Pullman flies into title game
KENNEWICK – Pullman’s success this football season has been driven by a powerful running attack.
In the Greyhounds’ State 2A semifinal with Connell, the Eagles limited Pullman’s ability to run wild.
So a big-play defense forced five turnovers and the Greyhounds conquered short fields through the air as Pullman advanced to the State 2A championship game with a 34-7 win at Lampson Stadium.
As has often been the case in Pullman’s 13-0 season, the Greyhounds struck early.
After a Connell three-and-out, Pullman’s second play from scrimmage was a quick slant against man coverage to wide receiver Ashton Gant.
Gant made a difficult grab on J.T. Levenseller’s throw, catching it knee-high with his fingertips before flying into the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown.
“Ashton’s a big-play guy,” said Pullman head coach Bob Wollan, making his second state title appearance in three years with the Greyhounds. “As the season’s progressed, we’ve been able to get the ball in his hands and give him an opportunity to make plays.”
Gant caught five balls for 104 yards and two touchdowns, the other coming on a 25-yard catch on the same play midway through the third quarter.
“They were trying to press me man, so I just used one quick jab to get them off me,” Gant said. “Then it’s off to the races from there.”
Connell held Pullman to 170 yards on the ground for the game on 41 carries, far below 234 yards the piled up in only one half last week.
“I’ve seen them all year, and they’ve actually ran on everybody,” Eagles head coach Wayne Riner said. “They didn’t really run on us there until the end.”
Connell went to a five-man front to limit Pullman’s ground game, but that freed up Levenseller and his receivers. Levenseller finished 7 of 13 for 148 yards and three touchdowns, the third coming on a 39-yard screen to wideout Aaron Pflugrad.
“We had to gamble because we knew we couldn’t just stud up with them, they’re too tough.” Riner said. “You tell me a weak spot on that football team.”
It certainly wasn’t the defense, as the Greyhounds held Connell, which averaged 42 points a game, to nothing in the first 43 minutes.
Connell gained 53 yards in the first half and turned the ball over five times. Brett Clyde, the Eagles’ sophomore quarterback, never got on track, rushing 13 times for 23 yards and completing 13 of 31 passes for 182 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions.
“(Containing Clyde) was the whole plan.” said Wollan, who went to a three-man defensive front. “My big fear, with the defense we were in, was their ability to run the football, and for the most part, we did a pretty good job of containing that.”
Levenseller, Levi Lane, Justin Erwin and Chris Snyder all had interceptions. Adam Orozco, Connell’s leading rusher, was held to 43 yards on eight carries. Connell tried to spread the Greyhounds out, but the line got pressure on Clyde and the defensive backfield made plays all night.
“They were definitely having a lot of trouble with us getting picks like that,” said Gant, who also plays corner. “Even our linebackers were getting picks too, so it was definitely a good game for us overall.”
Pullman also extended its first-quarter dominance to an astounding 213 points scored in the first frame and none allowed.
“I don’t know what it is, that’s just our mentality,” Gant said. “We get the ball, we go down, we drive and we go from there.”
This is Pullman’s fourth appearance in a state football championship, but the Greyhounds have never won one.
After defeating third-ranked Cashmere 14-13 Saturday, top-ranked Archbishop Murphy will face Pullman at 10 a.m. Saturday in the State 2A championship at the Tacoma Dome.