2B Football: Toledo Whips Winlock in Battle of the Cowlitz

TOLEDO — The Indians decided to go to the air early in their 46-20 Central 2B League victory over Winlock in the Battle of the Cowlitz rivalry game here on Friday night.

Despite the air raid, go-to running back Taylor Hicks still managed to put in a business-as-usual 98 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

The first two plays from scrimmage by Toledo resulted in a 78-yard pass from quarterback Dalton Yoder to Konner Crawford and a 50-yard pass from Yoder to Grant McEwen, both of which went for touchdowns.

"He has all the tools to be a good passer. Unfortunately for him, we have three really good running backs," Toledo coach Jeremy Thibault said. "We kind of thought they'd put a lot of guys in the box, so we did that."

Yoder, who throws left-handed in baseball and right-handed in football, finished with 158 yards on 3 of 5 passing. The rushing game took over after that, with Hicks scoring two short-yardage touchdowns and McEwen taking a quarterback keeper to the house from 45 yards out.

Hicks would score two more touchdowns, one from 4 yards out and another from 45 yards out as the Indians finished with 442 yards of total offense, including 284 on the ground.

Winlock finished with 132 yards of total offense.

"We've been watching a lot of film and the kids are seeing their tiny mistakes and working on them," Thibault said.

Winlock then got into the action in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard run by quarterback Zach Weinert, a 30-yard run by Evan Mitchell and a 39-yard run by Sean Berry.

Toledo (3-0), ranked No. 5 in the latest 2B poll, will travel to face No. 6-ranked Adna on Friday. Winlock (0-3) will Mossyrock the same night.

Vikings Hammer Toutle Lake for Second Win

MOSSYROCK — The Viking defense didn’t let Toutle Lake into the end zone, and Jarrad Majors scored the game’s first three touchdowns in Mossyrock’s 42-6 Central 2B League win here on Friday night.

The Ducks’ only touchdown came on a 38-yard third-quarter fumble recovery, giving Mossyrock’s defense it’s second-straight scoreless performance.

“The whole defensive unit was great,” Mossyrock coach Curt Spahn said. “We’re bending, but we’re just stepping up when we need to.”

Majors, meanwhile, ran for 150 yards on 11 carries and scored all three of the Vikings’ first-half touchdowns. James Chaney added 110 yards on seven carries and a score, and Logan Gootgeld ran for 65 yards and a touchdown and hit Bryant Bowman with a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Gootgeld, Spahn pointed out, has played tight end and middle linebacker his entire high school career, and is the Vikings’ fourth quarterback this season.

“We’re making things happen. He’s a leader, and he’s still learning the offense, because he’s only been in there about seven days,” Spahn said. “I told the coaches this week would be a real test for us to see where we fit in the league, but we’re really pleased with where we’re at.”

Ben Callies added two interceptions for Mossyrock, which ran for 301 yards on the ground.

Mossyrock (2-1) will play at Winlock on Friday.

Tigers Dismantle Titans 34-7

MENLO — The Titans scored early and were able to adjust their defense at halftime, but couldn't withstand Napavine’s onslaught as the Tigers proceeded to claim a 34-7 Central 2B League gridiron victory here on Friday.

Sam Fagerness capped off a Napavine drive with a 1-yard punch to put the Tigers on the board early in the first frame. Pe Ell-Willapa Valley quickly struck back with a Jason Fluke 18-yard lob to Dylan Barrett to tie it.

Napavine had the last word, however, as Chase VanWyck scored on a 41-yard run to close out the first quarter. Despite several productive drives, the Titans would not score again.

Napavine continued to pile on the points, scoring twice before intermission via runs from Wyatt Stanley and Fagerness.

"They (Napavine) have a well coached offense overall," Titan coach Josh Fluke said. "We tried to run a 'bend but not break' type of defense and they got a few big plays on us. We adjusted at halftime and our defense did much better in the second half."

The PWV defense only allowed one touchdown — by Jensen Lindsay — in the third quarter, though the offense wouldn’t get on the board again.

Lindsay led all rushers with 53 yards on eight carries for Napavine while VanWyck ran for 50 yards on just five carries. Stanley complete 7 of 15 passes for 87 yards.

