Bates’ Effort May Be National Record

There’s no doubt Colton’s Nick Bates set a state rushing record for 8-man football in the Wildcats’ 70-20 win over Kootenai (Idaho) last Friday.

However, upon further review, Bates’ originally reported 591 yards was bumped to 602. Colton coach Tim Sperber and assistant Jim Moehrle reviewed the game film a half-dozen times before coming up with that number, being particularly careful because the national record is 601.

“This is too big of a deal for the two of us to say, ‘Oh yeah, hey, we got it,”’ Sperber told Newberry’s Washington Prep Football Report. “We want to make sure if it’s a record, it’s for real. If it’s not, it’s not. We don’t want to be the coaching staff from back East that sends over some phony total.”

Sperber has enlisted Bert Sahlberg, sports editor of the Lewiston Daily Tribune, to review the film. If he confirms the 602, the tape will be sent to the National Federation of State High School Associations in Kansas City.

The endangered record was set by Bryan Kendall of Haviland, Kan., in 1974.

Bates carried the ball only 22 times. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior scored on runs of 81, 1, 69, 36, 76, 1, 85 and 55 yards, falling one TD short of the state record.

The Wildcats led only 28-20 at the half but scored 36 points in the third quarter and the game was stopped with 10 minutes remaining.

The previous state record was 455 yards by Wishkah Valley’s Dave Busz in 1961.

The national 11-man rushing record is 608 yards on 38 carries by John Bunch of Elkins, Ark., in 1974. Jacob Prince of Mount Baker set the state 11-man record last week with 422 yards. On Friday, he had one carry for 2 yards after injuring an ankle on an 80-yard kickoff return for a TD in the first quarter.

GSL highlights

It was amazing to see Wil Beck, Central Valley’s standout defensive lineman, dominate a game with hardly a tackle.

Rogers often triple-teamed Beck and he still managed to push forward, effectively shutting down the Pirates’ running game and star back Mike Dorton. Dorton had nowhere to run with Beck dominating the line and his teammates waiting to pounce.

Don Anderson, who announced his retirement effective at the end of his 26th season as Gonzaga Prep football coach, had a rough summer. He was in the hospital twice and missed a lot of the summer functions with his team.

But the summer wasn’t all bad for Anderson. He went to a class reunion at Roosevelt High in Seattle, met a long-lost acquaintance and revived a friendship. The two decided to get married - during the football season. Don and Monna Hansen will be married Saturday.

The GSL passed the first test in five straight non-league matchups with the Big Nine. Mead outscored Davis 47-42 in Yakima. The Panthers, picked to finish second in the GSL, continue to struggle defensively. They’re not picking up new coach Bob McCray’s bump-and-run, man-to-man coverage. The fault doesn’t all fall on the defensive backs; the line isn’t pressuring the quarterback. That combination is effectively neutralizing first-rate linebackers Ossim Hatem and Zach McGee.

Davis is one of three teams expected to battle for the fourth playoff spot out of the Big Nine.

Mead’s next three games are with Lewis and Clark (the first top-notch defense the Panthers face), Gonzaga Prep and Central Valley.

Quick kicks

New Deer Park coach Doug McGill has the Stags headed in the right direction. They upset Colville 10-0 for their first win over a team other than Kettle Falls in two years. To add to the euphoria, Debra McGill gave birth to the couple’s second son, Nicholas Alexander, on Sunday.

“It was a great weekend,” the first-year coach said. “I was so happy. “Our kids have steadily improved every week. It’s a tribute to them, they’ve been working hard. They’re a very coachable bunch of kids. I think they gained a lot of confidence with that win.”

Daniel Pitts of Odessa, carried off the field on a stretcher last weekend, was not seriously injured and could return to action as early as next week. … Lind also had a big win, ending a 14-game skid by outscoring Prescott 50-46. … Kettle Falls continues to struggle. A 1A team, the Bulldogs fell to Cusick, a team that just moved up from 8-man, to run their skid to 19 straight.

Unreported score: Hamilton, Mont., 46, Mt. Spokane 24.

Around the state

Prosser whipped Sunnyside 42-0 for its 51st straight Mid-Valley victory… . Sophomore quarterback Aaron Harper was again the hero as Richland edged Kamiakin 7-2. Harper hit Josh Jelmberg with a 13-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter. The Bombers had 168 yards of offense to 137 for Kamiakin… . Walla Walla quarterback Jared Jones should get his first action this weekend against Kamiakin. He suffered a thigh bruise in a preseason scrimmage and then received frostbite when the ice pack was placed directly on his skin… . Kennedy all-state running back Paul Arnold hasn’t played since injuring an ankle in the season opener and now could be out another six weeks… . Elma led Forks 42-13 with 1:11 to play and won only 42-35.

Games of the Week

Colton is at LaCrosse-Washtucna, Bates going against the team which isn’t eligible for the playoffs because the Tigercats are supposed to be playing 11-man football… . In the two small leagues that have to play round robins, the league favorites meet. In the Frontier, East Valley is at Cheney and in the Northeast A, Colfax is at Freeman.

Colfax hasn’t given up a touchdown this year.

“They’re just a very, very powerful and physical team,” said Scotties coach John Custer. “We have to find areas we can attack and we have to guess right.”

Because it is a home game, Custer said, the outcome is important to Freeman. He called it the most important game the Scotties have played in his four years as coach.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Dave Timmer The Spokesman-Review