Hoffman - Shattuck connection sets back contending Leopards
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Goldendale showed they are still to be reckoned with beating Zillah in four sets, Tuesday of last week and Highland in three on Thursday.
The Zillah match lacked the big hitting battle of Rosebud Guthrie versus Sydney Bloom, but it didn't take long before Sadie Shattuck emerged as the main force on the floor, and freshman, Karissa Ihrig keyed the final set win. In the first set, the Leopards did well to block several Timberwolf shots as they took a 15-11 lead. Zillah had their game together as Goldendale was out-of-sync and it was soon 23-15. Goldendale began to show signs of life as Lexi Cameron scored an ace and Amber Ihrig had a big block to make it 23-18. But the comeback stalled and Zillah took the first set 25-19.
The Timberwolves were into game two early, taking a 4-1 lead. Zillah fought back and it was a close affair to 14-14. Then it became the Shattuck show, as Haley Hoffman set her up for a barrage of big shots. Shattuck knocked a kill wide, but the next two points were Shattuck kills, then a Shattuck block followed by a Shattuck tip point, and then a Shattuck kill. Zillah called time out, suddenly trailing 19-15.
Zillah scored off the time out, then hit one into the net. At 20-16, Hoffman gave Shattuck a short set and fortunately no Leopards were killed on a thundering shot down the middle. Cameron got into the kill mode down the stretch on a couple of shots, including the game winner at 25-20.
The third set was also close. Shattuck showed she is an all-around player, scoring on hard serves and doing a nice job in the back court on serve receive and even a couple of sets. The scoring was back and forth over the last dozen points with Cameron again sealing the win with a kill, 25-23.
The fourth set was no contest. Goldendale was on a roll and Zillah hit too many out or into the net. Goldendale led 7-3 when Karissa Ihrig entered the match and made immediate impact with back to back kills, forcing Zillah to call time to think things over. Shattuck found every open spot on the floor, coming up with five of her 26 match kills in the final set, and Ihrig had two more back to back kills. Goldendale won 25-15. Cameron (14), Hoffman (24), Monique Scherf (20), and Cassie Kelly (13) had a combined 71 serves without an error. Hoffman finished with 49 assists.
Highland posed less of a challenge to the Timberwolves who won 25-11, 25-19, 25-21 for their fourth league victory. Several players had good offensive nights with Alex Counts leading with eight kills, Shattuck and Karissa Ihrig had six each, Crysta Counts had five and Cameron had four. Cameron came up with 17 digs and Hoffman set up points with 32 assists. Asia VanHorn was 14-15 on serve.
The Timberwolves had an important match with Naches Valley on Tuesday in Goldendale, and host Mabton this Thursday. The Crossover Tournament is in Spokane, Friday and Saturday.
Jaguars outlast Cougars in Pasco
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Friday's game at Tri-City Prep in Pasco, a homecoming affair against Lyle-Wishram, turned into a reenactment of the Tortoise and the Hare. It wasn't so much a case of different levels of speed, as it was a game of patience won by the Jaguars of Tri-City Prep (the tortoise) 44-30 over the Cougars (the hare).
The Cougars were the best team on the field for 42 of the game's 48 minutes. Like the fabled hare, the Cougars were out of the gate like a shot, running up a 22-0 score in the first quarter. Alan Matai had a 57-yard run on Lyle-Wishram's second play of the game and Henry Matai finished it off with a one-yard touchdown run. The same combination scored on the Cougars' second series with Alan Matai gaining 68 yards on five carries and Henry Matai scoring from a yard out. The Wishram brothers even teamed up to score on defense when Henry sacked freshman quarterback Evan Whitsett and Alan picked up the fumble and ran 70 yards for a touchdown.
In some ways, Matai's sack of Whitsett was the Cougars' undoing. Whitsett left the game with sore ribs and Troy Redmann took over. Redmann was a target on a couple of pass plays in the first quarter. He became the team's entire offense in the final three.
Redmann wasted no time getting the Jaguars back into the game. He scored on the Jaguars' first possession of the second quarter on a 44- yard run. Minutes later, he teamed with the Jaguars' other speedy back, Kevin Ratuiste to drive inside the Cougars' red zone, only to be stopped by a great goal line stand. But, starting from their two-yard line, Flo Forsthuber was nailed for a safety and the Jaguars got the ball back at the Cougar 41.
After a five yard penalty, Redmann ran for 44 yards with Cody Carlsen making a touchdown saving tackle which delayed the inevitable. Another good goal line stand was erased when Redmann ran for two yards on fourth down and it was 22-16 at half.
Lyle-Wishram still looked the better team with good line play and the Matais and Trey Kitchens dominating at linebacker. Henry Matai smashed plays up the middle and was frequently first to the outside to stop Redmann and Ratuiste runs. Kitchens was the big hitter on defense, laying out runners who got past the line of scrimmage. And so it went in the third quarter.
