Saturday, October 3, 2009

Week 5 recap - Comets and Fishermen fall at home

Naselle 6 - Valley 21
The Naselle Comets biggest nemesis the last few years has been the Valley Vikings (having lost to them 5 of the last six encounters in the regular season), and once again the boys from Menlo came out on top, beating Naselle 21-6 for their first league loss of the season — and first home loss since 2007 (also to Valley).
The Comets defense which had been dynamite the first four games could do little to stop Valley QB Matt Friese.
"We had a very hard time tackling him,” Naselle coach Jeff Eaton told the Longview Daily News following the game. “We had him in numerous third-and-5 situations, and we’d hit him and he’d spin out and fall forward to get the yards he needed.”
Valley scored twice in the first half for a 14-0 lead at halftime and Friese added a 40-yard run for a TD in the second half.
Naselle scored their only points early in the fourth quarter when Jesus Martinez caught a 4-yard pass from Austin Burkhalter.
The Comets are now 4-1, 1-1 in the Pacific League. And while the loss hurts, its far from a kill shot for Naselle. The Pacific League is shaping up to a three team race between Naselle, Valley and South Bend (all 4-1). Valley though has a full game lead on Naselle and a .5 game lead on South Bend. If Naselle can take care of business the rest of the way (and beat South Bend in the last home game) they should be right in the mix. The Pacific League has two automatic bids to the playoffs, with the third place team playing the third place Central team to get in. The Comets will be on the road next week at NWC.

Ilwaco 20 - Kalama 45
The Fishermen (0-5, 0-1) drew first blood, but couldn't sustain their attack as the Fishermen lost their 11th straight, falling 20-45 in their league opener to Kalama (3-2, 1-0).
Following an opening drive score and two point conversion, Kalama returned the ensuing kickoff for an 83-yard score. Ilwaco's Taylor Odneal would give the Fishermen back the lead later in the quarter with a 57-yard run.
It took all of two plays for the Chinooks to score again on a 53-yard pass play, leaving the Fishermen grasping a thin 14-12 lead at the end of one.
That lead wouldn't last though, as Kalama added two unanswered scores in the second period enroute to the big win.
Kalama added two more scores in the second half and Ilwaco's Justin Short added a TD for the Fishermen on a 1-yard run. The Fishermen are on the road next week at Stevenson.

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