The La Center Wildcats lost to 1A Trico League rival the Seton Catholic Cougars 14-7 in what felt like déjà vu during the opening round of the state playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 15.
In the final week of the regular season, the Cougar defense stopped the Wildcats in a comeback attempt in a 12-7 affair. This time around, the two giants of the 1A Trico League were matched up against each other in the opening round of the 1A state football playoffs. The two teams traveled east to Doc Harris Stadium in Camas for the matchup.
The result was a similar score. A backup quarterback again entered for the Wildcats as starting quarterback Nate Rembisz had to leave with an injury. And the Wildcats were once again knocking on the door late in the fourth quarter.
The main differences from the first matchup just a couple of weeks ago: La Center scored first, the Seton Catholic Cougars made both of their extra points and Rembisz played the majority of the game. The biggest change? A freshman stepped onto the field in the backup quarterback role.
The Wildcats entered the locker room at halftime with a 7-0 lead. The second half was full of adversity as the Cougars tied the game and then gained the lead. The unfortunate addition to the adversity came in the final two quarters with Rembisz sidelined with an injury.
That led to a major decision by the Wildcats head coach.
Instead of junior backup quarterback Jett Johnson, like a handful of times earlier this season, Wildcats head coach John Lambert opted for freshman slinger Brody Mills.
“Brody throws a beautiful ball,” Lambert said. “The future is really bright with him, and I thought he had a lot of poise for a young guy. We saw that in JV games all year long. And so, it's going to be such an invaluable experience for him.”
Mills led the Wildcats down the field for a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats found themselves with first-and-goal at the 5-yard line, but two penalties backed them up to the 15-yard line. The Cougars would ultimately bring it to a close with an interception off of Mills.
Lambert believes the experience for Mills will be invaluable.
“That's going to be a great experience for him and preparing him for the years to come. He's a standout basketball player, too, and so it's going to help him in basketball,” Lambert said. “He's going to have these big moments in basketball and football, and having this experience as a freshman, I think will help him down the road.”
For the seniors on the team, the loss marked an end to what was an incredible campaign as the Wildcats reached the 1A state playoffs all four years.
“What I loved about this team was their resilience, and we could have easily given up at any point during this game in the second half, particularly,” Lambert said. “We kept on fighting. We kept on battling. We never gave up. Even right until the end, we were still fighting.”
