ACH finds a way
KENNEWICK - When the opposing team's star running back goes off for 326 yards and four touchdowns, the odds of winning can't be good.
Warriors rally late, knock off Touchet in overtime
KENNEWICK - When the opposing team's star running back goes off for 326 yards and four touchdowns, the odds of winning can't be good.
But those statistics meant little to Almira/Coulee-Hartline head coach Brandon Walsh and his players, who withstood a monster performance from Touchet's Taylor Gregg and won Friday's state 1B quarterfinal contest at Lampson Stadium, 38-36 in overtime.
After a very defensive first three-and-a-half quarters, the teams' offenses exploded down the stretch. ACH and Touchet combined for 48 points in the final 6 minutes, 46 seconds of regulation and the Kansas-style overtime tiebreaker.
"That was the most incredible finish to a game that I've ever been a part of," Walsh said via e-mail. "We knew going into it that it might come down to the wire, but I never imagined how exactly true that was going to be."
Trailing 22-12 after Gregg scored his third TD on a 40-yard run, ACH quarterback Josh Goodwin went to work. He capped a long drive with a 7-yard scoring pass to Zack Pryor, then found Nate West on an 81-yarder that put the Warriors up 24-22 with 2:18 left.
Touchet scored on a 63-yard pass play to regain the lead moments later, but no matter - Goodwin hit Jordan Hughes on an 80-yard play, leaving the score tied at 30 with just 80 seconds left on the clock.
The Indians (10-1) got the ball first in overtime, and immediately went back in front as quarterback Brian Pisca found Gregg on a 26-yard score. But Touchet's two-point conversion run came up short and opened the door for the Warriors.
Goodwin, who finished 14 of 37 for 331 yards and six scores, didn't take long to take advantage. He found Ryan Gregson on a 25-yard pass to tie the score at 36, then came up with the winning points on a running play.
"Obviously this was a big win for this team and our program," Walsh said. "I am so proud of the way that these guys responded to the adversity of being behind late in the game and how they rallied around each other to come away with the win."
Gregg opened the scoring for the Indians on a 55-yard run, then added a 55-yarder late in the first quarter for a 14-12 lead. In between, it was Goodwin's show, as he found Kyle Tucker and Gregson on scoring plays of 15 and 12 yards, respectively.
Along with his terrific passing performance, Goodwin led ACH (11-1) with 135 rushing yards on 25 carries. Hughes added 58 yards on 16 carries. West hauled in four catches for 134 yards to lead the Warriors' receiving corps.
ACH will play the Lummi Blackhawks (11-1) on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome, with the winner facing either Odessa or Tri-Cities Prep in the Nov. 30 state title game. Lummi also rallied late for a 28-24 quarterfinal win over Lake Quinault, and is known for its high-powered offense.
"The irony behind the whole situation," Walsh said, "is that despite the win, we still have things that we need to work on so that we come out and play better this week. We are sure excited, though, to have the opportunity to do that."