Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2015)
SPORTS THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2015 7A Saints shine bright on stormy night Bright future for Comets with 18 coming back SCOREBOARD FOOTBALL By GARY HENLEY The Daily Astorian NASELLE, Wash. — Af- WHU SOD\LQJ WKHLU ¿QHVW ¿UVW half of the season, the Naselle Comets could only watch as Seattle Lutheran erupted for 30 points in the third quarter Friday night, on its way to a 44-22 win over Naselle in a Class 1B state playoff game at Rueben Pentilla Field. Saints’ running back J.J. Young — who had 94 yards UXVKLQJLQWKH¿UVWKDOI²¿Q- ished with 303 yards on 17 carries (nearly 18 yards per run), and also completed two key passes in the victory. He ran for four touch- GRZQVDQGWKUHZIRUD¿IWKWR help Seattle Lutheran advance WRWKHVWDWHTXDUWHU¿QDOV Naselle coach Jeff Eaton said Young was one of the best athletes his team has faced all season. “Him and the kid from Tu- lalip Heritage (Robert Miles, Jr.) — they’re both really good,” Eaton said. “They’re faster than anyone we have.” Still, the Comets’ defense controlled the game in the ¿UVW KDOI VWRSSLQJ WKH 6DLQWV on four fourth down plays. Naselle held an 8-6 lead at the break, courtesy of a 19-yard touchdown run by Comet quarterback Hayden Gud- mundsen with 3:05 left in the ¿UVWTXDUWHU The teams battled through a scoreless second period, and Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Naselle’s Donnie Edwards tackles Seattle Lutheran’s Brandon Lulow in the third quarter of the football game at Naselle High School Friday. Naselle took its 8-6 lead — which didn’t last long — into the third quarter, Young, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound junior, highlighted WKH VHFRQG KDOI ZLWK KLV ¿UVW three carries of the third quar- ter. After a partially blocked SXQW<RXQJ¶V¿UVWUXQRIWKH half went for 34 yards, and gave the Saints a 14-8 lead. The Saints forced another Naselle punt, and Young ran 62 yards out of the Wildcat formation for a touchdown. His second straight two-point conversion run made it 22-8. And after the next Comet drive ended at the Saints’ 36- \DUG OLQH<RXQJ¶V ¿UVW GRZQ carry covered 64 yards for his fourth touchdown of the night (he had a 56-yard TD run in WKH¿UVWKDOI Three one-play drives to start the second half, three straight carries by Young for a combined 160 yards, and the Saints had a lead they would not relinquish, 28-8. ³:H SOD\HG WKH EHVW ¿UVW half of football that we’ve played all year,” Eaton said after the game. “Especially defensively.” He continued, “We had seen the Wildcat formation ZLWK<RXQJLQWKHEDFN¿HOG but it was usually just used on the goal line for two-point plays. “With how wet it was, our kids didn’t wrap up real well. They hit him, they just didn’t wrap up and take him to the ground.” Still, the Comets didn’t ex- actly cave in. After Young’s 64-yard scoring jaunt, Naselle an- swered quickly with a 65- yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff, as Donnie Edwards took a pitch on the return and went the distance, helping the Comets close to within 28-14. But the Saints just kicked it into another gear, respond- ing with a six-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by run) 3:24 Seattle Lutheran 44, Naselle 22 Seattle L. 6 0 30 8—44 Naselle 8 0 6 8—22 First Quarter SL: J.J. Young 56 run (run failed) 4:52 NAS: Hayden Gudmundsen 19 run (Jacob Scrabeck run) 3:05 Third Quarter SL: Young 34 run (Young run) 9:32 SL: Young 62 run (Young run) 7:40 SL: Young 64 run (pass failed) 3:31 NAS: Donnie Edwards 65 kick re- turn (run failed) 3:18 SL: Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht 11 pass from Young (Young run) :30 Fourth Quarter NAS: Scrabeck 3 run (Scrabeck run) 8:15 SL: Brandon Lulow 15 run (Young Young’s 11-yard TD toss to Seattle Lutheran quarterback Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht. Naselle’s Jacob Scrabeck capped the scoring for the Comets with a three-yard run with 8:15 left in the fourth quarter. Scrabeck ran in the two-point conversion, bring- ing Naselle to within 36-22. 