Othello falls to Prosser

KENNEWICK - They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But the Prosser Mustangs didn't have to wait too long as they avenged an early season loss and knocked off the No. 1 ranked and previously unbeaten Othello Huskies 15-14 in the quarterfinal round of the 2A State Football Championships at Lampson Field in Kennewick Saturday.

The game between the CWAC rivals was just what one would expect as the teams battled to a 0-0 score at the end of the first quarter.

Othello got on the board first in the second quarter of action when quarterback David Garza connected up with Trevor Walker from 9-yards out (Miguel Gonzalez kick) to go up 7-0.

The Huskies pushed their lead to 14-0 on a Josiah Petersen 1-run yard (PAT), and seemed to be in control of the contest.

But Prosser answered back with a Bubba Frank 7-yard dash (2-point pass) to close the gap to 14-8 and end the first half scoring.

The Mustangs got a break after the touchdown as Othello was whistled twice for being offside on the PAT, which moved the ball closer to the goal line. As it turned out, the 2-point conversion was the difference in the game.

But even more damaging for the Huskies was a devastating injury to Garza, who suffered a knee injury just before the half and did not return.

Walker came on to replace Garza in the second half and was doing a serviceable job of keeping Othello in the game.

The turning point of the contest occurred with 1:12 left in the third quarter when the Mustangs Bubba Frank executed a fake punt, breaking several tackles as he ran for a four yards and a first down to keep the winning drive alive.

Prosser scored six plays later (PAT) for its first lead of the game with 11 minutes left on the clock.

The win over the Huskies puts the Mustangs (11-1) in a showdown with the Tumwater Thunderbirds (11-1) at Lampson Field Saturday at 5 p.m. in a semifinal match up and the right to play for the 2A state championship.