Mules reclaim KM trophy

The Mules came out on top over the Comets in the week two battle between the rivals, as Wahkiakum dominated the matchup 54-10.

Wahkiakum Head Coach Ryan Lorenzo said getting the KM Trophy back was a weight off his shoulders, and a big part of the win was the "unreal" play of senior quarterback Jayden Stoddard.

One play that stood out to Lorenzo was a two-point conversion Stoddard salvaged from a botched snap. The play started with a fumbled snap. Stoddard picked up the ball and shed a defensive lineman who came in for the tackle. Stoddard rolled out to his left, stiff-armed another Naselle player to the ground, made another player miss, and tumbled into the endzone while being tackled by two defenders.

"You know the Marshawn Lynch 'Beast Quake run'? How [Lynch] stiff armed that guy," said Lorenzo. "That's exactly what it looked like. I was like oh my gosh."

Stoddard dominated every facet of the game on offense, defense, on the ground, and through the air. He threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns, nailing 14 of his 18 pass attempts. Rushing the ball, Stoddard amassed 156 rush yards, finding the end zone three times. On defense, Stoddard showed his versatility by leading the team in tackles with nine.

While Stoddard exceeded Lorenzo's already high expectations, the victory was a result of contributions up and down the roster.

"It was everybody, it wasn't just him," said Lorenzo. "We have sophomores carrying the ball for six yards a carry. We tried to go to the ground a little bit just to show that we could. It was a little bit of everybody. Receivers caught balls. You can tell from the score [that] we did whatever we wanted."

Parker Leitz had a strong showing for the Mules, hauling in eight catches for 159 yards, a touchdown, and bringing in three two-point conversions on fade routes. Cooper Carlson, Emory Filkowski, and Gage Robinson scored the other three receiving TDs for the Mules.

It was a one-score game after the first quarter, with Wahkiakum leading 8-0, but the Mules pulled away in the second quarter. Wahkiakum scored 24 points in the second to come out to a commanding 32-0 lead. Naselle got on the board in the third, forcing a safety, and scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion. As a result, the Comets outscored the Mules 10-9 in the quarter. Ultimately, Wahkiakum cruised to the win, tacking on another 14 points in the fourth to bring the score to 54-10.

Lorenzo said the Mules brought the physicality in the matchup, which had been the focus leading up to the game. The cornerbacks stepped up, delivering big hits while not overplaying and getting burned. As a whole, the team stayed committed to their goal of containing the run. It was a tremendous all-around game for Wahkiakum.

Even though the game was in Naselle, the Wahkiakum community came out to bolster the Mules, and the players responded accordingly.

"That was like a state game atmosphere," Lorenzo said. "We had a ton of fans. Our whole community came out to support us. It was great to see."

After the game, the Mules hopped back on the bus to head home, adhering to Lorenzo's rule of everyone returning from road trips together. It's a rule he established to foster camaraderie and togetherness. The energy on the bus was rambunctious.

"They were hooting and hollering and singing the whole way home," Lorenzo said. "Some of my fondest memories are riding the bus home after a big win in high school or riding the bus home after a big loss. It's something that sticks with you for the rest of your life."

Wahkiakum will next take the field against Waterville/Mansfield in Tenino to get a look at an opponent from the east side of the state on Friday, Sept. 19. While Lorenzo encouraged his team to enjoy the win over Naselle, as soon as the new week rolled around, the focus returned to the games ahead.

Comets look to bounce back

This result is in stark contrast to Naselle's 72-6 domination of Wahkiakum last season. Comets Head Coach Kevin McNulty anticipated Wahkiakum to be difficult, and the Mules lived up to his expectation. Despite matching up with a difficult opponent, McNulty said his team made too many mistakes to be in the game.

"They're a good football team, but we're not fundamentally sound," said McNulty. "We had a poor display of tackling, blocking and, if you don't have the fundamentals, you're not going to go very far." Naselle has a young squad this year, but McNulty said there's no excuse for the performance. He also noted that the players got into a game and reverted to "what they know, and what they know isn't getting it done."

McNulty reflected after the game, "I need to do a better job coaching. We're tackling too high, we're not breaking down. Just basics, you know? It's one thing to play a good football team, but it's another to give them many yards after contact and, in several cases, touchdowns after contact. Those are areas we need to improve on, regardless of our opponent. When we make contact, we gotta get them to the ground."

McNulty said Wahkiakum came in with the swagger of an experienced team, while his Comets came in "testing the waters" rather than playing with confidence. The coach said Naselle suffered too many self-inflicted wounds and that they needed to play a mistake-free game to compete. The Comets will now focus on getting the fundamentals down, staying disciplined, getting reps with the team, and staying the course. McNulty said he has faith Naselle will evolve over the course of the season and expects them to be in the mix come the end of the season.

The Comets aren't rebuilding. They just came up against a formidable opponent, and some of the performances need to be better going forward. "I can do a better job," said McNulty. "We've got players who I think feel like they can do a better job. I want to say that I believe Wahkiakum is one of the top four football teams in the state right now at the 1B level, provided they can stay healthy.".

As the Comets approach their next game against Winlock, McNulty said the emphasis isn't on the opponent and the focus is within.

"It's on us," he said. "We can control us, so our focus has to be acknowledging we have to improve in those areas and work to improve in those things. Friday night's game will be interesting because, after eating a humble pie, it'll be interesting to see how our kids respond."

The Comets will hope to rebound when they match up with the Cardinals on the road at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19.