6FUDEHFN ¿QLVKHG ZLWK yards rushing on 28 carries, The Saints put it away, however, on their next pos- session, keyed once again by Young. Facing a fourth-and-12 IURPPLG¿HOG<RXQJWRRNWKH snap and found Brandon Lu- ORZRYHUWKHPLGGOHIRUD¿UVW down to the Naselle 29. Five plays later, Lulow ran in from 15 yards out, push- ing the lead to 22 points. The GULYH WRRN ¿YH PLQXWHV seconds off the clock. A driving rain marked WKH¿QDOWKUHHPLQXWHVRIWKH game, with an interception Naselle netters fall in state play Coach says Comets should focus on stellar season, not weekend results By PATRICK WEBB For EO Media Group YAKIMA, Wash. — There was no fairytale ending for Naselle volleyball’s stellar season. The Comets came up against a buzz saw Friday, losing to Oakesdale in the opening round of the WIAA state tournament in three sets. Scores were 25-11, 26-24, 25- 10. The team then moved into the consolation bracket the same evening and fell to Neah Bay, 26-24, 25-23, 25-22. Despite a season in which the Naselle won its league and was District IV champions, the team could not replicate the same level of successful play at the Sundome Stadium. With six matches from three high school tournaments happening simultaneously in the early stages, Naselle played both its games in the center of the arena amid a booming roar of shouts and applause echoing around the dome. As in prior years, the 1B tournament highlighted strong teams from Eastern Washing- ton. Oakesdale breezed to the ¿QDO ZKHUH LW GHIHDWHG 3RPH- roy, the defending champions 22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22. Since the 1B division was created 10 years ago, the two teams have been champions six times. ,Q 1DVHOOH¶V ¿UVW JDPH No. 2-ranked Oakesdale es- tablished early momentum in WKH¿UVWDQGWKLUGVHWVDQGWKH Comets just couldn’t catch up the lost points. ,Q WKH ¿UVW VHW WKH 1LJKW- hawks had 8 points on the board before Naselle senior Kendra Leeland scored with a kill. Junior Kyryn Jacot made a diving dig during one rally, but Naselle still lost the point. Junior Ellie Chapman made a diving dig and a spectacu- lar point when the ball rolled over the net and hit the court to make it 18-9 to Oakesdale. But the Nighthawks stretched their lead, thanks to some res- olute blocking. A good return from senior Haley Footh and a kill by Leeland couldn’t win the set. In the second set, Amelia Tutu’u tipped the ball over the net to add an early point. Fellow junior Tayler Ford, back from injury, made an- other clever tip-over to bring the scores closer early on then made a diving dig. Senior Tay- lor Eaton blocked well at the net and Chapman served two aces which tied the score at 17-17, Then Eaton set up Tutu’u for a kill. Leeland tied the scores at 22-22 with a block as her grandmother, Kaye Weimer, at courtside, yelled, “One more! One more!” The set ended 26-24 after long rallies that Naselle lost. The third saw Oakes- dale score nine points before Naselle responded. Tutu’u and Eaton combined well to get a GLI¿FXOWEDOOEDFNRYHUWKHQHW then Chapman leaped for a de- cisive kill and punched the air with joy. The Nighthawks gathered momentum, though, and add- ed to their points. Leeland re- plied with a kill and a cleverly placed soft shot that hit the ÀRRU (DWRQ VHUYHG DQ DFH WR bring the Comets up to 10, but it was their last point earned in WKH¿UVWURXQGJDPH Head Coach Kim Eaton was disappointed. “They were not able to show how they are capable of playing,” she said. “We spent a lot of time on I Am Thankful This is the time of year when we reflect on our lives and our blessings There are many that list something they are thankful for each day in November on social media. our heels playing defense and we didn’t play a lot of our of- fense.” The consolation bracket game followed Neah Bay’s loss to Sunnyside Christian in three close sets. The Red Devils took an OHDGLQWKH¿UVWVHWEHIRUH Naselle came back with solid work at the net by Tutu’u and an ace by Ford. Footh had a kill and an ace to add points and junior Ashley Muessig blasted a ball over the net which Neah Bay could not return. Two kills by Chapman and one full-length diving dig brought the score to 20-18. Naselle added points with Ea- ton serving an ace. The Com- HWV ZHUH EULHÀ\ DKHDG WKHQ tied at 24-24 until they lost a long rally then hit a kill at- tempt into the net. The Comets led in the early stages of the second set, went behind and caught up, thanks in part to an ace by Jacot. A good combination play be- tween Eaton and Chapman put them ahead 15-16, and the score went back and forth. The Comets’ best play of the tour- nament was next with Leeland rescuing the ball from the back court to Eaton who set for Tutu’u to hit the ball over to make the score 22-19 in their favor. However, the Red Dev- Team Statistics SL Naselle First Downs 16 12 Total Offense 430 179 Rushing yards 331 157 Passing yards 99 22 Comp-Att-Int 10-18-0 3-11-1 Fumbles-lost 4-0 5-1 Turnovers 0 2 Penalties-yards 6-45 3-15 Seattle Lutheran Statistics Rushing: Young 17-303, Lulow 13- 45, Dowding-Albrecht 6-(-17). Pass- ing: Dowding-Albrecht 8-15-67-0, Young 2-3-32-0. Receiving: Young 7-68, Lulow 2-20, Dowding-Albrecht 1-11. Naselle Statistics Rushing: Scrabeck 28-143, Gud- by Hawkins Ehret ending Naselle’s next drive. The weather