Jags bag SE lead; showdown tops 1000 yards

Colton receiver Steve Eacker steps in front of TCP's Kevin Ratuiste to reel in another catch in the SE showdown Friday night at Colton. Eacker had 15 catches for 224 yards.

After being rattled by a surging Wildcat team in the first half, the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars settled down in the second half, kept possession of the ball and pulled out a 62-50 win. The loss ended Colton’s undefeated string at seven games and landed the Wildcats in second place for the league with a 4-1 record.

Colton will finish as the league’s number-two team and will probably host Columbia of Hunters in the first playoff round in next Friday. They will finish the regular season Friday by facing the Garfield/Palouse Vikings in a non-leaguer at Palouse.

Colton senior Nate Jacobs stretches for a catch in the first half Friday night against the TCP Jaguars.

Colton Wildcats return to the field in style for their last home game of the season. Sam Robertson, Nate Jacobs and Chad Ryle, from the left, lead the pack out of the lockers here.

“I think if we had had the ball first in the second half, we might have been able to take it,” Wildcat Coach Clark Vining commented on the battle with the Jaguars. He noted the Jaguars slowed the game down and stacked up possession time in the second half.

Down 36-44 after Colton jolted them at the end of the first half, the Jags tied it up in the third quarter and then scored twice more in the last quarter to take the win.

“They just kept the ball. We didn’t have much possession time in the second half and couldn’t get the points when we had to,” Vining commented.

He added the players from both sides should get credit for putting the offensive battle in the books. Vining and TCP Coach Dan Whitsett compared stats early this week and realized the game total went over 1,000 yards for both teams.

“It’s not too often you see a 44-36 score at halftime,” Vining pointed out.

He said the Wildcats’ tally ended at 522 yards, and Will Hoppes, TCP’s all-league QB totaled over 500 yards in passing and rushing.

The Jags focused their defense on stopping Colton senior Sam Robertson in the running game. Robertson booked 126 yards on 17 carries, but the Wildcats cranked up the passing game.

Sophomore QB Josh Straughan hit 25 of 52 passes for 391 yards against the Jags. Steve Eacher had a career night with 15 catches 224 yards.

Colton picked up a full head of steam at the end of the first half when Eacher booked a TD catch to tie it up. The Wilcats then pulled ahead when Pat Lutskas picked off a Hoppes pass with less than a minute on the clock. Two shots from Straughan to Eacker put it in the end zone and the Wildcats had the 44-36 lead.

Robertson picked off another Hoppes pass just before the half.

“For a while there we sort of had them on the ropes,” Coach Vining said.

After the break the Jags took the ball and drove all the way for a score with 5:41 left in the third quarter. They tied it at 44-44.

Colton ran into a holding call on their next possession, and the Jags put down another time grinding campaign which ended with a TD pass to Antonio Ledsema for a 50-44 lead. The drive spilled over into the top of the last quarter.

Colton came back with a drive and dumped a pass over the top to Eacher in a fourth-down gamble. Eacher scored for a 50-50 tie.

The Jags came back with a score by Hoppes after he hit a long pass to Troy Redman, this top receiver.

Colton’s offense stalled again and TCP got the ball back with 6:04 left. They cooked the clock down and picked up a fourth-down play before making the final score.

Under the new east side-west side state elimination format Colton and TCP could collide again before one of them gets to state. Cusick, ACH and other eight-man teams on the east side will also be at the table when the playoff begin next week.

Coach Vining noted Colton’s blocking was thrown off track when Taylor Spence and Chase Druffel were sidelined with injuries. A return of those two players could balance out the Wildcat blocking.

ST. JOHN/ENDICOTT spotted the LWK Tigercats 12 points in the first quarter Friday at Washtucna, but the Eagles settled down and pulled out an 42-24 win over the Tigercats in the neighborhood rivalry game. .

Neither team will make the playoffs this year. SJE’s key loss came against Touchet, a team which will take the third-place finish behind TCP and Colton.

LaCrosse scored the first two TDs, but the Eagles settled down and rolled out three scores on the way to a 16-12 lead at the break.

QB Kyle Raynor scored the first one on a plunger; Trevor Johnson broke out a running play which went 55 yards, and Ben Harrison picked up an interception and went 55 yards for a score.

The Eagles put pressure against LWK’s QB Jake Aune and picked off seven interceptions.

Cole McCanna totaled 115 yards rushing, and Johnson tallied 71.

Kyle Raynor had a 6-10-133 passing night. His top target was brother Evan Raynor who had 4 catches for 40 yards for the night.

Sam Harder scored the last two LWK touchdowns, one on an eight yard run and the last one on an 18-yard run.

LWK faces a tough finish when they travel to Lyle Friday, and the Eagles will host Sunnyside Christian.