S-H Gets The Boot From Cusick
Cody Donais kicked Cusick into the B-8 football playoffs and kicked Sprague-Harrington out.
Donais made the extra point after Chris Peijonen took Dusty Person’s pass to the left on a screen and turned it into a 7-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left to give the Panthers a 35-34 win Friday night in Sprague.
Cusick (7-3 overall, 5-2 league) snagged the last playoff berth from the Northeast B-8. The Panthers join Odessa and Inchelium, which tied for the league title, in the playoffs, which start in two weeks. Odessa wins the title because the Tigers beat Inchelium the first week of the season.
Jacob Kirk rushed for 287 yards on 37 carries for the Panthers, who piled up 421 yards on the ground. Kirk scored on a 31-yard pass from Person and a 40-yard run.
Colin Floyd had four touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass for the Falcons (6-2, 5-2). He ran 3 yards for a touchdown and threw a 20-yard TD pass to Aaron Henry as S-H took a 14-8 lead.
Cusick took a 16-14 lead in the second quarter after Kirk’s run, but Floyd returned the following kickoff 90 yards and the Falcons led 22-16 at halftime.
The Panthers scored 12 points in the third quarter to go ahead 28-22. In the fourth quarter, Henry hit Floyd for a 27-yard touchdown before Floyd returned an interception 27 yards for a 34-28 lead.
In other league games, Kris Benson rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries as Columbia (4-4, 3-4) defeated visiting Curlew (1-6, 1-5) 50-22. Tyler Strickler caught two scoring passes from Ian Turner and Kasey Kemmerer added a 70-yard TD run to finish with 110 yards on five carries… . Pateros (4-5, 2-5) defeated Wellpinit (0-8, 0-7).
SOUTHEAST B-8
Tigercats roll into playoffs
Second-ranked La-Crosse-Washtucna (8-1, 5-1) went on the road and kept right on traveling with a 58-12 win over Lind-Kahlotus (4-5, 3-3) in a battle for the second playoff berth. Evan Startin had two long touchdowns in the first quarter, one rushing and one receiving. He finished with 82 yards on two carries and 77 yards on four receptions. Willie Hodgson and Nick Koller each picked off a pass in the final minutes of the first half to keep L-W in control. Jake Schneider hit 7 of 13 passes for 148 yards. He had one touchdown pass - plus two running - to finish with regular season with 17 against just one interception… . Thomas Clements ran for four touchdowns and returned an interception for a fifth as Jubilee Christian (1-6, 2-4) won 34-20 at Rosalia (1-7, 0-6). Jordan Conradi hit 8 of 10 passes for 140 yards for Rosalia.
GREAT NORTHERN LEAGUE Stags are staggering
Quarterback Adam Swinyard reversed roles for Deer Park (7-1, 5-1), picking off three passes in the first half as the Stags clinched the No. 1 seed into the playoffs with a 30-0 win at Lakeside (0-9, 0-6). Swinyard hit 7 of 16 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown and ran for another. Zac Farnam had two short TD runs in the first quarter. The Stags had 245 yards of offense with seven different ball carriers. … Brian Zeches passed for 234 yards in the first half as Pullman (6-3, 5-1) tuned up for the playoffs with a 45-14 win over visiting Newport (3-6, 2-4). The Greyhounds led 39-0 at halftime as Lucas Svaren carried 15 times for 157 yards and four of his five touchdowns… . Riverside (7-2, 4-2) finished up a successful but unfulfilling season with a 35-6 win at Chewelah (3-6, 1-5) as Rich Boegli picked off two passes. Brian Crance had 136 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and Jason Van Hover had 126 yards and a TD on seven carries as the Rams rolled up 384 yards on the ground. Despite losing just twice and beating top-seed Deer Park, the Rams missed the playoffs.
