No room for mercy from Knights in state playoff era

With the score 20-0 halfway through first period last Friday, I was near the Royal 30-yard line on the Charles Wright sideline when CWA Athletic Director Bill White started moving toward me.

We had spoken Monday morning when I asked him to send me a picture of the Harriers’ quarterback. “You must be Ted,” he said as we shook hands. We chatted briefly and stepped back to the game.

The next time I was near Bill, the score was 41-0 at the top of the second period. He had a sad look on his face, understandably. His team’s players’ shoulders were drooping. Their heads were down.

Don’t worry Bill, I said. This will be over at halftime.

“Can’t he take his starters out now?” Bill asked.

I really felt sorry for mild-mannered Bill and his boys. To travel all the way from Tacoma to run into this. And to start the game week-legged from a cross state drive.

Blame the WIAA. It decided to take some entries away from eastern Washington, give them to the west and mix up the east and west teams. Saturday, Eatonville had to play at Colville. Speaking of long trips.

The answer to Bill’s question was: No. In this playoff era you can’t take your starters out of the game before the half for two reasons. You need to be in the second half and be 100 percent certain you’ve won.

The other reason is that coaches need to keep developing their offenses and players on the drive to and through the playoffs. They need at least half a game of action to keep the team sharp.

Anyone who truly knows coach Wiley Allred knows that he’s one of the nicest men in coaching. He’d rather not have this type of game, but he happens to be loaded with talent all over the field. The Knights burn you with the run, burn you with the pass, burn you with special teams and rock you with defense.

You can’t tell players who practice in spring, late summer and all during the season to slow down or ease up. That’s asking for carelessness and, potentially, injury.

I suggested to Bill that, perhaps, the tournament should be cut to 12 or maybe even eight teams. He gave it some thought and said CWA (3-6) really shouldn’t have been in the tournament.

Asking a question, he suggested another solution. He wondered why the running clock hadn’t been started at 41-0. That’s because the running clock isn’t triggered until the second half if there is a 40-point margin or wider.

Blowouts are the same predicament for Connell, Zillah, Colville and a few teams west of the mountains. Playing for the playoffs and a state championship, the can’t feel sorry for the opposition. Zillah won, 69-31, Saturday.

This type of outcome will continue in the future as the haves face the have-nots. Maybe the tournament should be whittled down.

This weekend, it will be Royal on a long drive, going to Spokane. The WIAA doesn’t care that the Knights are ranked No. 1. They will travel. I’m guessing they will handle the travel and win again.

But the outcome will likely not be like last weekend’s. We’re getting down to elite teams against elite teams.