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Post by GridironBeez on Nov 29, 2011 14:37:06 GMT -5
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Post by GridironBeez on Nov 29, 2011 14:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by GridironBeez on Nov 30, 2011 15:04:20 GMT -5
From the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Online News.
Posted on Sunday, November 27, 2011
Pomeroy’s season ends in 46-6 loss
Almira-Coulee-Hartline ends the Pirates playoff run with a mercy-rule victory in the Class 1B semifinals.
ROY ELIA
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
PASCO - It took top-ranked Almira-Coulee-Hartline just 12 seconds to break out on top of Pomeroy during Class 1B state semifinal football action Saturday afternoon at Edgar Brown Stadium.
Cody McCleary returned the opening kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Derek Isaak ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Warriors an early 8-0 lead - an opening act that served as a springboard for a mercy-rule-shortened, 46-6 triumph.
"That's not a way you want to start," Pomeroy coach Sanford Bates said. "That's eight-man football."
"That was a great way to get going," said A-C-H coach Brandon Walsh.
A-C-H, which lost in the state semifinals a year ago, now stands at 13-0 and will face Neah Bay - which defeated Odessa-Harrington in Moses Lake on Saturday, 74-34 - for the Class 1B state title next Friday at 4 p.m. in the Tacoma Dome as part of the annual Gridiron Classic.
The Warriors will be making their first appearance in the championship game since winning the state crown in 2007.
Pomeroy ended its season with a mark of 10-2.
Isaak scampered around left end for a 63-yard score with 9:05 remaining in period one and added a 2-point conversion to increase the Warriors' advantage to 16-0.
Running back Colin Deyarmin added a 1-yard touchdown run at the 4:15 mark of the quarter. Another 2-point jaunt by Isaak made it 24-0.
The Pirates tallied their only score of the game on the next snap from scrimmage. Austin Reisdorph, who rushed for a game-high 143 yards, exploded for an 80-yard trek with 4:01 on the clock.
But Deyarmin contributed a 10-yard rushing touchdown with two minutes left in the first quarter to complete a Warrior surge that covered 48 yards in five plays after an unsuccessful onside kick. Isaak threw to Brock Streeter for the 2-point conversion that brought the score to 32-6.
Thunder Wellhausen provided A-C-H with a flash of lightning in the closing seconds of the second quarter when he received a 42-yard touchdown pass from Isaak with 18.9 seconds to go.
The Warriors led 38-6 at halftime.
A-C-H prospered with 266 yards of total offense in the first half. The Pirates had 261 yards of offense, all on the ground, but constantly shot themselves in the foot with untimely penalties and also suffered a bit of bad luck along the way.
On Pomeroy's first series of the contest, a holding penalty wiped out a 71-yard touchdown sprint around right end by quarterback Ryan Smith.
An 11-yard run by Reisdorph on Pomeroy's second possession, a play that would have given the Pirates a first-and-goal on the Warriors' 8-yard line, was nullified by another holding infraction.
Following Reisdorph's touchdown, Pomeroy appeared to recover an A-C-H fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the play was blown dead.
A third holding penalty denied Tory Knebel and the Pirates a 24-yard rush and a first-and-goal opportunity on the A-C-H 2 on their fourth drive.
On the Pirates' next series, they faced second-and-6 at their 47. Smith pitched to Knebel, who lofted a deep pass down the middle of the field that agonizingly went in and out of the hands of a wide open Matt FitzGerald.
"Things seemed to bounce their way," Bates said. "They're a good ball club. You can't make mistakes or they will take advantage. Every time we got something going, the ball didn't bounce our way or we got a penalty."
"At halftime, we felt fortunate," Walsh said. "They made mistakes to stall their drives. We wanted to put them in situations they didn't want to be in."
The game ended just six plays after intermission. Isaak hit Mitchell Hunt with a 19-yard touchdown toss at the 9:17 mark of the third quarter, then added the 2-point conversion to bring the 40-point mercy rule into effect.
Wellhausen, also a defensive end, set up the final touchdown with an interception at the Pirates' 39 that he returned 20 yards. Fellow end McCleary batted a Smith pass into the air that Wellhausen snagged for the game's only turnover.
"We (drilled) on that stuff all season long," Walsh said. "It (didn't) happen all season, then (it did) in a big game like this. That was cool."
Saturday's semifinal was the last football game in Pomeroy attire for seniors Knebel, FitzGerald, Jon Atchley, Nick Tewalt, Isaac Roosevelt, Jacob Moore, Jesse Koller and Mitch Ruchert.
"We had an excellent year," Bates said. "You don't want to lose, but we had a good season. We accomplished our goals. I'm proud of the kids.
"We have the potential to be competitive next year," Bates said. "Come June, we'll get back to work."
Almira-Coulee-Hartline 46, Pomeroy 6
A-C-H 32 6 8 X - 46
Pomeroy 6 0 0 X - 6
A-C-H - C. McCleary 70 kickoff return (Deyarmin run).