NORTHEAST A Hail to the champions
A desperation touchdown pass with 1 second left in the first half sparked fifth-ranked Colfax to a 49-13 win at Liberty. The Bulldogs (9-0, 6-0) were leading 14-0 when John White threw the ball up for grabs in the end zone. James Carter outjumped the defenders for Liberty (2-7, 1-5) and hauled in the 36-yard pass. Colfax had 493 yards of total offense, 360 on the ground. Sophomore Tommy Tribbet, a backup kicker and running back, was perfect on seven conversions and he ran for two touchdowns. Sam Hall had 100 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries for the Bulldogs… . Justin Wagner ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and Greg Mace kicked three field goals, including a 45-yarder, as Kettle Falls (5-4, 4-2) warmed up for the playoffs with a 30-0 win at Ferrman (2-7, 1-5).
NORTHEAST B-11 Playoff paydays
Ritzville, Davenport, Reardan and Republic are headed to the playoffs on a good note.
No. 2 Ritzville (9-0, 7-0) got a playoff-style test from visiting Springdale (5-4, 3-4). The Chargers recovered four fumbles and had a great goal-line stand in the second quarter to trail 6-0 at the half. The Broncos got some breathing room with a defensive touchdown in the third quarter as Kevin Kline recovered a fumble in the end zone. Ritzville center Scott Rasmussen capped the scoring by recovering another fumble in the end zone… . Justin Holderby and Andy Schreck teamed up for 307 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries as fifth-ranked Davenport (8-1, 6-1) rolled to a 46-6 win over visiting Wilbur-Creston (3-6, 1-6). Darin Erickson caught six passes for 89 yards and the W-C touchdown.
Reardan prepped with a 35-8 win at Selkirk as Rocky Soliday scored three touchdowns. The 10th-ranked Indians (7-2, 5-2) rushed for 235 yards. Selkirk (2-7, 2-5)… . Joe Hewitt had a pair of touchdown runs in the fourth quarter as Republic (6-3, 4-3) geared up with a 27-13 win over visiting Almira/Coulee-Hartline (1-8, 0-7). Hewitt finished with 179 yards and 14 carries, plus a 12-yard TD run in the second quarter to go with the 30 and 20 yarders in the fourth.
SOUTHEAST B-11 Cardinals in flight, Nighthawks grounded
Waitsburg (5-4, 4-2) claimed a playoff berth with a late touchdown for a 10-6 win over Tekoa-Oakesdale (2-6, 2-4). The visiting Cardinals sacked the T-O punter at the 40 and marched down to score on a Scott Mason 5-yard run with 4:11 to play. The Nighthawks were not eliminated from playoff contention until getting inside the 15 in the final moments before turning the ball over on downs. T-O, which had scored on the first possession of the game, had one final shot with a second left, but the Cardinals knocked the desperation pass down… . Two-time defending state champion and top-ranked DeSales (9-0, 6-0) won the league title with a 44-19 win at No. 9 Asotin (6-2, 4-2). After the Tigers jumped to a quick 6-0 lead, the Irish scored 20 straight points as T.J. Conley threw for two of his three touchdown passes. Conley finished 13 of 20 for 214 yards… . Pomeroy (5-3, 4-2) is also playoff-bound coming off a 42-6 win over visiting Garfield-Palouse (2-6, 1-5). Dustin Mulrony rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
NON-LEAGUE Eagles also fly
Michael Kolb rushed for 229 yards on nine carries and Levi Johnson had 141 on eight and the duo combined for eight touchdowns as St. John-Endicott (1-8) rolled to an 89-6 win over visiting Soap Lake. The Eagles had 638 yards on the ground and 723 yards in total offense… . Odessa (7-1) rolled to a 70-24 win at Colton (2-6).
IDAHO PLAYOFFS LC, CdA lose
Coeur d’Alene’s Paul Ziegler rushed for 215 yards and a touchdown, but the Vikings fell short in a 10-7 A-1 Division II playoff loss to defending champion Vallivue in Caldwell, Idaho.
Bishop Kelly, the smallest A-1 Division II school in the state, played large behind Joe Bleymaier’s game-winning 23-yard interception return for a touchdown, in a 35-28 upset win over topranked Lake City in Coeur d’Alene.