Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Suns pull it out at Albi

Anyone who knows me -- and even those who love me -- would agree with the following statement:

I love to be right.

I am never good at admitting a mistake. Obviously, there are plenty of times when I have to eat one, but I go down kicking and screaming.

Except when it comes to my grid picks, when it involves a team that we at the Herald cover all year vs. an "outsider."

Such is the case tonight, when I found out that the Southridge football team went up to Albi Stadium and knocked off Mead 14-10 in the 4A regional playoffs.

I was right in this regard -- it was a "first to 14" game. It just so happened that it was the Suns who were the first to reach that threshold.

Reading Mike Vlahovich's account of the game on the Spokesman website, it sounds as if the game went exactly as I thought it would -- a defensive meat grinder.

The Suns took the lead just before halftime with their only completed passes of the night, then nursed that lead all through the second half. It wasn't pretty, but it was a microcosm of how the Suns have won all season -- and lo and behold, they're the only Columbia team left standing after Ferris knocked off division champion Wenatchee 21-10 at the Apple Bowl.

As a result, they picked up the first playoff win by a CBBN team over a GSL team in two seasons -- and Hanford followed right behind with its 24-21 home win over East Valley in the 3A regionals.

My game was Ellensburg 23, Othello 14, and I was definitely wrong about the offenses holding sway in this one. Only one did -- Ellensburg's, in the second half, and not the way the Bulldogs have flourished all season. They morphed into the Huskies in the second half, pounding the ball in the running game. The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions of the second half -- a pair of touchdowns, the second one coming after an interception, and then a field goal after a 7-minute drive that sealed the win.

That being said, both the Bulldogs and Huskies should get through next week's first round of the 2A state playoffs without too much difficulty, and E-burg should also breeze through its quarterfinal.

The question for Othello fans is whether West Valley (Spokane) has a 10-0 record because it's really good, or because it dominated a really down league this year. If it's the former, their quarterfinal showdown (probably at Albi) will be a good one. If not, then it very well could be the Huskies and Bulldogs, Part 2, in the state semifinals, probably at either Lampson or Edgar Brown.

Congrats also to the three 1A teams that won in the SCAC regionals to advance to state. I'm especially pleased for River View, which makes it back to state for the first time since 2001. The Panthers, along with Connell and Zillah, will find out their state opponents today -- Royal will travel to Chelan, which upset defending state champion Cashmere to earn a state berth and knock out the Bulldogs.

Of course, that last factoid, I got from Royal coach Wiley Allred. I hope he knows what he's talking about.

Because I'd hate to get that wrong here.

Til next time ...