Othello falls to Ellensburg in CWAC showdown

For Ellensburg the past two weeks were their true test of the season, and they passed with flying colors. The Bulldogs took on the other two state ranked teams in the CWAC back-to-back and came away victorious both times, in the process letting the rest of the state know they are for real. For Othello, coming off a win over Ephrata in a hard fought back and forth game, and having already lost to rival Prosser earlier in the season, this showdown with Ellensburg had massive implications for how their 2013 campaign would turn out. Unfortunately, and a bit ironically, the Bulldogs were just too fast for the Huskies; all night long, on both sides of the ball, they were the faster team and the quickness of the edge and pure speed in the open field created big plays in route to a 31-14 win.

With their undefeated record at stake and their hopes for the title of league champion hanging in the balance, the Bulldogs didn't so much as flinch in the face of adversity. The first touchdown of the game came on a stripped ball by Tait Stevenson, which he recovered himself and ran in for the score. Othello running back Josiah Peterson took the handoff inside the Huskies own 10 yard line and attempted to go off tackle to the left and bounce to the outside, but the defensive end Stevenson executed his assignment flawlessly; "staying home" and being in position to stop Peterson in his tracks. As he was wrapping up for a tackle of what would have been a short gain, he simply reached around, grabbed the football, and ran seven yards the other direction for the games first touchdown and put Ellensburg up 10-0.

Still trailing in the second quarter and yet to score, the Huskies tried to create a spark by going for a fake punt on fourth and eight from their own 22 yard line, but again the Bulldogs followed their assignments and were in position to stop the play in its tracks. While their speed was integral in the win, it was capitalizing on Othello's mistakes and playing smart football that proved to be the straw that broke the camels back on Friday. Just two plays after the failed fake punt, Brayton Leach ran in a touchdown from 8 yards out, stretching the lead to 17-0 with just under eight minutes lefts in the first half.

Othello struggled to play from behind, as they did against Prosser earlier in the season, showing they are much better at playing with a lead than trying to catch up. While Othello was the bigger team, Ellensburg was the faster team and speed prevailed on Friday. The Bulldog's speed was showcased on both sides of the ball, stopping Othello's run first offense and creating big plays early to generate their fast start, but it was just as evident on offense as running back Gabe Caskey rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns against a usually stingy Husky defense. His second score came early in the fourth quarter and stretched the lead to 31-6. Othello would keep fighting, lead by Tanner Wagner's 148 yards rushing, and the Huskies would score once more in the fourth, but there wasn't enough time for a comeback on this Friday and Ellensburg would prevail 31-14.

The win improves Ellensburg's overall record to 6-0 and their conference record to 5-0, with four league opponents left: Wapato, West Valley, For Othello the likelihood of another postseason run seems far-fetched, but not impossible if they win out. To do so the Huskies will need to get exceptional play from freshman quarterback Adrian Garza, which would open things up for the run game that is the most important aspect of their game. The most important factor down the stretch for Othello will be limiting mistakes and playing smarter football. With Ellensburg's momentum and Prosser, Ephrata, West Valley and Othello all in the hunt for the second spot the remaining weeks of the CWAC season will not disappoint.