Wahkiakum and Naselle football reach quarterfinals

Wahkiakum and Naselle both secured blowout wins in the first round of the 2025 1B State Football championships. The quarterfinals await each team on Saturday afternoon.

With only eight teams remaining in the bracket, the most difficult challenges are still to come, but the Mules and Comets have given themselves a strong statement in the first round, one that should give them confidence in the next round. Naselle and Wahkiakum both weathered early adversity in their games en route to comfortable final scores.

Wahkiakum

The Mules faced off with Moses Lake Christian Academy-Covenant Christian on Nov. 14 in front of a Wahkiakum home crowd, but it wasn't straightforward from the jump. The Lions were the aggressors early on and ended the first quarter in the lead, 22-16.

Head Coach Ryan Lorenzo noted that the first quarter wasn't what the Mules wanted on defense, but things turned around once Wahkiakum found its footing.

"Defense was a little shaky to start the game, but once we settled down and the defense started making plays, we were able to take control," Lorenzo said.

Wahkiakum came to life in the second quarter, erasing the six-point deficit and putting numbers on the board. The Mules scored 32 points in the quarter, dwarfing the eight points MLCACC was able to muster. Wahkiakum's defense was disruptive, causing five turnovers throughout the game.

Parker Leitz marked his return from injury with an interception, as well as 87 receiving yards. Emory Filkowski and Preston West registered interceptions, and Joe Merz and Kyle Gonzales recovered fumbles for the Mules. Lorenzo also credited Gage Robinson and Cameron Mendez for their play during the game. Robinson caused one of the fumbles and registered eight tackles and a sack. Mendez chipped in two tackles and a sack.

For his part, quarterback Jayden Stoddard put up yards for the offense both through the air and on the ground. Stoddard threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns, but the majority of his yards came with his legs, as he ran for 224 yards on just 10 carries.

After three quarters, the score stood 56-38 in Wahkiakum's favor. However, in the fourth, the Mules took away what little doubt remained, outscoring the Lions 22-0. Lorenzo said the energy was "good," and that the early deficit was a "nice little wake-up call." In the end, Wahkiakum won 78-38.

With the first round out of the way, Lorenzo and the Mules will now turn their attention to Pomeroy, who came into the tournament as the #6 seed. The Pirates enter the quarterfinals off the back of a high-scoring win over Tulalip Heritage, which they beat 86-22.

For Wahkiakum to reach the semis, Lorenzo said it will be a physical matchup. Both he and his team know they need to play a clean game if they want to keep their season alive.

"We have to stop the run and win the upfront battles," Lorenzo said. "They run the ball very successfully. This game will come down to mistakes: who makes the least, and if we can stop the run."

The Wahkiakum/Pomeroy game will be at Kelso Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.

Naselle

The Comets' 64-8 victory over Odessa was a piece of program history and a ticket into the quarterfinals. Going into the game, Naselle had never beaten Odessa, but they made sure to crush them this time. Despite the lopsided scoreline, it was actually the Tigers who punched first in the game, taking an 8-0 lead.

The Comets coughed up a fumble on the first play of the game, and Odessa marched down the field and found the endzone on their first drive. Naselle was a little rusty, as they didn't have a play-in game after Charles Wright Academy forfeited on Nov. 7. Head Coach Kevin McNulty said his team had played only "one and a half games in a four-week stretch," so it took some time to adjust.

"We didn't play mistake-free football, that's for certain," said McNulty. "We were our own worst enemy; it wasn't the opponent, it was us. We had some false starts; you name it, we had it."

Despite the sluggish start, the Comets still imposed their will on the game, taking a 28-8 lead into halftime as they tightened the screws and cut down on mistakes. In the second half, McNulty said they played "much better" and outscored the Tigers 36-0 in the final 24 minutes.

"We got rolling," McNulty said. "The one good thing is that, even though the score was lopsided, they were a solid opponent that gave us some resistance. We had 40 offensive plays, which we haven't been able to do this year, so that was good. Our kids got some reps, and we were able to throw the ball a little bit."

McNulty said Naselle likes to run a lot of play-action passes and set it up with their runs, but the Comets were so effective with running plays throughout the season that they never really got to implement some of their strategies.

Leith Chadwick had a good game under center for the Comets, completing 10 of his 13 pass attempts and tossing three touchdowns. Eli Gardner was effective on the ground, including a 54-yard touchdown run through the teeth of the defense. Scott Henington was the beneficiary of one of Chadwick's touchdown passes. After Naselle sold the run, Chadwick unfurled a bomb to Henington, who was all alone behind the defense for a 56-yard TD. McNulty also credited senior captain Carsen Bisbing with helping calm the team down and lead them to victory.

On defense, Gunnar Gill, Scott Henington, and Royce Hoff created turnovers to help the Comets' defense. Gill was even able to take his interception the distance, scampering into the endzone for six.

"Everybody played a part in the game, so it was nice to see," McNulty said.

With that win in the books, Naselle will now travel to Moses Lake to take on #4 Almira-Coulee-Hartline. And the Comets have their work cut out for them in a matchup that has plenty of history. Naselle is no stranger to Moses Lake, and McNulty said his team needs to be ready for a challenge on the road.

"Moses Lake hasn't been nice to us. The last five years, we've been knocked out of the state playoffs at Moses Lake. We've been knocked out of the semis two or three times in the last five years over there," McNulty said. "We had never beaten Odessa, and that was a first. So, hopefully, we get another first this week."

McNulty believes his team is ready for the challenge, but emphasized that the Comets can't make the mistakes they did this week and expect to win. According to McNulty, "every game is a championship game" at this point, and the Comets will be hoping to continue their playoff journey into the semis.

Naselle plays Almira-Coulee-Hartline on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. in Moses Lake.