An explosive three-touchdown fourth quarter propelled the La Center Wildcats to the 1A state playoffs for the fourth straight time.
The Wildcats ended the season for the Granite Falls Tigers with a 28-7 win on Saturday, Nov. 8.
The next day, La Center found out they will travel south for the opening round, not east, west or north. With the local travel for the opening round of the state playoffs, the Wildcats will play league rival Seton Catholic High School for the second time in just three weeks. The Wildcats lost to Seton 12-7 for the 1A Trico League title in the final week of the regular season after starting quarterback Nate Rembisz had to exit with an arm injury on the first drive of the game. As of press time, the time and location was yet to be determined for the playoff game.
Entering the preparation for the matchup against Granite Falls, the Wildcats knew early in the week that starting quarterback Nate Rembisz would be available, La Center head coach John Lambert said. Rembisz instantly made a difference like he did the first eight weeks of the season with nonstop poise and leadership.
“They were excited that he was able to come back, and he knows the offense really well,” Lambert said of Rembisz being able to return from injury. “The kids trust him. Having all those reps in the summertime and all throughout camp and everything is huge for us. Plus he’s such a threat to run the ball that teams, they’ll commit a dude to him, and then that’s one less guy tackling other guys, which is fine with me.”
In the game, the Wildcats entered the locker room with a 7-0 lead. They entered the fourth quarter with that same lead. But that did not last long. In just a few seconds, the Tigers found themselves tied thanks to a nearly 80-yard touchdown pass.
The Granite Falls score was instantly a wakeup call for the Wildcats. La Center answered quickly as Landen Randall scored to retake the lead with a rushing touchdown.
The defense did its part in a hurry, too. After forcing a Tiger three-and-out, Gaven Emerson had his turn to dominate a drive and score a rushing touchdown. Emerson followed up with the dagger on a touchdown catch thrown by Rembisz with under two minutes left in the game.
“I wish we’d start the game like that,” Lambert said of the fourth quarter.
How other teams fared in Week 10
Of the six teams in The Reflector’s coverage area, four advanced to the postseason preliminary week 10 round.
Of those four teams, only the La Center Wildcats punched their ticket to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s state playoffs.
The Wildcats earned their way into the 1A state playoffs with a 28-7 win over the Granite Falls Tigers on Saturday, Nov. 8. La Center will next play league rival Seton Catholic College Preparatory this weekend. The matchup’s day and time had not been set by press time.
In 4A, the Battle Ground Tigers nearly held on to the lead until the very end but lost 20-17 to Bothell High School on Friday, Nov. 7.
In 3A, the Prairie Falcons faced off against the soon-to-be 3A No. 2 seed Mount Tahoma T-Birds on Friday, Nov. 7, resulting in a 58-7 loss for the Falcons.
In 2A, the Ridgefield Spudders traveled to Anacortes for a Saturday, Nov. 8, matchup, resulting in a 35-0 loss.