Alan Matai continued to pile up yards for a total of 235 on the game, while Redman did his best to keep the Jaguars in the game, with his shifty style of running and his nose for the ball on defense. As the third quarter wound down, Keale Wiseman found Carlsen open in the middle for a 26 yard gain on a crossing pattern that got Lyle-Wishram out of a hole. Two plays later, Alan Matai took a pitch around the right side and flew to a 56 yard touchdown. Wiseman passed to Nolan Smith for the conversion and it was 30-16 as the quarter ended.
With 8:52 left in the game, Redmann hit Chase Castona on a 24 yard pass play to close to within a touchdown. Forsthuber fielded the ensuing on-side kick and got to the ground but was drilled in the back and, while he left the field on his own, he would leave the grounds by ambulance. The Cougars ran a couple of minutes off the clock, driving to inside the 20. Instead of salting away the game with another six points, Henry Matai tripped and lost two yards. Wiseman and the center miscommunicated on fourth down and Tri-Cities Prep had the ball back at their own 21 with 6:35 left in the game.
The Cougars turned in a good series on defense until a penalty set up an option of fourth and seven or third and 21. The Cougars opted for third and 21.
The next play essentially ended the game. Redmann threw to little-used tight end, Antonio Ledesma who was wide open in the middle and lumbered down the sidelines for 80 yards. Alan Matai, coming from the far side of the field ran down Ledesma at the 11-yard line, but the chase completely emptied Matai's tank. Redmann ran in for the tying touchdown with 5:01 left.
An exhausted Matai returned the kickoff into a pack and while fighting for extra yards, coughed up the ball. Ratuiste ran for 22, then Redmann for a 10 yard touchdown. Wiseman returned the next kickoff to the Lyle-Wisrham 42, but the next play was another fumble and Ratuiste ran 35 yards around right end for the finishing touches in a 44-30 win.
Redman finished the game with 234 yards on the ground and 117 in the air. Alan Matai ran a long way in the game...235 yards from scrimmage, 70 on a fumble return, and 80 chasing Ledesma. In the end, Cougar's missed the chance to put the game away midway in the fourth quarter. The Hare couldn't finish, and in Redmann, the Tortoise had a new star.
According to Coach Don Smith, Forsthuber sustained a chip off the third lumbar vertebrae process and is out for the season. The Cougars are back in action in Lyle on Friday against St. John-Endicott. Henry Matai needs just 75 yards for a 1,000 yard season. Alan Matai is gaining on his younger brother with 776 yards on the year.
Timberwolves take care of business against Napavine
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Goldendale's 47-20 win over Napavine drew widespread interest as fans on both sides and many from other conference teams were anxious to see how a good 1A team might stack up against the best of 2B. Goldendale was in a no win situation in the Saturday game. Napavine had the opportunity to build on its status as a top team in the state if it could knock off a 1A team, and if they didn't, they would be credited with a courageous try. There was just one reason for Goldendale to play this game and it was for momentum.
Napavine's roster looked like any SCAC roster with 37 players and probably more size than many 1A teams. They were ready to play and showed off a complex offense that featured receiver Matt Waltenburg and running back Micah Brown, two players who can play in any league. The game was as close as the 13-13 score at half time, but things fell apart in a hurry for the Tigers in the second half.
Goldendale's strong suit all season has been a quick and athletic line and they began to wear out the Tigers, beginning with a Torey Spaulding-Jimenez 51 yard touchdown on the Wolves' first possession of the second half. By the end of the game, Goldendale had run 20 more times in the second half for a total of 274 yards to go along with 110 yards on 14 carries in the first half.
The Timberwolf defense was also hard to beat in the second half, holding Napavine to just 64 yards on 16 carries, almost half of the Tigers' first half total. Napavine was visibly beaten following Ty Cronin's 8-yard touchdown run that gave Goldendale a 27-13 lead.
The Timberwolf support players saw plenty of game time in the final quarter and pre-season starting quarterback, Jose Briseno was able to shake off the rust, playing in his first game of the season. Briseno wasn't particularly sharp on his first carries, but he reminded fans of what he can do when he decided to run with the ball instead of punting and scored from 51 yards out.
Spaulding-Jimenez's 181 yards led a trio of backs who had impressive games. Kurt Wilkins and Justin Garrigus each carried nine times for a total of 122 yards. There were a number of long runs in the game, including Napavine's first touchdown, a 40-yard scamper by Brown who shed a number of tacklers to get free down the sidelines. Spaulding-Jimenez, on his first run of the game, scored on a 37 yard run that started up the middle and broke to the left sidelines, where most of Goldendale's big plays were made.
Cronin had an uncharacteristic poor passing game on Saturday, but he scored on his own 37-yard run. The Wolves were in their triple receiver, right, formation and Cronin simply slid out around the left end, cut behind a Blake Lesko block, and outraced defenders down the sideline, giving future opponents something else to worry about when playing the Wolves.
Napavine now turns its attention to defending their 2B title, perhaps a little tougher for the experience. Goldendale is still undefeated, but more importantly, they won't have a bye week to dull their timing as they get into the toughest part of their schedule. The Wolves travel to Naches Valley this Friday, then play host to Granger for Homecoming on Oct. 16.
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