ACH returning to the big show
PASCO - The Almira/Coulee-Hartline (ACH) Warriors are headed back to the Gridiron Classic to battle the Neah Bay Red Devils for the 1B state championship.
The team earned the return trip to the big show after crushing the Pomeroy Pirates 46-6 Saturday afternoon at Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium in Pasco. ACH last made the trip to the finals in 2007, bringing home the state trophy with a 38-14 win over Odessa-Harrington.
"I thought the team played very well as a unit out here today," coach Brandon Walsh said. "All week we stressed playing solid team defense and executing in the little things. I thought the kids did a very good job of that."
The Warriors wasted little time racking up points on the scoreboard as Cody McCleary electrified the crowd with a 70 kickoff return for a touchdown. The 2-point conversion run by Colin Deyarmin was good and ACH was up 8-0 with less than 10 seconds off the clock.
Pomeroy returned the ensuing kickoff to the Pirate 19. On third down and a yard to go for a first, Pomeroy's quarterback Ryan Smith turned the corner and raced down field for a 71-yard TD to draw the Pirates within two points, 8-6.
But, a holding call on the Pirates nullified the score, and moved the ball back to the Pomeroy 20.
An incomplete pass on third and 11 forced the Pirates to punt. ACH took over on the Warriors 37 and one play later, Derek Isaak burst around the left tackle and dashed 63 yards for another Warrior score. The 2-point conversion run by Isaak was good, and ACH increased its lead to 16-0, three minutes into the game.
The Pirates second possession began on the Pomeroy 29. Back-to-back runs by Tory Knebel pushed the pigskin to the Warriors 19.
A holding call on third and five moved the ball back to the ACH 29. A determined Warrior defense, held Ryan to a yard on the next play, and an incomplete pass by Ryan on fourth down and 19 gave the ball back to ACH.
"I thought Jordan Ping, our nose guard played his best game of the season," Walsh said. "He did a nice job of helping us control the middle defensively."
With five and a half minutes to play in the first quarter, Isaak connected with Thunder Wellhausen for a 37-yard gain to the Pirates 30 yard line. Three plays later, Deyarmin hit pay dirt from 2-yards out. The 2-point conversion by Isaak was good and ACH was off and running, 24-0.
Pomeroy caught fire on its next possession when running back Austin Reisdorph took the handoff from Smith and eluded several would be Warrior tacklers on his way to an 80-yard touchdown run.
The 2-point conversion failed, but the Pirates had cut into the Warriors lead, 24-6.
An on side kick attempt by Pomeroy was recovered by ACH at midfield, but the ball popped out after a solid hit by a Pirate special team's player. The referee ruled the Warrior who recovered the ball was down, but the call did sit too well with the Pomeroy faithful as boos rang out from the crowd.
It didn't take long for ACH to quiet the exuberant bunch however, as Isaak scrambled for 25 yards on the next play from scrimmage.
Moment later, Deyarmin scored for the third time in the quarter. The 2-point conversion was good and The Warriors were up comfortably, 32-6.
Pomeroy moved the ball to the ACH 35 as time ran out in the first quarter. The Warriors defense stiffened and forced the Pirates to turn the ball over on downs at the ACH 23, early in the second quarter of play.
But Pomeroy forced the Warriors to punt on their next possession with six minutes left in the half. Ninety seconds later, the Pirates turned the ball over on downs for the second time in the quarter.
ACH consumed the last three minutes and 42 seconds of the half on a drive that was capped off by 43-yard touchdown pass from Isaak to Wellhausen for his second score of the contest. The 2-point conversion failed, but the Warriors had increased the margin to 38-6.
"We talked to the kid at halftime and told them we needed to about keeping up the intensity and not let down," Walsh said. "We also talked about finishing with a purpose so we could advance to the next level."
ACH came out of the locker room fired up, looking to put another eight points on the board and invoke the 40-point mercy rule to end the game early.
The team got its wish as Smith's pass on the first play of the second half for the Pirates was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by a Warrior defender and returned the ball to the Pomeroy 20 yard line.
On the first play after the turnover, Isaak found wide receiver Mitchell Hunt for a 19-yard TD pass and reception to push the Warriors lead to 44-6. A successful 2-point run by Isaak put the icing on the cake for ACH with a 46-6 win.
Isaak led the way for the Warriors going 4-of-8 passing for 131 and two touchdowns. He also had 103 yards rushing and a scored another TD, while leading the team in tackles.
"Derek had a great game," Walsh said. "He's a very good athlete and has potential to have big games any week. Nothing like the state semi-finals to do that."
The victory sets up a showdown with Neah Bay, who beat Odessa-Harrington 74-34, to determine the 2011 1B state champion and bragging rights for the year.
"We expect Neah Bay to be explosive offensively. They have several weapons that we're going to have to contain," Walsh said. "We feel like we have to play good solid defense to be successful in every game, and this week that's especially true."
Walsh said he's looking forward to the return trip to the state finals.
"It's a very good feeling having done it before, both as a player and a coach," he said. "Every year you hope your team has the ability to get back to that highest level, but that's not always the reality. So you never take this kind of experience for granted. Many coaches never get an opportunity to coach in a championship once, and in a relatively short period of time I have the privilege to do it twice. I'm so proud of this teams resilience and commitment to excellence and I'm excited that they get a chance to play for the championship."
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, at the Tacoma Dome.