Chewelah Shuts Out Cle Elum

The third-ranked Chewelah Cougars overcame a sluggish start to turn back Yakima Valley West runner-up Cle Elum 28-0 in a first-round Class A football playoff game Saturday.

Chewelah’s win sets up a show-down with top-ranked Royal next Saturday in Kennewick.

“We played it close to the vest,” said first-year coach Roy Albertson. “The kids were nervous in the beginning and we knew Cle Elum would come ready to play.”

Chewelah, the Northeast A League champ, took control of the game with an impressive rushing attack, piling up 256 yards.

Senior Greg Belzer ran 21 times for 136 yards, while junior Cody Katzer had 92 on 19 carries.

Katzer put the Cougars up 7-0 at the 6:50 mark of the second quarter with a 7-yard run up the middle. The score completed a six-play, 31-yard drive set up by a Luke Sheppard interception.

According to Cle Elum coach Mark Randleman, mistakes cost his team.

“I thought our defense played well enough to win, especially the front seven,” he said. “But we had a couple of costly turnovers.”

The biggest play of the game came with 57 seconds left in the first half.

Chewelah quarterback Dan Macrae hit a wide-open Thayer Jacques in the right corner of the end zone on fourth-and-14 to put the Cougars up 14-0 and leave Cle Elum shellshocked.

Jarrod Lindquist, Greg Rainer, Zeb Abrahamson and Jeremy Rogers, Chewelah’s all-league right side of the line, simply wore out the Warriors in the second half.

“Our line was awesome,” noted Katzer. “They deserve all the credit.”

A 5-yard Belzer run in the third quarter and a 19-yard Macrae-to-Jacques pass in the final period rounded out the Cougars’ scoring.

Chewelah held Cle Elum to just 85 yards offense. Warriors quarterback Shane Roy managed just four completions in 15 attempts, with three interceptions.

Albertson anticipates a great game next week.

“Royal plays power football just like we do,” said Albertson.

Chewelah 28, Cle Elum 0

Cle Elum 0 0 0 0 - 0

Chewelah 0 14 7 7 - 28

Che - Katzer 7 run (Murbach kick)

Che - Jacques 27 pass from Macrae (Murbach kick)

Che - Belzer 5 run (Murbach kick)

Che - Jacques 26 pass from Macrae (Murbach kick)