KALAMA — The defending state champion Chinooks got a big boost from their sophomore quarterback and put away Adna, 27-14, here Friday night in non-league 2B football action.
Jackson Esary ran 13 times for 107 yards and three touchdowns to lead Kalama (2-1).
Adna took an early lead on a 5-yard touchdown run from quarterback Braden Thomas, but had trouble solving the Chinooks’ looks early on.
“We were overthinking everything and it took our aggression away,” Adna coach K.C. Johnson said. “It carried over to our offense. We played really poorly in the first half.”
Esary scored three second-half touchdowns, on 10-, 41- and 1-yard runs, to give the Chinooks a 21-7 lead at halftime. Bradey O’Neil broke free for a 75-yard run in the third frame, staking the hosts a 27-7 lead.
Thomas, however, was lost to an injury, and Zach Berg finished out the game at quarterback for the Pirates. Berg hit Cole Fay for a 39-yard touchdown in the fourth frame, and the Pirates were a dropped ball in the end zone away from making it a one-score game with under five minutes to play.
“It was a really bizzare game. We just played really poor. The tackling was bad, and guys started trying to do too much,” Johnson said. “We settled them down and played a pretty good second half.”
Fay finished with 10 carries for 42 yards and three catches for 46 yards. Ryan Young added three catches for 54 yards.
Adna (2-1) hosts Toledo (2-1) on Friday.
