D.J. Malinowski woke up on game day Friday feeling no pain — a sign doctors took to mean he was good to leave the hospital four days after he checked in due to debilitating stomach pain.
Even if he was feeling pain, he would have lied, Malinowski joked. Nothing was about to stop the fifth year assistant coach from being on the sidelines with Woodland at Fishback Stadium Friday night to see the Beavers edge Washougal in its 2A Greater St. Helens League opener, 29-26.
“It was awesome,” Malinowski said. “It was huge for me, for them, for everybody. We definitely pride ourselves on being a family, and it’s hard when you can’t be there for your family.”
Malinowski, who moved to Woodland from Connecticut five years ago, was all smiles after the win. For the players, that was a two-way street.
“I was really happy to see him,” Woodland senior Tyler Flanagan said. “He came into the locker room and had the biggest smile on his face, he was ready to go get after it.”
The linebackers, special teams and strength coach texted Woodland head man Mike Woodward Tuesday to say he wasn’t feeling good. From there, a trip to urgent care turned into an E.R. visit, which posited a diagnosis of Diverticulitis, a digestive tract infection that can require surgery.
And for a couple days, doctors told Malinowski that going under the knife was a possibility. Throughout the week, a steady stream of players and coaches paid him a bedside visit.
Flanagan and his father, assistant coach Glen Flanagan went to see him Wednesday before practice. His linebackers went Wednesday night. Even more players came Thursday.
“My doctors knew, too, when they were seeing all these players come in that as long as I was responding I had to get out of there,” Malinowski said.
Dawgs and Ducks
Fans of quarterbacking were in for a treat Friday at Kiggins Bowl.
Mount Si’s Cale Millen and Skyview’s Yaroslav Duvalko combined for 727 passing yards in Mount Si’s 52-28 win.
It was Millen who really put on a show, throwing for 412 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 6-foot-4, 200 pound senior is one of the top quarterback recruits in the Northwest. The son of former University of Washington great Hugh Millen, Cale Millen has committed to the University of Oregon.
Wait, what?
That might raise some eyebrows in among superfans who bleed purple or green. But it’s not an issue in the Millen household.
“Cale’s his own man,” Hugh Millen said before Friday’s game. “I love UW, but I love Cale more. I support him 100 percent.”
Union gets tricky
Not that Darien Chase needed any help in having a big game in Union’s 43-18 win over Eastlake. The senior had eight catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
But the Titans broke out a trick play to get Chase his second touchdown reception of the night.
With the ball on the Eastlake 17, quarterback Lincoln Victor handed off Nile Jones, who was having a big first half rushing the ball.
Jones ran to his left, and the Eastlake defense followed. Jones pitched the ball to Jayden Picanco on the end around. Then Picanco lobbed a perfect pass to Chase in the end zone.
“All week we were going over it, and in practice it was way harder than it was (in the game),” Chase said of the play. “There was always a corner or safety (where Chase was supposed to be), so I was a little nervous. But tonight, it was wide open. I knew he could throw it. He was nervous, too, so shout out to Jayden.”
Everything worked to perfection, expect the post touchdown celebration. Picanco ran up to Chase for a celebratory jump and shoulder bump, but he missed his teammate and tumbled to the turf. So, almost perfect.
