Republic rolls to win over La Salle

They brought 24 players, four coaches, two orange and black banners and perhaps two dozen fans on a trip that took, by most estimates, five hours. So in that regard the Republic Tigers had much in common with La Salle.

Because the Lightning had come a long way, too.

La Salle (9-3), which finished 1-9 last year, fell to Republic 40-28 in Saturday’s Class B-11 state quarterfinal playoff game in Yakima at West Valley’s Clasen Field.

The primary problem for La Salle on this occasion was the solid, old-school Tigers (7-4), still riding the emotional wave from its 19-14 defeat of previously unbeaten and No. 4-ranked Waterville a week earlier.

The Lightning got 291 passing yards from sophomore quarterback Chase Marquis, 204 of which went to senior wideout Andres Hernandez, but a few unkind bounces and the Tigers proved to be an insurmountable combination.

Jesse Eich, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound junior, rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and, along with a couple of timely highlight-film catches by Republic’s receivers, probably spelled La Salle’s doom.

“He’s just a country boy who loves to play football,” Tigers coach Mike McRae said. “Not that big, not that fast, but tough as nails.”

There also was the matter of Republic’s previous postseason success — in basketball.

“To tell you the truth,” McRae said, referring to the Tigers’ Class B state championship last March, “I think that made a big difference for us, last week and this week both. We did some silly things out there, but most of these kids played on that team. They don’t seem to get rattled when things don’t go right.

“Today, when push came to shove … we had fourth-and-17 in the second half and Derek Gianukakis runs a post-corner route and makes an NFL catch.”

And might have dealt La Salle the decisive blow. The Lightning, down 14-7 at halftime, were within 20-14 going into the fourth quarter when the aforementioned play occurred. Republic’s threat started with what La Salle assistant Greg McMillan called “an onside kick that wasn’t supposed to be onside.”

And the Tigers’ Todd Orestad caught it on his own 45-yard line and returned it to the Lightning’s 30. Larry Cacchiotti’s third-down sack of quarterback Gaeb Giddings cost Republic 9 yards to its 17, from where Giddings threw to a well-covered Gianukakis in the right corner of the end zone. Gianukakis, a 6-3 sophomore, caught the ball and kept his feet in bounds while falling out, giving the Tigers a 27-14 lead with 10:30 to play.

By the 1:15 mark it was 40-20, with Carlos DeJesus’ 3-yard run capping a 76-yard drive for La Salle.

Giddings was only 4 for 15 passing with one interception, but two of his completions went for touchdowns. The first was a 74-yarder to Gianukakis on the game’s third play, although La Salle answered early in the second quarter with Cacchiotti’s 5-yard TD.

Republic regained the lead via the first of two 1-yard sneaks by Giddings with 36 seconds left in the half, then made it 20-7 on the 6-4 senior’s second score with 6:50 to go in the third quarter.

Republic plays top-ranked DeSales in a semifinal on Saturday at noon at Joe Albi Stadium.

Wahkiakum 34, Reardan 7

Wahkiakum snuffed out Reardan’s bid for a third straight B-11 state title, as the Mules (11-0) knocked off the Indians (9-2) in a B-11 quarterfinal in Vancouver.

Ian Wagner found Shawn Westerman for a touchdown pass in the second quarter, Reardan’s only score.

Lind-Ritzville 34, Orcas Island 14

Nick Ashley shouldered the load as third-ranked Lind-Ritzville defeated Orcas Island in a B-11 quarterfinal at Mount Vernon High School.

Ashley carried 37 times for 291 yards to lead the Broncos (11-0), which will play second-ranked Wahkiakum in the semifinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.

Lind-Ritzville opened up the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown by Ashley in the first quarter. L-R built a 14-0 lead when Travis Dewald found Jake Kragt for a 6-yard touchdown.

Orcas answered to cut the lead to 14-7, but Kragt pushed the Broncos’ advantage to 21-7 at the half with a 1-yard plunge.

After an Orcas touchdown in the third quarter cut the lead to 21-14, Ashley owned the fourth quarter, scoring twice on runs of 17 yards and 1 yard.

B-8: Pe Ell 56, Colton-Pullman Christian 8

Colton-Pullman Christian held an 8-6 lead in the second quarter, but Pe Ell ran off the next 50 points in the Trojans’ win at Tumwater Stadium in a B-8 quarterfinal.

Mike Elliott ran for four touchdowns for fourth-ranked Pe Ell (9-0), which advanced to a semifinal against 9-1 Columbia-Hunters on Friday at 4 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.

Seth Robertson rushed 17 times for 120 yards for Colton-Pullman Christian, which finishes the season 6-4.