In another defensive battle, the Adna football team escaped Onalaska by the slimmest of margins Friday night, defeating the Loggers, 7-6, on a drizzly night.
The Loggers fired the first blow, scoring on their second drive after a short Rodrigo Rodriguez plunge, but after that it was a tale of opportune plays from the Pirates, and misfortune for the Loggers when the purple side had the ball.
“We had a lot of opportunities to score, and every time we got close we made a lot of mental mistakes,” Onalaska coach Mazen Saade said. “We didn’t capitalize when we needed to. It kept that score close. Those are things we have to work on.”
Making the biggest play of the night was the Pirate defense, which forced a turnover in the third quarter in Logger territory, and all of the sudden Adna took a 7-6 lead after a 3-yard run from quarterback Lane Johnson.
The Adna offense was otherwise stifled. Johnson threw for just 26 yards, and the Pirates were outgained 229-140. But that key defensive play, and a couple more down the line, were enough to eek out the road win.
Penalties and miscues also played a role, as the Loggers racked up double the penalties and yardage that the Pirates earned. Ony committed eight for 65 yards, while Adna limited their miscues to four penalties for 30 yards.
The win slots the Pirates into the second-seed in the Southwest Washington South, but they’ll need a win against Kalama to secure that position heading into the crossover.
For the Loggers, it’s going to be do or die against Wahkiakum at home next Thursday.
“This one is going to sting a little bit,” Saade said. “We have to learn and grow from it. At some point we have to learn, at some point we have to grow up. We’ll see how our guys respond. Our backs are against the wall.”