A-C-H - Isaak 63 run (Isaak run).
A-C-H - Deyarmin 1 run (Isaak run).
Pomeroy - Reisdorph 80 run (run failed).
A-C-H - Deyarmin 10 run (Streeter pass from Isaak).
A-C-H - Wellhausen 42 pass from Isaak (pass failed).
A-C-H - Hunt 24 pass from Isaak (Isaak run).
A-C-H Pomeroy
First downs 10 10
Rushes/yards 13-154 34-271
Passing yards 131 0
Passes (att-comp-int) 8-4-0 4-0-1
Punts 1-50 1-37
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 3-34 8-49
Individual Statistics
RUSHING - A-C-H: Isaak 6-103, Deyarmin 3-29, Streeter 3-18, C. McCleary 1-4; Pomeroy: Reisdorph 12-143, Knebel 11-80, Smith 11-48.
PASSING - A-C-H: Isaak 4-8-0, 131 yards, 1 TD; Pomeroy: Smith 0-3-1, 0 yards, Knebel 0-1-0, 0 yards.
RECEIVING - A-C-H: Wellhausen 2-79-1, Hunt 2-52-1; Pomeroy: None.
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Post by GridironBeez on Dec 2, 2011 17:43:33 GMT -5
ACH gets its chance in dome
Warriors play Neah Bay for football crown at Tacoma
Greg Lee The Spokesman-Review
December 2, 2011
It’s the game the Almira/Coulee-Hartline football team expected to play one year ago.
The Warriors put their 13-0 record on the line today when they take on Neah Bay (11-2) in the State 1B championship game at the Tacoma Dome. Kickoff is at 4 p.m.
Cusick avenged an early-season loss, upsetting ACH 36-28 in the semifinals last year. That setback was the single motivational factor for ACH coming into this year.
It started on the first day of practice.
“We handed out gear and turned off the lights and watched the video of the semifinal loss,” ACH coach Brandon Walsh said. “It was a good reminder to all of us where we didn’t want to be this year. We wanted to end up back in the same spot to have a chance at the (state) title and do what we could to get over the hump.”
ACH’s four seniors – Derek Isaak, Jordan Ping, Tucker Matthewson and Brock Streeter – were in eighth grade when the Warriors won a state title in 2007. Walsh, in his 13th year as head coach and an ACH graduate, started at center on a state title team in 1990.
Isaak, a three-year starter at quarterback, and junior running back Colin Deyarmin have been in the middle of ACH’s success all season. Isaak, a dual threat, has thrown for 1,010 yards with 19 touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for 1,579 and 28 TDs. Deyarmin has rushed for 1,527 yards and 23 TDs and has 10 receptions for 229 yards and five TDs.
Isaak also has returned three punts for TDs and he and Deyarmin each have returned a kickoff for a TD.
Impressive yards, considering nine of ACH’s games ended early because of the mercy rule.
They’ve also had an impact on defense. Isaak, a safety, is second on the team in tackles (66.5) with five interceptions and one returned for a TD. Deyarmin, an outside linebacker, is third on the team in tackles (55.5) and has one interception.
Isaak, who has offers to play basketball in college, remembers not liking football as a freshman.
“It’s crazy. I hated it at first,” Isaak said. “I remember my freshman year I’d get beat on by the seniors and juniors and couldn’t wait for it to be over.”
The 6-foot-1 Isaak, whom Walsh believes is the fastest 8-man player in the state, is keeping the door open to playing football in college – although basketball is his first love.
“He’s one of those special kids who does things the right way,” Walsh said of Isaak. “There hasn’t been a kid who has spent more time in the weight room than him. A lot of it stems for his love for basketball. He has high hopes of playing college basketball – unless I can change his mind after this week.”
Deyarmin, a two-year starter, is a stout 5-10, 180 pounds who dedicated himself to the weight room after last season. The increased strength and speed showed this year.
“He’s very athletic with great vision, great power and good open field speed,” Walsh said. “Colin is one of those kids that in a different offense next year will probably carry it 25 or 30 times and could set a state record for rushing. In our offense this year, we can be very balanced and he doesn’t have to carry the load.”
Deyarmin hopes the lesson learned from last year makes a difference today.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Deyarmin said. “I hope we can make it count.”
Isaak and Deyarmin have mutual respect for each other.
“He’s an amazing football player,” Deyarmin said of Isaak. “With him our backfield is so hard to key on. He’s one of the most accurate passers in the state. On defense he helps save a lot of big plays from happening against us.”
“He’s been awesome,” Isaak said of Deyarmin. “He runs so hard. He got so strong over the summer and fast, too.”
The Warriors expect a difficult test from Neah Bay, which topped Odessa-Harrington 74-34 in the semifinals. Earlier in the season, ACH had no difficulty stopping Odessa-Harrington 64-20.
“I’d classify them as a power run team that sets up the pass with play action,” Walsh said.”
Isaak said the plan today is simple.
“We just have to execute and take care of the football,” he said.
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