A Season for the Ages

This week on the cover of the Life section we ran a retrospective on the Naselle Comets historic run through the football season. It included an article by Observer Naselle correspondent Phil Raistakka, which you can read HERE.

We also ran seven photos, which were originally on this blog, but not in the paper.
You can find a bunch more in a special slideshow gallery HERE,
that shows all the games we attended this season. You can choice to have the viewer autoplay the slideshow or you can manually advance through the pix.

-DKM

Winter sports get underway

The winter sports season got underway recently with practices at both Ilwaco and Naselle high schools. The games get going tonight with the NHS and IHS girls basketball teams playing at the Warrenton Jamboree. The Lady Fishermen will play their season opener at home on Tuesday against cross-river rival Astoria. You can find the full schedule of sporting events for this week in Wednesday's Chinook Observer.

We're in the process of switching gears here at the blog from all football to (hopefully) all-encompassing the high school sports landscape. This blog will serve as a repository for bonus photos from all sporting events we cover.

WE NEED YOUR HELP, as we hope to get at least one blogger from each schools sports teams who will share with the readers their experiences. We're also for the first time opening up the blog to interested adult bloggers — coaches, parents closely connected to a team — to add stuff as well.

If you are interested in being a part of this great communication tool for local sports fans, please contact Damian at the Observer, 642-8181, or at dmulinix@chinookobserver.com

Comets: Top 8 in State

The Naselle Comets finished their season as one of the top 8 teams at 2B State. Our season ended with a record of 9-2. When our season began our goal was to make the playoffs and we accomplished that and more by making it to the quarter finals. The support we received from our fans all year was awesome. It was so great to see so many turn out for all our games, home and away. We are thankful to the Booster Club for buying us lunch at Izzy's on the way to our game at Tacoma. We also appreciate the Eaton's for having us at their house for team dinners and to the person who donated food for our last dinner.
Although it was disappointing to lose to Life Christian we know that we played hard and did our best. It was tough not having Jason Gradt for our game. He is a tremendous player on both sides of the ball. Colton and Cody Gilbert did a great filling in for Jason.
It was a great season and we hope to see you next year. Now it's time to play some round ball.
Go Comets

Austin Burkhalter, WR, DB

The journey comes to an end for Comets

I guess they say that all good things must come to an end, and on Saturday night, one of the best teams to play for Naselle High School played their final game of the season. The Comets season came to an abrupt end Saturday with a 22-0 loss to Life Christian in the quarterfinals of the state 2B football playoffs.
The Comets could never seem to get their offense in order as the Eagles defense stuffed most of the Comets attempts in the first half. But thanks to a stout Comets defense, which has played over their heads all season, even in this case without stalwart defensive presence Jason Gradt, the Comets held the high powered Eagles to just just two field goals in the first half.
The second half was a slightly different story however, as the Easgles marched down the field on the first possesion of the second half and scored a touchdown, and never looked back.
For me, covering the Comets football journey, which started back in training camp in August, has been a lot of fun. It was great to have such a passionate team to cover. This blog was started as a way to bring more attention to the football programs at the two local high schools and increase our storytelling ability in our coverage. Hopefully we accomplished this.
We're talking now about what to do next, in terms of sports and format. If you have any feedback, please feel free to let us know. You can leave a comment at the bottom of the post, or email me: dmulinix@chinookobserver.com

So here's a handful of pix that I was able to get tonight. Not a lot of action, but these types of big games have so much more going on in terms of emotion and nuance that I think is sometimes more important than the plays on the field. It was obvious the level of disappointment in the team, that they were unable to continue their season. But it was very cool to see that anguish quickly turn around to positive possibility as many almost immediately started getting fired up for next year.











* Sorry for the delay in getting this up on here (10:47 pm on Sunday night. Unfortunately after getting home at 12:30 am on Sunday after the game I was up four hours later to drive to California for the holiday. After finally arriving and getting my edit done — and driving around until I found a hotel with wi-fi I could pick up on — it was pretty late in updating.

-D. Mulinix, Observer staff photojournalist

NHS Football: Heads Held High

We lost Saturday night to the Life Christian Academy 22-0. But we were able to stand strong with our heads held high. This team is legitimately one of the top four teams to come out of the Naselle River valley. Only the champions of 1968 and '69 which won by polls can be considered better. The 1986 team made it as far into the playoffs as us.

This year has come with great accompishments. We Beat South Bend for the first time in about six years and came the closest to beating Valley in eleven years. Also we were Champions of the Pacific League for the first time since 1986. It was a great year for us.

