ACH heartbroken by the Billygoats

PATEROS - It was another disappointing night for the Warriors this past Friday as they fell to Pateros 34-26 in what was a closely contested game right down to the final minute. After losing their week one game on an incomplete pass play with no time remaining that would have won the game, ACH fell short again in week two, but came into their third game of the season with confidence that they could contend and put up big numbers. Much like last week, the Warriors got down early and would have to climb their way back up. It was a combination of poor special teams play and bad luck that gave Pateros an early lead.

"It was a heartbreaker of a game. We put ourselves in a hole early by allowing them to recover two onside kicks that each resulted in them scoring." said head coach Brandon Walsh.

Quarterback Mikey Piechalski lead the Billygoats to scores after both the onside recoveries, completing a 9 yard pass to Jorge Cabellero for the first score and hooking up with Carlos Ceniceros from 28 yards out to put Pateros up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter of play.

Following the big let down in the first quarter, ACH settled down and battled back into the game in the second. The Warriors dynamic quarterback Dallas Isaak ran in a five yard touchdown to get ACH on the board, but Pateros would negate Isaak's effort when Piechalski ran in a touchdown of his own from seven yards out. Instead of hanging their heads, the Warriors continued to fight as Dallas Isaak completed a short pass to Cory Boutain as time expired in the first half to make the score 20-12 at the break.

"Our kids battled and I love the heart of this team, we just made too many mistakes and put ourselves in too deep of a hole with the mistakes on special teams." Walsh said. Despite the mistakes ACH came out with a new found energy to start the second half, as Cory Boutain broke a 69 yard run for a touchdown and then caught a 50 yard bomb from Isaak to give the Warriors their first lead of the game 26-20 with about five minutes left to play in the game. Things kept going in favor of ACH as they recovered a fumble and began marching down the field in hopes of putting the contest out of reach for the Billygoats. As has been the story of the young season for the Warriors, thats when things began to fall apart. With about three minutes remaining in the game ACH scored an all important touchdown to go up 32-20, but the play was called back on a holding penalty and wiped the points from the scoreboard. Following the penalty ACH would lose momentum and turn the ball over on downs, giving way to the Pateros offense once again.

Piechalski connected with Carlos Ceniceros for a 70 yard touchdown pass on what would prove to be the play of the game, making the score 26 all. ACH got the ball back with two and half minutes on the clock, but still couldn't find a rhythm on offense and went four and out. Pateros fielded the punt with with just over a minute left in the game and made the most of their final possession, capping off the drive with a 36 yard touchdown pass from Piechalski to Lance Evans with only six seconds left on the clock. A successful two point conversion made the final score was 34-26 in favor of the Billygoats.

"I think the worst part about this loss and our first loss is that we can look back at them and say that we are just one or two plays away from winning both of those games and have a completely different outlook on the season. Our kids are working hard and we are confident that wins are going to come." Walsh said.

Pateros quarterback Mikey Piechalski turned in a great performance going 11 of 19 through the air for 204 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 90 yards and another score on the ground. Dallas Isaak also played a big game for the Warriors with 266 yards of total offense and three scores. Next up for ACH is a Soap Lake team that has been on a hot streak, going undefeated through the first three weeks of play. The home game for the Warriors will be a chance to turn the tide and save this season, while the Eagles look to open league play with a bang and continue their winning streak.