Soap Lake outnumbered, outsized, outscored

Eagles battle through injuries and sickness in 41-8 loss to LaSalle

The Soap Lake Eagles were an endangered species before they took the field against Lasalle, and their numbers dwindled as the game went on.

The bigger Lightning squad was too much for the Eagles team, that fielded 18 players, some playing through pain and sickness.

"We started one senior," said Soap Lake head coach Greg Monson. "We started freshmen. We started sophomores. They needed the game experience to know what it was like."

As the young Eagles learned, Lasalle rolled out two touchdowns in the first quarter and added two in the second, largely off of Soap Lake turnovers.

"We made some big mistakes in the first half that really hurt," Monson said. "A fumble, an interception, a dropped pass."

The miscues allowed Lasalle to build a 27-0 halftime lead, a hurdle too big for Soap Lake to climb.

The second half showed a stronger, more comfortable Eagle team.

"We came back the second half and played a lot better," Monson said. "They started getting their focus a little better and they started to execute better. We only got the one score, but we had a couple of drives."

Those drives were lead by Vince Taylor who had consistent success running around the Lightning line for 67 yards on 15 carries. His10-yard run with 6:28 left in the game was Soap Lake's only score.

"Vince certainly ran hard," Monson said. "He got some big yards for us."

Monson said lineman Derek Dailey stood out on defense.

"He was really strong," Monson said. "He was just penetrating through the line."

The already thin Soap Lake team may be without running back Adam Smith, who had to be carried off of the field with an injured right leg in the third quarter.

"He's a tough kid," Monson said. "So for him to come out of the game like that, you've got to figure that its pretty serious."

The game ended on a sour note. As time expired, a Lasalle player blindsided quarterback Adrian Guzman after Guzman was several steps out of bounds. Guzman, who hobbled on a bad leg through much of the second half, was sent flying into the Soap Lake bench.

Monson said the Lasalle player was overzealous, but not malicious.

"It was clearly a late hit," Monson said. "But I think the guy just got carried away. The guy was excited. It was the end of the game. They had a big win. "

As for Guzman, Monson said he didn't know how severe his injuries would be.

"I think he's worn out from getting hit a lot," Monson said. "We'll see how that is, get him iced. Otherwise, we'll put (freshman) Ryan (Rolly) in at quarterback. We'll be ready."