Kaelin Jurek rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries while stringing together 10 tackles on the defensive end to PWV. Fluke also performed on both ends of the field, passing for 72 yards and bringing down eight tackles for PWV.

"We need to work on some defensive things," Fluke said. "But most importantly, we need to cut down our turnovers. All of our turnovers in the first half were converted into points. But I was really proud of our team effort in the second half. Napavine is a real good, physical team but our boys had no quit in them. They didn't just lay down for them and I liked that."

The Titans (1-2 league) will travel to Cathlamet to face Wahkiakum on Friday. Napavine (3-0 league) will host Onalaska on Friday.

MWP Gets Past Onalaska, 41-15

RANDLE — Braiden Elledge ran for 213 yards and Morton-White Pass picked up its second-straight win with a 41-15 Central 2B League victory over Onalaska here on Friday. The Loggers moved the ball, rushing for 259 yards, but lost four fumbles in the process.

"They're pressing hard for a win right now and they're a really physical team," MWP coach Aaron Poquette said. "Those fumbles put their team in a tough position and we were able to take advantage of it. We're happy to get out of there with a win."

Morton-White Pass jumped out to a 13-0 first quarter lead thanks to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Zach Hanson to Kaleb Poquette, followed by a 22-yard scoring run by Elledge. Onalaska answered back in the second quarter with a 5-yard run by Hunter Blair.

The Timberwolves then rattled off 28 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. Elledge scored on a 6-yard run and Zack Elswick took one of his two carries 70 yards to paydirt for the 28-8 halftime lead.

After the break Elledge put in his third touchdown of the evening and Elswick scored on his second carry from 30 yards out. Onalaska got a 56-yard touchdown run from Stone Whitney in the fourth quarter.

"This is a lot different looking team for us but what I have seen is marked improvement each and every week," Poquette said. "The kids are allowing themselves to be coached and are working hard. If we continue on this path of getting better, I like our chances making a run to the postseason."

No. 9-ranked Morton-White Pass (2-1) finished with 406 yards of total offense and will travel to play Toutle Lake next week. Onalaska plays at No. 2-ranked Napavine on Friday.

Pirates Close Out Mules in Double OT

CATHLAMET — Adna pushed through in the second overtime period to score and stripped the Mules on the following drive to secure a 28-20 win and improve to 3-0 here on Friday in C2BL football action.

Wahkiakum started off the scoring in the second frame with a double-pass play as Gunner Blix's pass to Brandon Budd was then lobbed 51 yards to Joey Moore for the score.

The Pirates answered back via their running game with a Marcus Hampton 25-yard run and a Bryce McCloskey 3-yard rush for respective touchdowns, leaving the Mules to look at a 12-6 deficit at halftime. The Adna defense was sharp in the third quarter as Reese Wilson and Isaac Ingle caused a safety, adding 2 more points to the board.

The Mules gathered themselves for a rally in the fourth quarter when Budd hit paydirt off a 61-yard fumble return. Blix came up in the clutch, as well, running in the 2-point conversion to put the matchup at a stalemate and force overtime.

"We figured they'd really come out and give us a game," Adna coach K.C. Johnson said. "But we also thought we would wear them down. We just made big mistakes like turning over the ball and we just couldn't finish. We got ourselves into a dogfight and had to go into overtime. That's where we grew up and learned a lot."

The two squads traded scores in the first session of overtime via Blix's 25-yard pass to Budd and Adna quarterback David Young punching through with an 11-yard touchdown run.

The Pirates struck for the final time with another Young rush, this time for 17 yards and a 2-point conversion. Adna then sealed the deal with a timely defensive strip to regain possession and end the evening with a victory.

"Anytime you beat Wahkiakum at their place, it's a big win," Johnson said. "Their coaches are as good as you'll find in the state. They took advantage of our mistakes and made a ballgame out of it. We've been road warriors and all of these road wins for us with how young we are have been big."

Young finished with 109 rushing yards on 20 carries, and hit 8 of 11 passes for 62 yards.

The Pirates host Toledo on Friday.