Huskies seize victory over Jacks

OTHELLO – The Othello Huskies (8-1) earned a 63-0 win to end the regular season during their senior night Thursday against the Quincy Jackrabbits (1-8). The Huskies now prepare to head into the postseason following their victory. 

“We basically executed everything perfectly,” said Huskies senior Gavin Carl. “We practiced all week on our tackling and it really showed this Thursday night.” 

The Huskies came out of the gates with a strong defensive push, with the defense being the ones to score, putting 21 points on the board in the first quarter. They continued this push through the second quarter and put up another 28 points to extend their lead to 49-0 by the end of the half. 

Going into the second half, the Huskies were the first to receive the ball and their offense quickly made a push to the endzone to add on another seven to the board. The Jacks made a strong offensive push in the third quarter, but were ultimately stuffed by the Huskies' defense.  

In the fourth quarter, the Huskies offense pushed down field to score another touchdown and a Jacks fumble on the 50 would end the game 63-0. 

“It was great,” said Huskies quarterback Hilario Gonzalez. “When I was in there, I took advantage of what I had and we did really good.” 

One of the goals that the Huskies set for themselves during Thursday’s matchup was to cut down on their penalties and Gonzalez said that the team ended up doing just that. 

Carl said the team mindset going into this game was to have a fun night for the seniors and make an effort to win one more game at home before postseason play begins. He said the team is going to focus on improving their punt returns and work to execute in the postseason. 

The Huskies' seniors said they are feeling good about how the team is looking as they go into the postseason. Gonzalez said the team is going to continue to improve their discipline in the next week. 

“I’m just really excited to be this far and really grateful for my last year,” said Carl. 

Jacks head coach Seth Longwill said the team knew coming into Thursday that the Huskies would be a tough matchup, but still had the mindset to give their all and compete for one last game for their seniors as well. The Jacks' season was focused on building themselves up and the coach said that they made strides in the right direction this season. 

Throughout this season, the Jacks continued to grind through some strong opponents and tough losses, which Longwill said he was proud of them for staying strong. 

“They just kept fighting,” he said. “Nobody took plays off and nobody sat there and looked for excuses to get off the field, so that’s the mentality we’re trying to get to.” 

The Jacks will be losing thirteen seniors after this season, so the goal in the offseason will be to try and get more players into the program. Longwill said that overall, from those who will be returning, the team has solid energy and is confident in the program moving forward. 

Huskies defensive coach Kevin Hale said that the Huskies' main focus as they went into Thursday’s matchup against the Jacks was that they needed to make a statement victory before the postseason by playing a clean and dominant game.  

“We came in, wanted to take care of business, and I think we did that pretty well tonight,” said Hale. 

He said that he was proud of how well the Huskies executed their plan for a clean game, as the team only had about three penalties called on the night. On defense, he said the tackling has greatly improved and this was on full display during Thursday’s matchup. 

As their first postseason game draws closer, Hale said the team is feeling good about where they stand as a team and still has high aspirations for a state championship. 

The Huskies' only loss of the regular season was against East Valley, which is ranked the top team in the Central Washington Athletic Conference, which he said shows how good their team is this year. Going into the offseason, he wants the Huskies to make as strong a push as possible to try and garner some respect for the Eastern Washington teams. 

In the next few days, the Huskies are going to focus on improving their fundamentals and prepare to face their first opponent in the play-in round of districts. 

“Those small things that we drill every day, those are the things that we’re going to continue to emphasize because against good football teams in the state playoffs, we just can’t afford mistakes,” said Hale. 

The first games of the 2A District tournament will take place this Friday and Saturday. Details on the Huskies’ next game have not been announced yet, but will be posted as they become available. 

BOX SCORE:  

OTHL: 21-28-7-7: 63
QNCY: 0-0-0-0: 0 

    The Huskies defense lines up against the Jacks offense during Thursday’s game. The Huskies defense played a great first half scoring 21 points in the first quarter.
  

    Huskies senior running back Andrew Sorenson walks off the field following his touchdown run against the Jacks. The Huskies seniors said they wanted to finish out the regular season strong as they head into the postseason.
  

    Huskies running back Armoni Zuniga-Mendez sprints past the Jacks defense to score a touchdown in the third quarter. Huskies defensive coach Kevin Hale said the team is going to work to prove themselves in the postseason.
  

    Jacks senior Anthony Averill rushes through the Huskies defense after receiving a kickoff during Thursday’s matchup. Jacks head coach Seth Longwill said he is proud of how much the team fought this season and is hopeful for the future of the program.
  

    Jacks senior Carson Burwick takes a big chunk of yardage during a run in the second half against the Huskies. Jacks head coach Seth Longwill said the team made great strides in their growth this season.