did not play a “huge part,” Eaton said, “but we made more mistakes com- ing out in the third quarter. We had a hard time making snaps, and fumbled a few and that slowed things down. “But I’m not sure a dry night would have helped 23 (Young) get going a little more.” A forecast of heavy rains and strong winds brought with it a “high turnover advi- sory” for Friday’s game. Yet the Saints did not have a turnover, and Naselle had two — one on a fourth down play which would not have re- VXOWHGLQD¿UVWGRZQDQGWKH late interception. Both teams were held well below their scoring average. The 22 points was a sea- son-low for the Comets, who had not been held under 40 points since Sept. 11; while mundsen 9-23, D.Wirkkala 1-3, Ed- wards 1-1, Lund 3-(-13). Passing: Gudmundsen 3-11-22-1. Receiving: Smith 2-24, Lund 1-(-2). OSAA State Playoff Scores Class 4A Cascade 35, Philomath 34 Banks 28, Mazama 21 Scappoose 48, Marshfield 46 North Bend 37, North Marion 7 Class 3A Scio 70, Salem Academy 36 Vale 48, Cascade Christian 38 Blanchet Catholic 36, Coquille 14 Santiam Chr. 19, Harrisburg 13 Class 2A Stanfield 27, Central Linn 26 Kennedy 42, Burns 28 Regis 44, Imbler 14 Heppner 52, Reedsport 14 the 44 points was Seattle Lu- theran’s third lowest output of the season. The Comets came in un- beaten at home, and having beaten Seattle Lutheran in state playoff games in both 2007 (42-7) and 2008 (34- 7), when both schools played 11-man football. Naselle also pounded the Saints in the 2009 regular season, 57-6. The dark and stormy night ¿QLVKHG ZLWK D EULJKW IXWXUH for the Comets. ³:HORVH¿YHSOD\HUVZLWK 18 coming back,” Eaton said. “All the skill position guys besides Hayden are coming back, so I’m looking for big things next season. “And we have a class of 11 to 13 eighth graders coming in. We’re going to have a huge team coming in next year. We just need a few more linemen, and we’ll get ready to go in the weight room. We should be good.” NASELLE SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS (awarded by the officials): vs. Oakesdale: Taylor Gudmundsen, freshman vs. Neah Bay: Ashley Muessig, junior. 2015 CHAMPIONSHIPS 1. Oakesdale 2. Pomeroy 3. Christian Faith, Federal Way 4. Mount Vernon Christian ils regrouped with some good blocking and a missed Comet serve gave them the set. The third began promising- ly with an ace served by senior Emma Fauver. The teams trad- ed points and the lead all the way up to 18-18 when a cou- ple of Comet players’ returns bounced out. Leeland made D NLOO WR UHGXFH WKH GH¿FLW WR 23-21 and Eaton’s next serve earned a point when Neah Bay could not return it. A lost op- portunity gave the ball back to the Red Devils for match point and a diving effort by Leeland could not return the ball. As the winners celebrated, the Naselle bench gathered into a tearful group hug before forming the traditional hand- shake line. Afterward, Naselle Coach Eaton told her players to focus on the successful season, rath- er than the two state losses. “Their state play was not what we have seen them do — they have played better,” she said. “But they prepared well. . . . They went through league 5. Almira Coulee Hartine 6. Sunnyside Christian 7. Quilcene 8. Odessa-Harrington undefeated, and were district champions. “I am proud of the girls for what they have done as a team for all the season.” The second loss ended the high school playing careers of four Naselle seniors, Fauver, Footh, and captains Leeland and Taylor Eaton. They have played volleyball together since seventh grade. “We all worked hard and achieved our goals together,” said Fauver. “We played as a team and as a family.” Footh agreed. “I am proud of us because we gave our all,” she said. “We are so much more of a team this year than we have ever been before. We really trust our teammates to have our backs as we have their backs.” Amid the tears and hugs outside the locker room, ju- nior Raja Estes focused on the positive. “We made it to state, we won league and we were district champions,” she said. “We are winners, in my opin- ion.” w a t c h f o r i t 2 0 1 5 2014 On Thanksgiving Day, The Daily Astorian will dedicate a full page in our classified section to the community, allowing a time to share something you are thankful for. T here is a 20 w ord m axim u m for each su b m ission . T his allow s m ore p eop le to p articip ate. How to p articip ate: em a il you r “ I a m tha n k fu l” to- hla rk in s @ d a ilya s toria n .com or m a il to- The Da ily A s toria n , P.O . Box 210, A s toria , O R 97103, A ttn : Holly La rk in s Dea d lin e: N o vem b er 2 0th a t 5pm . c o m i n g s o o n VO TIN G O PEN S N OVEM BER 18, 2015 CO ASTW E E K E ND .CO M