Asotin Panthers prevail in state playoff thriller

The Asotin Panthers’ unbeaten record and Washington Class 2B state playoff survival sat on the proverbial knife’s edge on Saturday at Clarkston High School.

Second-seeded Asotin held a bare one-point lead after a late touchdown by La Salle of Union Gap — and not content to merely set the stage for a likely overtime period, the Vikings opted for the game’s first-and-only 2-point conversion attempt.

La Salle quarterback John Valladares took the snap and immediately tried to sprint straight through an opening carved out by his linemen, only for Asotin linebacker Dylan Finney to bring him down less than a yard from the end zone.

“Dylan stepped up and fought through the block and made a huge stop for us,” Asotin coach Jim Holman said.

The Panthers would hang on to prevail 21-20, moving to 11-0 on the season and booking a spot in the state semifinals.

Settling into a gridlock

In spite of its 4 p.m. start time, the game was played almost entirely under artificial light in a sign of the seasonal turn toward the very darkest part of the year. The prospect of a more high-scoring affair might have been in the minds of some observers after each team logged a mid-first-quarter touchdown — a 12-yard run from Asotin quarterback Cody Ells, then a pass by Valladares to Kai Hanrahan — but things soon settled into the pattern that would instead define the contest. The rivals spent the bulk of the run-dominated encounter gridlocked in the vast middle space of the field, though a small number of passing plays sprinkled throughout proved highly significant.

“We run the ball — that’s no secret — and they’re very similar, so it was going to be kind of a smash-mouth game,” Holman said. “That’s what we thought it was going to be; kind of thought it might be back-and-forth like that and ultimately come down to big plays, and that’s exactly what happened.”

The first quarter ended in a 7-all deadlock, and for a time, it looked very much as though that might remain the score at the half. There were under five minutes to play before intermission when Ells electrified the sizable-and-vocal Asotin fanbase in attendance by breaking through the throng for a 62-yard touchdown run right down the middle of the field.

Asotin made a strong bid to maintain its 14-7 advantage through the third quarter, but Valladares produced a clutch first-down pass while beset by Panther defenders, then a 35-yard scoring run to see things knotted up again before the end of the frame.

Keeping the Vikings at bay

Just under 11 minutes remained in regulation when a La Salle defender sent Ells sprawling with an aggressive body slam while he was already several yards out-of-bounds, drawing a chorus of boos that coalesced into a chant of, “You can’t do that! You can’t do that!” from the Asotin faithful. The ensuing yardage penalty and first down from the personal foul put the Panthers inside the 25-yard line, in prime position for another go-ahead touchdown, though they still needed a few more hard-fought plays to get there.

Passing for only the fourth time of the day (after going 1-for-3 on his previous attempts), Ells would find receiver Wyatt Caldwell, who squeezed in the left-hand corner of the end zone just after getting his hands on the ball to put Asotin back up 21-14.

Continually playing catch-up — but playing it well — La Salle (10-2) rammed in one more touchdown with a vanguard of linemen paving the way for a 4-yard run by Adan Villalobos. It would attempt a similar play in the 2-point conversion bid, only to find itself thwarted by Finney’s heroics.

Having gotten the ball back with a little over three minutes left on the clock, the Panthers faced danger of a turnover on downs that might give the Vikings one last look, but a big first-down run from Ells with 1:38 remaining provided Asotin all the time it needed to run down the clock for the finish.

Takeaways and the road ahead

La Salle’s defense placed a premium on stopping Asotin running back and Northeast 2B League MVP Peter Eggleston, and it had some success; Eggleston uncharacteristically went the entire game without scoring, though he logged 101 rushing yards on 21 carries.

“They focused on (Eggleston),” Holman said. “You could tell that their goal was to not get beat by him. He didn’t find the end zone, but obviously still had over 100 yards rushing, so got a lot of tough yards for us — and didn’t score, but fortunately, he’s the kind of kid who, as long as we win, doesn’t care. Very unselfish.”

Ells, who figured in all three of his team’s scoring plays on the day, totaled 110 rushing yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns while passing 2-for-4 with one. Holman named Colt Kelley as a stalwart for Asotin, making key blocks “all night long.”

“We did what we’ve done all season,” Holman said. “We have 19 guys on our roster, and we just kind of keep battling and keep competing. It’s all about the effort of the kids. They did well.”

The Panthers advance to face the third-seeded Napavine Tigers in a semifinal to be held Saturday at Richland High School at a time to be announced. Holman knows little specific about Napavine (10-2), but notes that the school has a “rich history” in football and has contended for state titles in recent years.

“We’ll get some film on them tomorrow and go to work on how to beat them,” he said.

La Salle 7 0 7 6—20

Asotin 7 7 0 7—21

FIRST QUARTER

Asotin — Cody Ells 12 run (Morgan Bunch kick), 7:46.

La Salle — Kai Hanrahan 14 pass from Johan Valladares (Alex Sanchez kick), 3:38.

SECOND QUARTER

Asotin — Ells 62 run (Bunch kick), 4:42.

THIRD QUARTER

La Salle — Valladares 35 run (Sanchez kick), 3:01.

FOURTH QUARTER

Asotin — Wyatt Caldwell 17 pass from Ells (Bunch kick), 6:24.

La Salle — Adan Villalobos 4 run (run failed), 3:21.

Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.