I would like to thank our seniors, Kyle Burkhalter, Kevin Maki, Cody Gilbert, and Jason Gradt for their superb performances this year. Without them none of this would have been possible. They stuck it out through hard freshman and sophomore years and made my first two years a great experience. I'm sorry to report that Jason couldn't play Saturday due to a knee injury. But, I can't thank these awesome guys enough.

This off season will most definitely be filled by hours put in the weight room and time spent out running. We are already looking foward to next year.

Finally, I would like to thank our coaching staff. At the beggining of the year we didn't know how it was going to go. We were surprised to hear that Coach Andrea wouldn't be instructing us. Coaches Paul Wirkkala, Clyde Glick, and Jeff Eaton did a fantastic job.

Naselle had a fun and awesome football year.

Alan Eickson
NHS Fullback, Linebacker

State 2B football playoffs Quarterfinal match-up

Naselle (9-1) vs Life Christian Academy (10-2), Satuday Nov. 17, 7 p.m., at Mount Tahoma High School Stadium

There apparently is some feeling out there in the blogosphere that Naselle is bound to be bopped from the playoffs come tommorrow night, playing a Life Christian team stacked with some of top players in the state. But as the numbers show, the Comets, ranked 9th in the state, seem to match up fairly closely to the fifth-ranked Eagles. Perhaps the fact that the 2B Eagles play their games in the 1A Nisqually League has something to do with their apparently highly thought of stature.

The Eagles come into this game having beat the previously undefeated Adna 26-7 in last week's first round game. The Eagles are averaging 34 ppg and give up an average of 11 ppg — both of which are similar to the season stats of last week's opponent for the Comets, Seattle Lutheran. The Eagles two losses included a 17-20 loss at Cascade Christian just three weeks ago and a 16-17 loss at Orting on Oct. 12. Both of those teams advanced to the 1A state playoffs, with Cascade Christian still alive as of Friday.

The Comets reached the quarterfinal round for the second time in their history — the first time since 1986 — due to a completely dominant performance last week at Bellevue's Interlake High School over Seattle Lutheran, 42-7. That result helped better their season stats to averages of 31 ppg and giving up just 11 ppg — nearly the same as thier opponent this week.

"The kids are excited and are starting to think about making a return trip to Tacoma (for next week's state semifinals at the Tacoma Dome)," coach Jeff Eaton said in an article in the Longview Daily News Friday.

"They run a spread offense with the top quarterback in the 2B ranks (Barrett Schmidtke)," Eaton said. "They also have the top running back in 2B (Morgan Cox) who has run for 1,200 yards, and they have solid receivers. Throw all of that together and a good, big offensive line, and you have a solid team."

The Eagles and Comets have faced three common opponents, with Life Christian beating South Bend (17-6), Ocosta (50-7) and Tacoma Baptist (42-0) in nonleague games. Naselle also knocked off these three Pacific 2B League foes 25-13, 39-15 and 38-16, respectively.

Eaton also believes the Eagles' 4-4 and 5-2 defensive sets won't be a problem for Naselle quarterback Kyle Burkhalter.

"We haven't run the option until last week because Kyle was always told to pitch the ball," Eaton said. "He made the decision to try it, and it will give their (the Eagles') defense something more to work on. Kyle has also thrown the ball better the last few weeks, and they'll have to stop him and (running back) Alan Erickson."

For those driving to the game: take I-5 north to Exit 127 toward S. Tacoma Way/Puyallup. Merge onto WA-512 W via the exit on the LEFT toward S TACOMA WAY. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto S TACOMA WAY and travel 1.8 miles. Then Turn LEFT onto S 74TH ST and travel .7 miles before arriving at 4634 S 74th St.

*Please note that due to the game time and travel, photos from the game will not appear on the blog until sometime Sunday afternoon. Bloggers will likely make their reports around the same time. Thank you

Game time

The Comets play at 7pm on Saturday the 17th at Mount Tahoma High School.

One down....three to go!!

In front of a great crowd of Naselle fans the Comets destroyed the Seattle Lutheran Saints 42-7. After a long bus ride to Bellevue we were ready to put on the pads and hit somebody and it showed right from the start. We were able to dismantle SL rather quickly with our running game because of the huge holes our linemen made for our backs. We scored on our first possession and never looked back. By the end of the first half the score was 34-0 and we were well on the way to our first playoff victory. The atmosphere was electric; lots of fan support, turf and sunshine made for ideal conditions for November football. One of our fans made a bunch of yellow towels to hand out to our supporters to wave during the game. It was cool to look up there and see the towels waving exuberantly. We really appreciate the fans making the long trip. Your support really does make a difference.
Our next opponent will be Life Christian. I am sure the coaches will have us ready for that game this Saturday. Maybe another dinner at Coach Eaton's house will help with our preparation?!!
Hope you can make to our State Quarter final game on Saturday.

