Chieftains are 2-1 in Greater St. Helens League play this season
Columbia River Chieftains (2-4, 2-1 2A GSHL)
Week 1: Evergreen 26, Columbia River 13
Week 2: Tumwater 55, Columbia River 6
Week 3: Washougal 17, Columbia River 0
Week 4: Columbia River 25, R.A. long 13
Week 5: Skyview 42, Columbia River 6
Week 6: Columbia River 19, Woodland 13, OT
The Chieftains used their strength — defense — to stay in this game, and then when the offense was needed, the offense came through with a late touchdown to tie and then an overpowering performance in overtime.
Winning time:
We pick this up with Woodland leading 13-6 late in the fourth quarter. The Beavers are going for it on fourth-and-1. Convert, and the game is over. River needs a stop.
Nathan Kunz breaks from his cornerback position and stops the Woodland runner just short of the first down.
That is when Columbia River’s offense, which had done nothing in terms of points all night, came alive.
A pass for 5-yard gain. A pass for 16 more yards. A run to pick up nine. A quarterback scramble for seven. Then a 16-yard pass.
And from the 7-yard line, Jarrett Seelbinder got the call, a sweep to the left. He turned the corner for the touchdown with 18 seconds remaining.
Woodland would get the ball to River’s territory but an attempt at a Hail Mary was thwarted when Tristan Hoyer crushed the quarterback, with the ball falling to the ground for an incomplete pass.
In overtime, Woodland got the ball first, but Kunz got an interception, giving the Chieftains the chance to win the game.
Then it was all quarterback keepers from Julian Garcia. A 2-yard run. A 4-yard run. A 5-yard run. The linemen were gaining confidence. And then came the 13-yard run to the 1-yard line. From there, it was game time. Touchdown River.
Hush the crowd one way or another:
My favorite part of the video was watching Garcia try to quiet the home crowd prior to the snap from the 1-yard line.
This game was played at Woodland. Why on earth would Woodland fans want to keep quiet? But, hey, a guy can try, right?
Then Garcia quieted the home crowd with his play, getting into the end zone for the win.
Unblockable:
For a long time, it appeared that River defenders Logan Wilson and Hoyer were living in the Woodland backfield.
Wilson started the game with back-to-back quarterback pressures, forcing incomplete passes. Later in the first half, he got a third-down sack.
He also was instrumental in River’s defensive touchdown. Wilson and Beau Braden tried to squish the Woodland quarterback in the end zone. The QB, trying to avoid a safety, attempted to throw away the ball. Instead, he threw it right to River’s Kanen Eaton, who intercepted the ball at the goal line for a touchdown.
In the second half, as Woodland tried to run away from Wilson, it was Hoyer getting a sack and pressuring the quarterback.
Another game saver:
Considering this game went to overtime, considering scoring was at a premium, any big play at any time had a direct impact on this contest.
Nathan Kunz again comes to mind here from a moment in the first half. Woodland quarterback Wyatt Harsh looked like he had a sure touchdown run, but Kunz made a great open-field tackle at the 1-yard line. From there, Woodland suffered two penalties and would lose the ball on downs.
Coach Speak:
What did Christian Swain have to say about his team’s performance in Week 6? “It was a sloppy game. We turned it over five times. They had over 100 yards in penalties. We fought through and got a come-from-behind victory.”
MVP on offense: Jarrett Seelbinder with 117 yards rushing and that tying TD with 18 seconds left in the game.
MVP on defense: Nathan Kunz. The TD-saving tackle in the first half. The fourth-down stop with 2 minutes left. The overtime interception.
(Pretty sure if he had a little more time, he would have cured the common cold.)
Thoughts on Week 7 vs. Hockinson: “Week 7 is another great opportunity to take a big step forward. We know we can play with Hockinson based on last year’s game. We will need to play a turnover-free game with clean execution to get it done.”
