Beavers score a 20-7 victory in a key Class 2A GSHL game
WOODLAND — The Woodland Beavers saved their season and exacted some revenge from last season at the same time Friday night.
Tyler Flanagan rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns, Wyatt Harsh threw for 234 yards, and the Woodland defense shut out Washougal in the second half for a 20-7 victory in a key Class 2A Greater St. Helens League football game.
“Washougal took our playoff hopes away last year. That devastated us,” Harsh said. “That motivated us even more to win tonight.”
“We were a little disappointed about last year,” Flanagan said. “We wanted to get back at them.”
The win pushed Woodland to 2-2 in league play. Washougal fell to 3-2. With Hockinson looking to run away with the league title, there is a fight for second place.
The Beavers (3-4 overall) are back in that battle, thanks to Friday’s result.
Woodland went to the air attack most of the first half, then called for the ground attack in the second half. There was no scoring in the final two quarters, but the Beavers had a nine-play drive and then an 11-play drive that burned the clock while up two touchdowns.
“It’s confidence boosting having a good line like that,” Flanagan said. “They did a great job. The coaches said, ‘They can’t stop us.’ So we said ‘Let’s keep running it.’”
Flanagan had 105 of his 126 yards in the second half.
“I need to be honest. That was not an easy game,” Woodland lineman Alex Wakefield said. “It feels pretty good to dominate, though. I must admit it feels pretty damn good. I can’t say a lot. It was just an awesome game.”
Washougal (5-2 overall) was hoping to make for a dramatic ending. The Panthers had plenty of success running the ball, too. Kade Coons finished with 174 rushing yards.
Unfortunately, the Panthers fumbled the ball going into the end zone. Instead of a 20-14 game midway through the fourth quarter, Woodland got a touchback and then took off five minutes of the clock.
The Panthers believed Coons crossed the goal line prior to the fumble. The officials ruled otherwise.
Harsh threw for 199 of his 234 yards in the first half.
“The line was blocking. The receivers were catching the ball,” Harsh said. “When receivers and linemen are clicking on all cylinders, it’s easy for me.”
He only attempted five passes in the second half, though. Instead, he got a great view of the blocking and Flanagan’s performance.
“It takes a lot of pressure off me,” Harsh said.
Woodland opened the game with an 86-yard drive. Harsh threw for 75 yards on the series, which was capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from Flanagan.
Washougal came right back with a 53-yard TD drive. Quarterback Ryan Stevens ran it in from 7 yards out to give the Panthers a 7-6 lead.
But on that drive, the Panthers suffered what is sure to be a season-ending injury to Jakob Davis. That would be the third player on the team to be done with the year prematurely. The game was delayed for 47 minutes. The report from the team was a dislocated elbow.
Woodland took the lead for good early in the second quarter. Harsh scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
The Beavers used 12 plays on their next drive to go 55 yards. Flanagan found Christian Yager for a 17-yard pass on a fourth-down play. Later, Flanagan scored on a 4-yard touchdown run for a 20-7 lead with 2:48 left in the half.
That was it for the scoring. Both teams moved the ball in the second half but not into the end zone.
Grant Lewis intercepted a Woodland pass in the red zone on the first play of the fourth quarter to keep Washougal’s hopes alive. But the Panthers would fumble that ball on the other end of the field to end that drive with no points.
By the time Washougal got the ball again, there were 2 minutes left and down by 13.
Yager intercepted a pass to end any hopes of a sports miracle finish for the Panthers.
Instead, it is Woodland that can celebrate the fact that its playoff hopes are alive and well going into the final two weeks of the season.
WOODLAND 20, WASHOUGAL 7
Washougal 7 0 0 0-7
Woodland 6 14 0 0-20
First quarter
Wood – Tyler Flanagan 2 run (kick blocked)
Wash – Ryan Stevens 7 run (Stevens kick)
Second quarter
Wood – Wyatt Harsh 3 run (Flanagan run)
Wood – Flanagan 4 run (kick blocked)
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Washougal – Kade Coons 24-174, Stevens 1-7, Nathan Tofell 5-11, Grant Lewis 1- (minus 2). Woodland – Flanagan 27-126, Harsh 10-38, Team 3- (minus-6).
PASSING: Washougal – Stevens 6-14-1-59. Woodland – Harsh 18-26-1-234.
RECEIVING: Washougal – Jakob Davis 2-14, Tofell 2-23, Blaine Bea 1-13, Lewis 1-9. Woodland – Wyatt Wooden 4-87, Anthony Clifford 2-29, Alex Bishop 4-36, Flanagan 4-33, Christian Yager 3-42, Harsh 1-7.
Week 7 scores
| Team | Score | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camas | 63 | Heritage | 13 |
| Skyview | 48 | Battle Ground | 13 |
| Union | 49 | Evergreen | 6 |
| Mountain View | 56 | Fort Vancouver | 0 |
| Kelso | 49 | Prairie | 6 |
| Hudson’s Bay | 48 | Mark Morris | 0 |
| Hockinson | 42 | Columbia River | 14 |
| Woodland | 20 | Washougal | 7 |
| R.A. Long | 29 | Ridgefield | 7 |
| La Center | 48 | Burlington-Edison | 20 |
| King’s Way Christian | 27 | White Salmon | 21, OT |
