 2-0 Mark Morris. In Week 9, Mark Morris takes on 3-0 R.A. Long. So if Washougal can stun Mark Morris, there would be a chance for a three-way tie for first place, or a second-place finish for the Panthers. Hey, it could happen.

“We just have to play sound football and give ourselves the opportunity to be successful,” Jacobs said.

Dare you to pass: The big dogs up front helped the Stevenson Bulldogs shut down the La Center running game. Stevenson coach Craig McKee pointed out the play along the line of Wade Huett, Dylan Ohnemus, Chris Brill, Alex Contraras and Jeremy Waters.

“Our defensive line held strong, they couldn’t run on us,” McKee said. “They battled up front and made them pass. If you can make La Center pass, you have a good chance at beating them. They were forced to pass a lot against us.”

Offensively, Zach Castro made two key pass completions on Stevenson’s two fourth-quarter scoring drives. He also made the game’s final interception on defense.

What it means: It was a big win for Stevenson (6-1, 4-1), which is all alone in second place in the Trico League behind Toledo (6-1, 5-0). The battle for No. 2 starts again in Week 8 with Stevenson hosting Kalama (4-3, 3-2). La Center fell to 3-2 and is among several squads still in the hunt.

RIDGEFIELD 31, CASTLE ROCK 14
The Spudders secure a winning regular season; hope for more.

Young might still be running: There he goes again. Dylan Young rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Spudders to their fifth win of the season. Castle Rock is down a bit this year, but it still counts as a quality win.

“That program is a phenomenal program,” Ridgefield coach Kitt Rawlings said of Castle Rock. “It was a big win for our program. They had their quarterback out, and that’s always tough. They’re relatively young, like us. I look for them to be very strong in the future.”

Ridgefield is strong right now. And it starts with the guys up front, creating running room for Young and the rest of the ball carriers. Eli Anderson and Tyson Wright, both juniors, make up the left side of the offensive line. Josiah Adams, a senior, is the center. Jacob Shade, another senior, is the right tackle. And starting at right guard for the Spudders is a freshman, Garrett Behrman. Yes, a freshman.

Young now has more than 900 yards rushing. With two more games in the regular season, he looks to get past the 1,000-yard mark. Rawlings said the offensive line should be proud of that number.

What it means: Ridgefield improved to 5-2 overall, 3-2 in league. The Spudders take on 5-0 Toledo in Week 8, then have 0-5 Ilwaco in Week 9. If the results go by way of the standings, that will make Ridgefield 4-3 in league. That might be enough to make the playoffs. If the Spudders can surprise Toledo, well, then the playoffs will become a reality. Should be interesting.

…

That’s it for Week 7. Thanks to Greg Jayne, Paul Danzer, and Jeff Klein for helping with this report. Time to get some sleep before the NFL action kicks off.