Odessa lives up to top billing

ODESSA - The Odessa Tigers got off to a bit of a slow start in their 2007 1B football playoff opener on Friday, but in the end it simply didn't matter.

ODESSA - The Odessa Tigers got off to a bit of a slow start in their 2007 1B football playoff opener on Friday, but in the end it simply didn't matter.

It took the Tigers' high octane offense nearly 10 minutes to score a touchdown, but once it found its rhythm, Odessa went on to light up the Lacrosse-Washtucna Tigercats, ending the game with 2 minutes, 51 seconds to play in the third quarter by invoking the 45-point mercy rule with a 54-6 victory.

While the final score indicates a completely one-sided affair, the actual play on the field was much more competitive than 48-point margin of victory the Tigers enjoyed.

"They played hard and did a great job," Odessa head coach Bruce Todd said of the Tigercats. "Their line was probably the best we played against all year long."

Lacrosse-Washtucna was able to consistently move the ball against Odessa, but just couldn't get over the hump against the undefeated Tigers. According to Todd, the biggest difference between the squads was the superior athletes of the Odessa Tigers.

"That's a well-coached team," Todd said of the Tigercats. "We just had a little better athletes.

"I know we've got a lot of weapons and firepower."

The biggest of those weapons on Friday was running back Jacob Schmidt. The Odessa senior had a game for the ages, running for touchdowns of 89, 67 and 74 yards, and also threw a 39-yard touchdown to Travis Todd on a halfback pass.

Schmidt put the Tigers up 48-6 on Odessa's first play of the second half, beating the defense to the corner on the right side, hurdling over a diving Tigercats defensive back and sprinting down the sideline 67 yards for a score.

With Odessa facing a third-and-19 later in the quarter, Schmidt again used his speed to get loose around the left side and score from 74 yards out to put an end to the game.

"Jacob (Schmidt) has the speed and quickness; Travis (Todd) has the size and power," coach Todd said of his two big offensive weapons.

Travis Todd had two touchdown receptions for the Tigers, the first of which truly displayed the size and power he possesses.

On first-and-20 from the Lacrosse-Washtucna 35, Todd caught a screen pass at the line of scrimmage that in no way fooled the Tigercats' defense. Still, Todd managed to power through a scrum of Tigercats defenders at the line and break through into the open field to put the Tigers up 24-0 early in the second quarter.

Odessa quarterback Ryan King scored the Tigers' other offensive touchdown, keeping the ball on an option play to the left and rumbling 47 yards to paydirt to put the Tigers up 40-6 with less than a minute to play before halftime.

As much as the Tigers' offense stood out later in the game, their defense was equally impressive early in the contest.

"Everybody talks about our offense," Bruce Todd said. "Our defense has been solid all year long. That has been the key."

Odessa took an early lead when Andy Read recovered a Tigercats' fumble in the end zone at the 5:33 mark of the first quarter.

With the game still in doubt early in the first, the Tigers' defense held on a first-and-goal from the 6 to preserve their 8-0 lead.

The Tigercats had a first-and-goal from the 4 on their next possession, but Schmidt pulled in the first of his two interceptions on the night to thwart another Lacrosse-Washtucna threat.

With the Tigercats out of the way, Odessa moves on to the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs. The Tigers next face Colton-Pullman Christian, a 60-14 winner over a Columbia-Hunters Lions team Odessa defeated in the regular season. The game will be played at Spokane's West Valley High School on Friday, a 6 p.m. kickoff.

While many expect Odessa to go all the way to the state title this year, coach Todd knows his team will have to be at their best and have good fortune on its side if it wants to live up to its No. 1 billing.

"The rankings don't mean anything," coach Todd said. "If we stay healthy and get a little help from above, we'll be all right."