TENINO — Early in the third quarter of Onalaska’s 2B state quarterfinal against Kalama on Friday, Kayden Mozingo seemed to be tripped up amidst a swarm of Chinooks on a long run.
What seemed to be a finished play quickly materialized into something more, however, as Mozingo wiggled free from multiple defenders to break free for a 53-yard touchdown that gave the Loggers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
It was that kind of night for Mozingo, who ran for a program-record 447 yards and five touchdowns to lead Onalaska to a 60-40 win over Kalama in the 2B state quarterfinals.
He topped the previous record holder, Ashton Haight, by nearly 100 yards.
“(Mozingo) put a show on tonight,” Onalaska coach Mazen Saade said. “And I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Every time the Loggers needed a spark on Friday night, Mozingo came through with a game-changing play.
After Onalaska went down 12-0 early in the second quarter, he broke free for a 71-yard touchdown to get the Loggers on the board. Following Kalama’s score on the opening drive of the second half, he broke free for a 74-yard score.
His best run of the day, that 53-yard touchdown scamper, came after the Ony defense forced a turnover.
“He’s one of the most special kids I’ve ever had a chance to coach,” Saade said. “And I’ve coached some real special kids here.”
What made it all the more special for Mozingo and the Loggers was that it came against Kalama. Last month, Mozingo played well against the Chinooks, rushing for 333 yards, but Onalaska fell 44-36 in that contest.
This was the 19th time in the past decade that two teams from Division 4 met in the playoffs after facing off in the regular season. In the previous 18, the winner of the regular season matchup had won the rematch 15 times.
The Loggers became the first team to avenge a regular season loss in the postseason since Kalama did it against Napavine in 2019.
“I’ve been waiting for this feeling for the last two weeks,” Mozingo said with a laugh, while also quickly attributing credit to his offensive line. “Most of the time I didn’t get touched.”
Rodrigo Rodriguez also had a big night, rushing for 154 yards and three touchdowns of his own.
“Rodrigo and Kayden ran their tails off,” Saade said. “People who came out here, they got a show.”
While the Loggers ended up milking away the game’s final minutes, the outcome was very much in doubt early on.
The Chinooks scored the first 12 points of the game, led 20-14 at the half and scored on the first possession out of the break to open up a two-score lead early in the third quarter.
The momentum shifted in a hurry, however.
After Mozingo’s second touchdown of the day, Case McGraw came away with an interception that led the senior quarterback’s go-ahead run. On the next play from scrimmage, Samuel Pannkuk came away with an interception of his own, one that led to a 36-yard touchdown from Rodriguez.
“They tried to do a whole bunch of different stuff, and I think we stayed consistent with what we do,” Saade said. “Coach (Wayne) Nelson put together a hell of a defensive plan together, and our kids just started to see things, settle in, and make big plays.”
The Chinooks got one first down on their next drive, but the Onalaska defense shut them down from there, and the Loggers needed just four plays to get back into the end zone. In just five and a half minutes of game action, the Loggers had turned a 26-14 deficit into a 46-26 lead.
“It took us a little while to start going,” Mozingo said. “But after we got it going, it went great.”
Saade fought back tears when describing the resiliency the Loggers showed, saying they embodied the team’s motto: “Keep digging.”
“When you’re down against your will, don’t bow out. Just play,” Saade said. “Just play the game of football the way you’ve been taught to play, and our kids did that tonight. And it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen as a head football coach in my 13 years.
“These guys could have easily been down and out, tucked their tails and walked away. They just kept digging, man. They just kept digging all freaking night, and it was awesome.”
As the Loggers began piling up touchdowns and building on their lead, the shift in the energy between sidelines became palpable.
“We wore them down,” Saade said. “As the game went on, it was like we wanted to keep playing and they didn’t.”
And now, the Loggers will get to keep playing into next week, which will include a holiday practice as they prepare for a state semifinal next Saturday.
“I’m so freaking proud of these guys,” Saade said. “We get to go eat some turkey, enjoy next week getting prepared for the winner of Napavine and River View, and we’re into the Final Four.”
