Story Photos
 From left, Nick Hines, Jesus Martinez, Jesse Lopez, Tommy Rose and Caleb Corona march off the field victorious in the rain. Bill Wagner / The Daily News
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Upstart Comets stun Willapa Valley
Sunday, November 23, 2008 6:31 AM PST
By Rick S. Alvord
Printable version
E-mail this articleTUMWATER — Jeff Eaton still had tears in his eyes after delivering the biggest postgame speech of his coaching career.
The emotional residue was understandable, given the magnitude of what transpired Saturday afternoon on the turf at Tumwater Stadium.
Eaton had just watched his unheralded Naselle Comets knock off previously undefeated Willapa Valley 28-24 in the Class 2B state football quarterfinals to earn a trip to the semifinals for the first time in school history.
As an added bonus for the Comets, their next game will be played in 68-degree temperatures — inside the cavernous Tacoma Dome.
But Eaton, before collecting his belongings and exiting the locker room Saturday, wanted to first make sure he wasn’t in the middle of a really, really good dream.
“It still says 28-24 out there, doesn’t it?” he asked. “Does the scoreboard still say we won? Maybe I’ll go outside and check for myself.”
It wasn’t that Eaton was surprised that his Comets (8-4) defeated their Pacific 2B League rivals, who entered the game with an 11-0 record — including a 21-6 victory over Naselle on Oct. 3.
He knew his team was hitting its stride after some early-season adversity, which included academic ineligibility and a plethora of injuries. He knew they could compete with the high-powered Vikings, especially after shutting them out in the second half of that October setback.
But this? An all-out rear-whippin’ at the line of scrimmage, where Naselle’s undersized linemen paved the way to 304 rushing yards? A gritty defensive scheme, concocted by assistant Clyde Glick, in which the Comets held Valley to 214 yards?
“I knew we could do those things,” Eaton said. “It was just a matter of doing it.”
Oh, they did it, all right.
Nick Hines ran for 132 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns, and Tony Fletcher (18 carries, 97 yards) and Alan Erickson (15 for 64) each ran for a score as the Comets’ three-headed backfield monster gobbled up the Vikings’ defense all day.
Naselle’s “Ground Eaton” offense churned out 54 rushing attempts and not a single pass. Junior quarterback Austin Burkhalter did fade back once, on the final play of the first half, but was sacked.
Naselle takes on Napavine (10-2) in the semifinals, with the day (Friday or Saturday) and time to be determined. Napavine defeated Adna 41-34 late Saturday.
Before Washington went to a playoff format in the early 1970s, Naselle was voted the state champ in 1968 and ’69.
No team has made it this far since.
“This is virgin territory for the Naselle Comets football program,” Eaton said. “We’re going to the Dome.”
After Valley marched 61 yards in 12 plays on its first possession of the second half to take a 14-13 lead, the Comets hit the switch.
Two straight carries by Fletcher put the ball at the Naselle 47-yard line, setting the stage for Hines’ electric 53-yard touchdown gallop in which he shot toward the right sideline and cut back toward the middle of the field.
Fletcher’s two-point conversion run made it 21-14 with 5:44 left in the third quarter. Naselle did not trail again.
“This has been my dream ever since I started playing Pop Warner ball when I was 5 years old in Reno, Nev. It’s always been a dream to make it this far,” said Hines, whose 2-yard run on fourth down gave the Comets a 28-14 lead with 10:52 remaining in the game.
“I grew up with the guys in this locker room. I’d trust any one of them. This experience is just bringing us closer together,” Hines said. “Early in the season, I was scared. I was worried if we’d pull together. But we did. Love, teamwork and trust. That’s what’s getting it done for us.”
Yes, all of that — and a game plan that frustrated the Vikings more and more as each minute ticked away in the second half.
“All three of their running backs (Hines, Fletcher and Erickson) are tough to take down,” Valley coach Rob Friese said. “We needed to do a better job tackling them, but I’d say all three are very solid. And they did a good job up front against us.
“We had nothing but respect for Naselle,” he added. “We knew this would be a tough game. We didn’t play our best, but they had a lot to do with that.”
Eaton was impressed with his offensive line, which is anchored by senior center Mike Shirley.
“They (the Vikings) came at us with a 4-4 (formation) and a 6-2, and whatever they did, our guys picked it up and blocked it,” Eaton said. “Mike Shirley just has a nonstop motor. He’s probably our best defensive player. On offense (Saturday), I saw him hit the cornerback on a pitch and roll him three rolls, then he went after the next guy.”
Valley led 6-0 after Tony Luomo’s 3-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, but the Comets bounced back to tie it four minutes later. A 38-yard reverse by Hines on third-and-11 moved it to the Valley 14, and Erickson — a burly junior fullback — took it in from 3 yards.
Fletcher capped a methodical 56-yard, 11-play drive with a 10-yard TD run with 46 seconds remaining in the half as Naselle took a 13-6 lead into the locker room.
After Hines’ short touchdown gave the Comets a 28-14 cushion, the Vikings fought back to make it interesting in the final four minutes with a safety (ball snapped over punter’s head and out of end zone) and a 24-yard touchdown toss from Matt Friese to Jon Nissell.
But Burkhalter recovered Valley’s onside kick with 2:16 remaining, and Naselle managed one first down to keep the chains — and clock — moving.
Burkhalter had a pair of interceptions on defense, and Shirley and Jesus Martinez also were standouts.
“It’s kind of a weird feeling, going to the Tacoma Dome. It’s surreal. It’ll probably be that way ’til we get there,” Burkhalter said. “Whatever is going on right now with us, we don’t want it to end.”
Comets 28, Vikings 24
W. Valley 0 6 8 10 — 24
Naselle 0 13 8 7 — 28
WV — Tony Luoma 5 run (kick failed)
Nas — Alan Erickson 3 run (run failed)
Nas — Tony Fletcher 10 run (Caleb Corona kick)
WV — Matt Friese 3 run (Jon Nissell pass from Friese)
Nas — Nick Hines 53 run (Fletcher run)
Nas — Hines 2 run (Corona kick)
WV — Safety, ball snapped out of end zone
WV — Nissell 24 pass from Friese (Rob Stephens pass from Friese)
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