Kyle Burkhalter, QB,DB

Comets cruise to playoff victory, 42-7

No rain, no problem. Despite calls for rainy weather Saturday, the Comets played under flawless skies while routing the Seattle Lutheran Saints in the first round of the 2B state playoffs at Interlake High school field in Bellevue. From their first offense possesion, which ended with a fourth down QB scramble for a touchdown, to their final defense sequence, which resulted in a forced fumble, the Comets dominated every phase of the game. While taking a 34-0 lead in the first half, you had to know things were going to go the Comets way, as Kyle Burkhalter recovered his own fumbled while running in for a 2-point conversion. What a great game for Naselle, getting their first STATE playoff win in about 20-some years. Here's what I saw, in pretty much chronological order ....
-D. Mulinix

Peppy pre-game

The Naselle Comets varsity football team seemed to be loose and relaxed friday afternoon during a pep rally in honor of tomorrow's playoff game in Bellevue. The guys took to the court to be cheered on by their peers during games of dodgeball against the varsity volleyball team, and a game similar to musical chairs, except using hula hoops. They look like they're ready to have some more fun come tomorrow afternoon — now if we could just do something about this crappy weather they say we're going to have ...



- D. Mulinix

First round 2B state playoffs preview

Naselle vs. Seattle Lutheran, Interlake High School stadium, Bellevue, Wa., 2 p.m. Saturday

The Naselle Comets are taking their 8-1 record and their shared league title on the road this Saturday to face off against the 7-3 Seattle Lutheran Saints at Interlake High School in Bellevue. This is the Comets first playoff game since 2001, when they lost to Wahkiakum in the first round.
The Comets have been dominant all year, losing their only game by the sole touchdown they gave up in the game, back in September. While their offense has been an intricate weaving of option plays and passes, to the tune of a 30 ppg average, it has been their defense that has put them in this position — giving up an average of only 12 ppg, and forcing turnovers left and right.
On the other side of the field, the Saints enter the game boasting an offense that scores an average of 37 ppg. This is all done out of their T-wing offense, which relies heavily on the run. Naselle head coach Jeff Eaton said in an article in the Longview Daily News todaythat he would like to see the Comets bottle up the Saints running game in order to force them to throw more than they'd like. With the way the Comets have forced turnovers and interceptions, he sees this as a way to slow down that Saints offense.
The Comets should have some advantage against the Saints defense, which gives up an average of 20 ppg on the season, including 52 points last week in their loss to Darrington. The Saints started out the season 0-2 before rolling off seven straight before losing for the second time this year to Darrington.
The Comets are coming into the game on a roll, having won their last last five in a row following that lone loss to Valley back on Sept. 28 — by an average score of 37-12. Eaton said that due to various injuries and eligibility issues, the Comets have only had their full roster of players for the last four games — getting hot at just the right time. Saturday's game will be the first day game for the Comets this year.

Check back in tonight to see some pictures from the Comets pep rally this afternoon and again on Sunday morning for pictures and player blog recaps from the game.

Bring on the playoffs

The Comets ended their regular season with a win over Ocosta. We finished with an 8 - 1 record. We now advance to the playoffs with a first round game against Seattle Lutheran.
We started out slow against the Wildcats, allowing them to score on their opening drive. The first half we scored three touchdowns. I caught one TD pass and Cheetah Fletcher caught the other two.
At halftime we heard an inspiring talk from Coach Eaton to play like we are capable. His speech was effective as we scored two more touchdowns in the third and our jv scored one in the fourth.
Nick Hines had a very good game running and also defensively. Our entire defensive line did a great job.
We had a great crowd at Ocosta. Mr. Klinger said there was over 100 people there cheering us on. Thanks to those who made the trip. We could really hear you rooting for us. It was awesome.
Hope we can get a good crowd at our playoff game next week.

Austin Burkhalter, QB,DB

NHS: Down Comes The Banner!!

Thursday night in Ocosta, Naselle hammered the wildcats 39-15. We started out slow, allowing Ocosta to score on the opening drive. The whole first half we hit like girls. Bur managed to score 20 in the fist half by attacking their secondary. Kyle Burkhalter had a great night, throwing for 3 touchdowns. He connected twice to Tony "Cheetah" Fletcher and once to brother Austin Burkhalter. In the opening half, our running game suffered. And believe me we heard about it at half time.

Coach Eaton's words worked magic. We came out and pounded. We extended the lead to 33-7 by the third quarter and we brought in the JV. On the sidelines the starters had a great time cheering on their fellow teammates. We could tell they had a great time. John Hines caught his first varsity touchdown on a pass from Leonel Mendosa. The final: 39-15.

