Tigercats rip Clallam Bay

KENNEWICK – Coach Jeff Nelson wasted little time digging into his bag of tricks, but the reasons behind LaCrosse-Washtucna’s 34th consecutive victory were no mystery.

Behind a big and mobile offensive line, the Tigercats rolled up 479 yards of offense and crushed Clallam Bay 46-8 in a B-8 football semifinal game at Lampson Stadium on Saturday.

The victory sends the two-time defending state champions to the Gridiron Classic on Saturday in Tacoma to face Columbia-Hunters in the championship game at 1 p.m.

Credit for the Tigercats’ (11-0) success starts with the offensive line of Matt Martin, Michael Martin, Kellen Hays, Jeff Bafus and Craig Koller, who opened huge holes for runners and gave passers ample time to throw.

“They’re so big. They’re so great. They lead the way and all I have to do is follow them,” halfback Kevin Dainty said after running for a season-high 236 yards on 25 carries.

The game was tied at 8-8 midway through the first quarter when Nelson called for the first of two trick plays – a 25-yard halfback pass from Josh Chastain to a wide-open Craig Koller – that gave L-W the lead for good.

Clallam Bay (9-1), which lost a semifinal game at Lampson Stadium for the third consecutive year, managed just three first downs in the game.