Almira/Coulee-Hartline football team on track for a perfect season
COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline (ACH) High School football team is on track to continue its unbeaten record this season and possibly take home the state championship.
ACH was 8-0 overall and 7-0 in its league as of Tuesday. The Warriors are in first place in their league and ranked No. 1 in the state in the 1B classification, head football coach Brandon Walsh said.
The team has two more regular season games, one at Wilbur-Creston-Keller Friday and then its last home game on Nov. 5. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) State Championship is Dec. 4 at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, according to the WIAA website.
Of its last two in-season games, Walsh said the match against Wilbur-Creston-Keller will be an important game for the team.
“Our opponent this week (Wilbur-Creston-Keller) will be another good test. They’re pretty talented and they’re well coached,” Walsh said. “They are also one of our closest rivals. We will need to play well on the road and we will have to be ready for their best effort because it is a rivalry game.”
Walsh said this team has a lot of experience with all of its starters from last year returning this year. He also said the team has a lot of speed and it “makes a huge difference in eight-man football.”
Walsh said he has a very talented senior group this season and has five players who really stand out:
• Dane Isaak – QB/LB – “A strong runner and leader. Is a great option quarterback,” Walsh said.
• Grady Murray – RB/DB – “He is one of the fastest kids I’ve ever coached and he is not only a great runner, but a receiving threat, as well. He’s probably the best defensive back in the state at our level,” Walsh said.
• Parker Roberts – RB/LB – “He’s a physical runner, he’s very fast, and he’s the leader on our defense at middle linebacker,” Walsh said.
• Reece Isaak – OL/DL – “He’s a four-year starter for us on both sides of the ball. He’s incredibly smart and at 6-foot-3-inches, 250 pounds, he’s a physical presence on the field,” he said.
• Cooper Correia – OL/DL – “He’s as fast as our running backs and one of the strongest kids on the field. He can run down any quarterback from the defensive end position and is a great pulling guard.” he said.
“This group is extremely focused and have set some pretty lofty goals for themselves. So far they’ve met every challenge and prevailed,” Walsh said. “As the season goes on they need to remain focused on getting better each week as they pursue their goals.”
Rebecca Pettingill can be reached via email at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.