Story Photos
 Photo by Bill Wagner Wahkiakum's Alec Sealund finishes off a long run against White Pass earlier this season. |
Crucial tussle in Toutle
Thursday, November 1, 2007 7:54 AM PDT
By Ben Zimmerman
Printable version
E-mail this articleIt won't be like last year, when Toutle Lake and Wahkiakum played for a league title in one of the most hyped, anticipated ---- and ultimately, exciting ---- small-school football battles in recent memory.
Or will it?
"They'll be razed, juiced and excited, and we've got to go into that environment and try to hang," said Mules coach Eric Hansen. "Toutle is hitting on all cylinders."
"I can't speak for Wahkiakum kids, but I know they feel the same as ours," Toutle coach Scott Grabenhorst added. "For all of our kids, this is as big of a game as last year's. It is absolutely as big. There is a state berth on the line, and the way those brackets play out, it is real hard to tell the difference between first and second. Both teams are smart enough to know that second is a lot better than third."
Second place in the Central 2B League is on the line tonight in Toutle, and that should be enough to get these rivals fired up ---- and their fans crammed into the stands.
The Ducks won 21-14 in Cathlamet last year, their first win over Wahkiakum since 1995 and the final jewel in a 10-0 romp to the league crown.
But top-ranked Adna has dominated the Central this season, leaving the Mules (5-3, 5-2 in league) and Toutle (7-2, 5-2) to fight over second place. Only the first and second place teams clinch automatic state berths.
The loser tonight will fall into a two- or three-way tie for third place with Mossyrock (5-4, 5-3) and Napavine (5-4, 4-3), and faces a much tougher road to state. First, the logjam will be broken by a Kansas Plan tiebreaker on Saturday, hosted by the Toutle-Wahkiakum loser. The survivor then faces ninth-ranked South Bend, the No. 3 team from the Pacific, on Tuesday for a berth to state.
Naselle, South Bend and Willapa Valley enter tonight's slate of league finales tied for first place, but a coin flip has already determined their seeding should the tie persist. Thus, the eventual third place finisher from the Central will have to defeat a co-league champ just to make it to state.
"It would be very nice to win tomorrow," Grabenhorst said.
"I'll tell ya what, it's a big game," added Hansen. "Winning it makes your life a whole lot easier. Otherwise you have 48 hours to get ready for that tiebreaker."
Both teams are on a roll. Toutle has won five straight, scoring 35, 36, 37, 34 and 35 points in those victories. The Mules have won four of five, allowing seven, eight, 12 and zero points in those victories.
"We started out with seven or eight kids on the offensive side that were new starters," said Grabenhorst. "We had four new starters on our offensive line. That group has really come together, and the consistency of our line has given our backs confidence."
Quarterback Cody O'Connor has developed into a versatile threat to throw and run, while fullback Jeff Campbell and tailback Jeran DeLapp complement one another's running style.
"That all is a reflection of our line becoming more consistent," Grabenhorst said. "We're really quite balanced."
"Toutle has great speed, numbers, size, a lot of kids back from last year, and a coach that is on top of his game," Hansen added. "They are a force. We need everybody to be as opportunistic as possible, make every opportunity that we get count. If we don't, in a playoff atmosphere, the pressure is gonna get to us."
Grabenhorst expects a fight from Wahkiakum.
"They are always fired up, and they are going to be ready," he said of the Mules. "They'll be physical, they won't make many mistakes. It should be a well-played ballgame."
Toutle senior Bobby Breece, a two-way standout, played sparingly in the Week 9 win over Pe Ell, but should be at full strength tonight. Breece broke his collarbone on Sept. 21 against Adna.
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