It has been 21 years since the Comets were Pacific League champions. We were stoked to bring down the banner. I am especially excited for our seniors, Kyle, Jason Gradt, Cody Gilbert, and Kevin Maki. They have gone through some extreme seasons while playing high school ball. It is awesome to be the champs!

Alan Erickson
Fullback, Linebacker

Naselle wins, seals three-way tie for league title

The Naselle Comets (8-1, 6-1 league) wrapped up a near perfect regular season Thursday night with a 39-15 win at Ocosta, giving them a share of a three-way tie for the Pacific League football title this year — shared with Valley and South Bend. Due to a coin flip to decide seeding for the state playoffs which begin next week, South Bend is third, Naselle second and Valley first. In this situation the Comets, ranked seventh in the state, may get the short end of the stick, so to speak. South Bend will play the third place team from the Central league Wahkiakum in a "pig tail" game on Tuesday. Wahkiakum lost Thursday night to Toutle Lake 34-8. The winner of that game will play Valley on either next Friday or Saturday. The Comets however will have to go on the road to the loser of tonight's game between third-ranked Darrington and Seattle Lutheran. In last night's game Kyle Burkhalter threw three touchdown passes, two to Tony Fletcher, who also ran for another score.

Fishermen save their best for their last

The Ilwaco Fishermen made their last game their best game, with a 48-14 win at Winlock in their SWW 1A District crossover game Thursday night. Eddie Knick, seen above making a tackle on Winlock's Nick Nowack, finshed up his stellar high school career with 164 yards and two touchdowns. He finished his senior year with 1,285 yards, 4,885 yards for his career.
Knick did all of his work in the first half on just nine carries. He gave way to Jake Nesbitt, above, who also ran on several plays.
In the second half sophomore Zack DeSimone, above, also got some touches. This is another in my slow shutter football experiment. This is easily one of my favorite football pix from this year. The motion gives it such a frenetic feel I think.
The Ilwaco football cheer squad also performed at halftime during probably the coldest game I've been to all year. It was nice to see Ilwaco finish the year with a little win streak. Hopefully this will get them going in the right direction come next year. It was also nice to see the coaches pull their starters early in the second half after getting out to about a 40-point lead — something that was not afforded them a few weeks ago.

-D. Mulinix, Observer photojournalist

Week 9 preview

Naselle @ Ocosta, 7 pm, Westport, Wa.
The Naselle Comets are riding high after their huge win last week at home against north county rival South Bend, 25-13. The Comets, who assured themselves a playoff spot and at least a share of the Pacific League title, still have a lot riding on this season finale game. If they lose they would probably finish third in the league and have to play their first round playoff game on Tuesday, Nov. 6 against the third place team from the Central league. If they win tonight there are a number of possibilities as to whether they win the title outright or share it with either Willapa Valley, South Bend, or both. If a three-way tie persists after this week's games, a coin flip has decided the seedings for the playoffs with South Bend in third, Naselle in second and Valley in first. If this plays out, as it likely will, the Comets would be going on the road to play the winner of Friday night's game between Seattle Lutheran and Darrington. This game would likely take place Saturday, Nov. 10. If Valley loses to Raymond tonight then Naselle would be the number one seed and host the winner of the third place game from Tuesday — potentially a rematch with South Bend or their KM Mountain rival, Wahkiakum.
While the Ocosta Wildcats are 5-4 on the season, 3-3 in league, they are a formidable 4-1 at home, including a win last week against North Beach, 19-13. The Wildcats score an average of 16 ppg and give up an average of 20 ppg for the season, but average 20 ppg and only give up an average of 6 ppg in their four home wins, making this a potentially tough finale.

Ilwaco @ Winlock, 7 pm, Winlock, Wa. — District crossover game
The Fishermen end their season with a district crossover game against the Winlock Cardinals (0-9 overall, 0-6 league). The Fishermen are coming into their final game of the season on a high note, having won their second game of the year last week at Stevenson, 25-14 — a victory that kept the Fishermen from ending the year in last place. The Fishermen did two weeks ago, the Cardinals forfeited their game last week to Montesano due to a lack of eligible players.
The Cardinals have had little to no success all year, averaging only 6 ppg (they were shut out three times) while giving up an average of 40 ppg. The Fishermen are only slightly better on the season, averaging 13 ppg while giving up 37 ppg.
This game will be the last for standout senior running back Eddie Knick, who last week rushed for 250 yards, giving him over 1,000 on the season for the fourth straight year. Tonight he will try to add some more to his career total of 4,723.

*Check back Friday morning for photos from the IHS crossover game and player recaps from the Naselle game.