Jaguars deny ACH state title defense

by Derrick Pacheco<br>Herald Sports Editor
| November 18, 2008 8:00 PM

ACH 22, Tri-Cities Prep 66

PASCO - The 2008 football season will not end the same way as the 2007 did for the Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors.

The Warriors finished the 2007 season with a win over rival Odessa on the turf in the Tacoma Dome and a 1B state championship. Their 2008 season ended with a lopsided 66-22 loss to the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars in the preliminary round of the 1B Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) football playoffs.

ACH fell behind early and could never recover as the Jaguars clawed their way to the victory and the 1B WIAA playoffs.

The Jaguars scored the first 22 points of the game to distance themselves from ACH early.

With ACH trailing 22-0 in the second quarter, the Warriors fought their way onto the scoreboard when Mike Rehn scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to cut the Jaguars lead to 22-6.

Tri-Cities Prep would respond to the ACH touchdown with 22 second quarters points as the Jaguars held a dominating 44-6 at halftime.

ACH would score the first points of the second half when Rehn scored his second touchdown of the afternoon following a 28-yard touchdown run. The Warriors would convert the extra point opportunity and trail the Jaguars 44-14 in the third quarter.

The Jaguars would continue to distance themselves from ACH as Tri-Cities Prep built a 52-14 lead following a touchdown run from Andrew LeBrun.

The Warriors fought back when Rehn scored his third touchdown of the game when he found the end zone from 58 yards out, cutting the Jaguars' lead to 52-20.

ACH continuously attempted to fight their way back into the game, but in the end the Jaguars would be too much for the defending champions to handle.

The Jaguars scored the final 14 points of the game to end ACH's season. With their final touchdown of the game, the Jaguars built a 46-point advantage, ending the game under the WIAA mercy rule.

According to the WIAA rules, if a team is leading by 45 points or more following halftime in 1B eight-man football, the game is over.