Seton Catholic sprints past Kalama for 49-12 win in top-10 Class 1A showdown

KALAMA — A matchup perceived as a test for top-10 ranked Class 1A football programs Kalama and Seton Catholic instead turned into a result the Cougars have become all too familiar with this season.

Seton Catholic’s 49-12 road win at Chinook Stadium was the latest example of a Cougars squad executing in all three phases to decide a game early.

A high-octane offense averaging 50 points per game scored touchdowns on each of its first six drives, with four touchdown passes thrown by quarterback Kolten Gesser.

An opportunistic defense forced two key turnovers late in the first half to give the Cougars (6-0, 4-0 Trico League) extra momentum at halftime.
And, a special teams unit did its job when called upon.

“Special teams, offense, defense were all clicking,” senior defensive back Lance Lee said. “It kind of shows that there’s work to be done, of course, but there’s so much more that we can do with all this talent.”

The Cougars see the sky as the limit. The Chinooks (5-1, 3-1) came crashing down to earth with multiple injuries testing the team’s depth.

None was more costly than senior do-it-all quarterback Aiden Brown, who suffered a hamstring injury while running for a 3-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive and did not return. Kalama coach Mike Phelps said it’s unlikely Brown plays in next week’s game against Columbia-White Salmon.

Kalama’s Drew Schlangen added a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to get the Chinooks within 14-12, but on the drive to follow, backup quarterback Henry Sigfridson was also forced out of the game after taking a big hit near the Seton sideline.

“Being prepared to have our number three quarterback out there is obviously something we were ill-prepared (for),” Phelps said.

The Cougars’ defense capitalized on the Chinooks’ injury woes.

Lee intercepted a Kalama deep pass and returned it for a 92-yard touchdown with under two minutes left in the half.

Then, Xavier Crank sacked the Chinooks and forced a fumble recovered by Lee at the Kalama 10-yard line. That left Gesser with enough time to throw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Ryker Ruelas with eight seconds remaining in the half, putting the Cougars ahead 42-12 at halftime.

“Our focus before halftime was 40 (points) at halftime,” Gesser said. “That was awesome, and again, all facets of the game — defense doing their job, getting the ball back for us, and offense doing their job scoring.”

What would be a lofty goal for most teams has become almost routine in a Cougars’ offense boasting an arsenal of playmakers. Running back Jacob Williams ran for two touchdowns, Ruelas caught two touchdowns, while Teddy Wieczorek and Joe Callerame each hauled in one touchdown reception from Gesser, who’s thrown 26 touchdowns in six games this season.

“We have a phenomenal coaching staff just preparing every week,” Gesser said. “We’re so versatile. All four receivers are great, the running back is amazing, so it’s kind of whatever the defense chooses to stop, we’ll do the opposite, just execute and do our jobs.”

SETON CATHOLIC 49, KALAMA 12

Seton 14 28 7 0—49

Kalama 6 6 0 0—12

First quarter

K — Aiden Brown 3 run (kick failed)

SC — Ryker Ruelas 38 pass from Kolten Gesser (Dalton Woods kick)

SC — Jacob Williams 39 run (Woods kick)

Second quarter

K — Drew Schlangen 7 run (two-point conversion run failed)

SC — Teddy Wieczorek 16 pass from Gesser (Woods kick)

SC — Williams 2 run (Woods kick)

SC — Lance Lee 92 interception return (Woods kick)

SC — Ruelas 7 pass from Gesser (Woods kick)

Third quarter

SC — Joe Callerame 3 pass from Gesser (Woods kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Seton Catholic: Jacob Williams 13-155, Joe Callerame 1-2; Kalama: Drew Schlangen 27-136, