Mistake-prone Bears fall
Central Valley’s defense was late to the State 4A football play-in game.
The offense never made it.
The end result was a 21-0 win for Kamiakin before a sparse crowd of 1,005 at Albi Stadium late Saturday afternoon, earning the Braves a return trip Friday to face Ferris in the first round of the playoffs.
“We just had too many major mistakes early that took us out of it,” CV coach Rick Giampietri said.
If the game had been on an indoor field, maybe Central Valley would have had a chance.
The Bears (6-4) had five first-half turnovers – and one to start the second half – all within 32 yards of their end zone. On the flip side, the Bears snared four interceptions in the first half, but all deep in their territory.
“When you play against a team like CV and give them four picks, you’re in trouble,” first-year Kamiakin coach Scott Biglin said. “But our defense came to play.”
Central Valley had just three first downs and 36 yards of offense in the first half. The Bears never took an offensive snap in Kamiakin territory until the Braves shanked a punt into the wind with 1:28 left in the third period. That threat ended when they couldn’t convert a fourth-and-1 at the 10.
The start did not give an indication of what was to come, with the Braves going 73 yards lickity-split after the opening kickoff. Corey Hutchinson hit 3 of 4 passes, the first two covering 31 and 35 yards, before his swing pass to fullback Matt Minnich covered the final 4 yards.
The CV defense settled down after that, but the offense wasn’t up to the challenge.
The Bears had six first-half possessions. The first ended with a fumble on their 26, the second with an interception at the 30. In the opening minutes of the second quarter, a Kamiakin punt was touched and lost at the 28.
In the last minute of the half, Shad Fletcher returned an overthrown pass by CV sophomore quarterback Gaven Deyarmin 40 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
CV’s next snap was a fumble on the 31, but Deyarmin intercepted a Hutchinson pass.
Cameron Allen intercepted Hutchison in the end zone after the first turnover. Mark Heintz got one at the 15 on the play after the muffed punt and Ryan Nungester had another in the end zone to snuff a long second-quarter drive.
The Braves missed a short field goal after the Bears opened the second half by fumbling on the 34. On their next possession, the Braves went 64 yards in five plays, the last 28 on a pass to Tim White, for the final score.
Hutchison completed 12 of 28 passes for 189 yards, with White catching seven passes for 116 yards. The Braves had 104 yards rushing, a testament to the CV defense because Dom Davis had 123 yards on 30 carries.
“We knew if we were going to win this game it was going to be with quick passes or screens,” Biglin said.
CV only had 90 yards on the ground and 45 passing.
District 6/7 1A state play-in
Okanogan 28, Chewelah 27: Trailing by one with little more than a minute remaining, the visiting Cougars marched 76 yards to the Bulldogs’ 10-yard line, but time expired before they had a chance to put any more points on the board. Ryan Price threw four TDs for the Bulldogs, including three in the second quarter, and Calvin Connall led the Cougars with 119 yards rushing and two TDs.
Cascade 42, Kettle Falls 6: Evan Parton passed for 174 yards and two TDs and Dan Betz added two more rushing scores to go with 88 yards as the Kodiaks beat the visiting Bulldogs (4-6) at Leavenworth to advance to state. KF’s Trevor Zyskowski rushed for 104 yards on 22 carries.
Omak 35, Freeman 13: C.J. Lockwood rushed for 281 yards and three touchdowns as the Pioneers eliminated the Scotties (2-7) in Freeman.
Tonasket 14, Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) 7: The Eagles (3-7) pulled out to an lead Friday with a touchdown in the first quarter, but they allowed 14 straight points to the host Tigers.
Idaho 3A state
Payette 28, Timberlake 13: The Tigers (8-2) lost in the quarterfinals of the state tournament to Payette in Spirit Lake.
Idaho 1A Division I state
Wallace 52, Potlatch 44: The Miners (7-3) beat the Loggers in Wallace to advance to the state semifinals against Prairie.