WASHOUGAL – It was never going to be easy. Postseason droughts nearly a decade old tend to die hard.
But when Washougal finally put away a stubborn R.A. Long team 27-19 on Friday at Fishback Stadium, the Panthers could finally exhale.
Jacob Sonneman did. For the linebacker, it was an exhale the showed both relief and pride.
Relief that Washougal is almost assuredly headed to the postseason for the first time in nine years.
Pride that his senior class was the group to do it.
“It’s magical,” Sonneman said. “We finally made it. We’re going to the playoffs.”
Washougal finished 2A Greater St. Helens League play at 4-2. The Panthers conclude their regular season with a nonleague game at Rainier before a regional playoff game as the likely No. 3 seed from the 2A GSHL.
The only way that wouldn’t come true is if league-leading Hockinson were to lose to R.A. Long (1-7, 1-4) next week, opening the door to a three-way tiebreaker playoff.
Regardless, Washougal is assured playing beyond the regular season’s end next Friday.
After starting the season 0-3, Washougal has won four of its last five games. Sonneman said that resilience comes from both within and beyond the huddle.
“It’s the team, but at the same time it’s the community around here,” he said. “We’ve got an awesome home crowd. They show up every week, every home game and bring the heat with us.”
Washougal was resilient against R.A. Long, a team that has struggled but wouldn’t back down on Friday.
The Lumberjacks cut Washougal’s lead to 27-19 with exactly one minute left in the game. After recovering an onside kick, R.A. Long had the ball at Washougal’s 30-yard line.
But four straight incompletions saw the threat snuffed out.
Then the celebration began.
“It’s a privilege because the guys on this team have invested so much,” junior quarterback Ryan Stevens said. “To be able to lead them and get this accomplishment done is pretty amazing.”
Washougal led 17-9 at halftime with Stevens accounting for all of Washougal’s points. The quarterback had two 1-yard touchdown runs and a 30-yard field goal.
Washougal’s ground attack mainly relied on Kade Coons, a speedy junior who rushed for 175 yards on 20 carries.
Of Washougal’s 256 yards of offense, 211 came on the ground.
“Just run the ball down the middle, four or five yards at a time. Keep grinding away,” Stevens said.
But Stevens said there was more to Washougal’s rushing attack than just running straight ahead.
“They were adjusting,” he said of his running backs. “In the huddle they were telling me how they were going to adjust their steps. Their adjustments definitely helped us get more yards.”
Stevens only completed two passes. But his 35-yard screen pass to Tyler Bowlin gave Washougal a 27-12 lead with 5:52 remaining.
R.A. Long would make it tense at the end. But Sonneman and his teammates had been though the enough battles, both this season and before, to not let this game slip away.
“We grew a lot as a unit,” he said. “We worked hard to eliminate mistakes and we rose to the competition.”
WASHOUGAL 27, R.A. LONG 19
R.A. Long 3 6 0 10 – 19
Washougal 10 7 3 7 – 27
First quarter
W – Ryan Stevens 30 FG
RAL – Julio Magana 27 FG
W – Stevens 1 run (Stevens kick)
Second quarter
RAL – Tyrick Lewis-Clark 25 pass from Owen Enriquez (pass failed)
W – Stevens 1 run (Stevens kick)
Third quarter
W – Stevens 28 FG
Fourth quarter
RAL – Magana 28 FG
W – Tyler Bowlin 35 pass from Stevens (Stevens kick)
RAL – Enriquez 2 run (Magana kick)
Individual statistics
RUSHING – R.A. Long: Parker Reeves 12-105, Justin Holmdahl 2-7, Riley Opgrande 9-38, Owen Enriquez 9-14. Washougal: Marcos Martinez 5-19, Kade Coons 22-175, Ryan Stevens 10-20, Nathan Tofell 8-37, Luke Langland 1-5.
PASSING – R.A. Long: Owen Enriquez 6-22-82. Washougal: Ryan Stevens 2-6-45.
RECEIVING – R.A. Long: Parker Reeves 2-19, Tyrick Lewis-Clark 1-25, Ethan Sterkel 1-6, Riley Opgrande 1-22, Connor Wallace 1-10. Washougal: Luke Langland 1-10, Tyler Bowlin 1-35.
