LA CENTER – It’s been a long time since La Center coach John Lambert has been able to use a Trico League football loss as a teaching moment for his football team. This week, he will have that opportunity.
The Wildcats had their 30-game league win streak snapped when Kalama scored on the final play of the game to earn a 19-13 win in a Class 1A high school football game played Friday at La Center High School. The loss dropped La Center to 3-1 in league play and the Wildcats will need a Kalama loss to Castle Rock in the final week of the regular season in order to have a chance to win a piece of the Trico championship for the fifth straight season.
“Sometime a loss allows you to focus on things you need to improve on,’’ said Lambert, who hadn’t experienced a league loss in more than four seasons. “Often times, a win masks fundamental parts of the game that you need to work on. Hopefully, we can come out of this and learn, grow and take advantage of this opportunity to get better.’’
Lambert praised his players for they way they fought against the Chinooks. The Wildcats tied the game 13-13 with 35 seconds left to play when senior running back Cole Judd scored on a 3-yard run. However, La Center’s attempt at the extra kick failed and the two teams appeared headed for overtime to settle the top spot in the Trico League.
Kalama prevented that overtime from becoming necessary when Chinooks quarterback Isaac Truesdell skillfully guided his team down the field for the game-winning score, which came on a 27-yard pass to tight end Hunter Esary, a fellow senior, with no time left on the clock.
“That’s a couple of seniors who have been starting since they were freshmen,’’ Lambert said of Truesdell and Esary. “One (Truesdell) will likely be the all-league quarterback and the other (Esary) will likely be the league MVP. They made the play they had to make at the end of the game.’’
Kalama jumped on top in the first quarter on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Truesdell to Jacob Herz. La Center answered in the second quarter when quarterback Zach Galster found Dalton Morgan on an 8-yard scoring play to tie the game 7-7. Herz and Truesdell hooked up again for Kalama, this time on a 75-yard touchdown, to give the Chinooks a 13-7 lead at halftime. The two teams then battled through a scoreless second half until each team scored in the game’s final minute.
If Kalama defeats Castle Rock this week, the Chinooks will finish first. La Center would finish second with a win Saturday at Seton Catholic. If Castle Rock upsets Kalama, and La Center tops Seton Catholic, a three-way mini playoff would be held on Tue., Nov. 3 to determine the top three spots in the Trico League. All three teams will advance to the postseason.
The Trico champion will advance directly to the first round of the Class 1A state playoffs and will face Mount Baker, a team that eliminated La Center in both 2012 and 2013. If La Center finishes second in Trico, the Wildcats will meet Eatonville in a crossover playoff game with the winner advancing to the first round of the state playoffs.
“There might be a silver lining that will come out of all of this,’’ joked Lambert, who would not relish the opportunity to face Mount Baker again in the first round of the state playoffs.
