Seton Catholic Cougars • King’s Way Christian Knights • La Center Wildcats
Taj Muhammad has huge week for Seton Catholic
Seton Catholic Cougars (2-1)
Week 3: Seton Catholic 66, Riverside (of Oregon) 0
Next: at Tenino, 7 p.m. Friday
There have not been too many games in Seton Catholic football history when Seton Catholic had this much of a talent gap over an opponent. The Cougars scored five first-quarter touchdowns and were on their way.
Taj Muhammad scored four touchdowns in the 15 game minutes I watched, including a punt return that I caught in this video we put together celebrating Saturdays at Seton Catholic.
For those who have not seen the video, click here:
Saturdays at Seton Catholic
Seton Catholic travels to Tenino on Friday and will open up Trico League play the following week with a home game against Stevenson.
King’s Way Christian shows character in loss
King’s Way Christian Knights (1-2)
Week 3: Bellevue Christian 20, King’s Way Christian 14
Next: at Riverside, 7 p.m. Friday in Boardman, Ore.
Down 20 points going into the fourth quarter, the Knights had a decision to make. They chose to get better.
“It was a great testament to the staff and the kids,” coach Brian Rodriguez said. “We could have packed it in.”
Instead, the Knights scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead.
“We said, ‘Let’s get better every rep.’ Focus on the next play and see what happens,” Rodriguez said.
“I’m proud of my guys for the way they played.”
After the game and heading into preparation for Week 4, Rodriguez said the Knights are doing everything they can to make a positive from the negative feeling of a loss.
“I’m excited about this learning process,” he said. “We were right there. We didn’t play well, but we were right there.
“A lot of kids were upset. I was happy to see that.”
Interesting quote, huh? Happy his kids were upset? Of course, that means the players felt the pain of defeat, which means it matters to them. That’s a fun team to coach. That’s an easy team to coach, too.
As far as individual shout-outs, Rodriguez liked the play of a couple of his youngsters. Bryson Metz, a freshman, had 12 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore tight end Bryce Dodge had eight catches for 94 yards and a score.
Next up is a long road trip to Boardman, Ore., to take on Riverside. That is the same Riverside team that lost to Seton Catholic in Week 3, 66-0. Rodriguez said his team is not concerning itself with how Riverside played someone else. He and his staff have to get his players ready.
“Coming off a loss, we’re staying positive. We’re focusing on the future. That’s Riverside. That’s our next game,” the coach said.
The Knights also are hoping to make it a memorable trip. The program has a charter bus for the drive. They will stop and have lunch together. Oh, and watch “Rudy” on the bus.
Despite the record, there is hope at La Center
La Center Wildcats (0-3)
Week 3: Hoquiam 40, La Center 14
Next: at Kalama, 7 p.m. Friday
The record is fact but the record will not define this team, this season.
“We definitely have hope,” La Center coach John Lambert said. “Getting the best 11 in the best 11 spots is what we’re trying to do.”
And it takes time with so many new starters.
Oh, and then the Wildcats have lost another starter this season. Sam Granneman, who was having a strong season on the offensive line, is out with a knee injury, which forced another change against Hoquiam.
“We’ve had to shuffle around our whole offensive line,” Lambert said. “We’re learning what works, and what doesn’t work.
“We keep on learning things we can’t do, things we shouldn’t do. That’s a maturity process for a team with brand new starters.”
Plus, La Center is playing good teams. This week, the Wildcats take on defending Class 2B state champion Kalama.
In other words, Lambert said, don’t worry about the Wildcats. They will be better when league play starts.
“If we were 3-0 and beat three teams that weren’t very good we wouldn’t be improving,” Lambert said. “This forces us to really examine where we’re at and what we can do to get better.”
La Center has only lost a couple league games this decade.
“As much as it’s not fun (to win right now), it’s not devastating to our program,” Lambert said.
The Wildcats did have a close half against Hoquiam. In fact, they were driving, hoping to get to within a touchdown. Time ran out on them at the 5-yard line.
“There’s hope,” Lambert said.
