WHITE SWAN — Here is a preview of the DeSales Fighting Irish vs. White Swan Cougars Class 2B state football playoff:
Time, date, place: 7 p.m. today, White Swan.
Head coaches: DeSales, Pat Graham; White Swan, Andy Bush.
Leagues: DeSales, Southeast; White Swan, Central Washington South.
Records: DeSales, 7-2; White Swan, 7-3.
Next opponent: Warden-Colfax winner.
Last week: DeSales 35, Reardan 34 (OT); White Swan 61, Manson 27.
Playoff appearances: DeSales, 25; White Swan, 4.
Last playoff appearance: DeSales, 2010 (lost quarterfinal); White Swan, 2009 (lost first round).
Deepest advancement: DeSales, title game (1985, Concrete 42-21; 1991, DeSales 46, Rainier 16; 1996, Willapa Valley 27-20; 1997, DeSales 61, Mossyrock 28; 1998, DeSales 48, Orcas Island 28; 1999, DeSales 37, Mossyrock 29; 2001, Willapa Valley 39-18; 2003, Reardan 13-3; 2004, Lind-Ritzville 25-21; 2005, Reardan 14-10; 2007, DeSales 30, Toutle Lake 0); White Swan, quarterfinals (2008, Asotin 41-20).
Previous playoff meetings: 2009, first round, DeSales 48-7.
DeSales leaders: Jeremiah Cox, jr., quarterback; Nick Wales, sr., running back/linebacker; Luke Fazzari, jr., running back/linebacker.
White Swan leaders: Alex Sampson, running back; Joseph Kosik, quarterback; Nathan Nobbs, wide receiver.
Notes: DeSales has already beaten White Swan once this season, hammering the Cougars 42-16 in the third week of the season. ... The Fighting Irish rallied for an epic victory against a plucky Reardan team last week, coming back from a 28-20 deficit as Cox threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Daryll Galloway with 14 seconds remaining. In overtime, Cox hooked up with Joe Duehn, and the DeSales defense held off a Reardan two-point attempt for the victory. ... Now, the Fighting Irish face a team with very little state playoff experience. DeSales has a long, rich tradition in the postseason, while White Swan will be making just its fifth trip to state. ... Sampson has rushed for 1,282 yards this season and 12 touchdowns, while Kosik is 54-of-96 for 610 yards with four touchdowns and two receptions. Nobbs has 28 receptions for 527 yards and four touchdowns.
