Week 1 Naselle player posts

Comets: KM Trophy In Naselle

This Friday, nearly every high school team had their season opener. I am sure they were nervous and excited. The first game is always exciting. But, its never easy to open the season with what half of the community would consider "the most important game of the season" especially when the game is non-league. The KM Trophy game has more riding on it than just a regular season opener. For generations, the battle for KM has raged in the Wahkiakum and Naselle Valleys. My dad, brothers, and friends all tell their stories about their shot at the KM Trophy. In recent years, the Mules of Wahkiakum have dominated the mountain. However, this year a new chapter has been engraved. For the first time since 1995, Naselle beat Wahkiakum and reclaimed the KM Trophy.

It all started August 19, the first day of practice. From the get-go we were thinking of Wahkiakum. "Naselle-Jacks" always ended with "Naselle beat Wahkiakum!" The coaches reminded us often of the opponent ahead of us, and we reminded ourselves. The intensity really kicked up this past week,MULE WEEK, as coach Eaton would say. Instead of saying, "Come on guys, get your head on straight!," all that needed to be said was, "It's Mule week, boys!" and everyone started focusing. Every player on our squad realized the importance of the game to the community, coaches, and ourselves.

Game day arrived quicker than expected, or so it seemed. During school, nervousness grew. At one point a group of friends were making signs and I left the room because I was too nervous. I am sure that others felt the same way. However, most of the nerves subsided when we ran out on the field. It was GAME TIME!

The game was well fought and hard hitting. Tyson Bain of Wahkiakum can lay down a hit! But in the end we came out on top! I was really impressed with the sophomore linemen. Most of these guys hadn't seen too much varsity time, but they really came together and blocked well. The first quarter was great. When Wahkiakum switched from an odd front to an even one, it took some time for the line to figure it out, but they did. I am excited to witness their growth throughout the season. Nathan Carlson and Logan Scrabeck ran well Friday night and Austin captained the team very well.

Defensively, Nathan Carlson and Robert Eaton were a force to be reckoned with at nose tackles. Manny Lopez and Nick Zimmerman did great at DE and Leo Mendoza and Ian Fauver attacked the edges at OLB. ILB Seth Scrabeck did a fine job and DBs Austin Burkhalter, Jesus Martinez, and Logan Scrabeck controlled the Mules air attack. We still have much to learn together. These next few non-league games will be pivotal this season. Win or lose these games, we need to learn to react faster, hit harder, and work together.

Its awesome to have the KM Trophy back in Naselle! Coach Eaton said after the game that "This one ranks right up there with Valley last year," and I would have to agree. We were the team to get the trophy back. I told the guys in the locker room after the game that this is a new era in Naselle football and that they need to keep the trophy home. I am sure they will do all they can!

Alan Erickson
Naselle LB FB
To God be the Glory

We Did It!

We had a mission last night to come home with the KM trophy for the first time in a very, very long time and we accomplished that mission. After taking a 13-0 lead after the first quarter we were feeling about as good as they were feeling stunned I think. A lot of players on the team spent a lot of time in the weight room over the summer and that payed off last night. I'll admit that I would've felt a little more at ease if we had scored after their first scoring drive to go into halftime still leading by two possessions, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way. A lot of players had a really good game. Alan, Austin, Logan, Nathan, and John combined rushed for around 178yds and 2 touchdowns. Our sophmore line did as good as we could have, I think. Austin deflected a key 2point conversion attempt, scored our first touchdown of the night with a 33 yard pass to Logan Scrabeck, and picked off a late pass in the 4th to put it away. Alan had a lot of key first downs that really helped us out, and led all rushers with 87yds. Nathan Carlson also had a touchdown in the first quarter that gave us a two-possession advantage. Where our defense really shown was on the d-line. Manuel "Manny" Lopez, Nick Zimmerman, Robert Eaton, and Nathan Carlson were in the backfield all night long. They really had an impact on the game. Besides one 45 yard run, we held them to only 79 yards of total offense all night. Thats some crazy comet football!! To their credit, the mules staged a comeback late in the game and scored 12 points. But, our D was able to hold on and keep them from adding any points after their touchdowns for the night. Even though we were winning, none of us could rest easy until John converted a two-point conversion with under a minute left. We won 21-12 and the KM trophy is OURS!!!!

We had a great crowd last night, and they always mean a lot to our team. I think a lot of credit should be given to our JV team that comes out for football everyday. Calvin Zimmerman, Jake Condon, Jesse Lopez, J.P. Cooley, Cody Larson, Dustin Eaton, Chandler Chapman, Chris Walkowiak, Carson Cooper, Levi Wasdmundt, Trevin Leeland, and all the other guys that scrimage the varsity every afternoon- you guys are awesome. You all are a huge part of the team, and our win last night was just as much yours as anybody else's.

Our new mission is beating the Warrenton Warriors next friday night on their field. Last year our varsity handled them 28-12. They are coming off of their own victory over the North Beach Hyaks (31-13).

Hoping to see a large crowd there,

NHS OL Ryley Queener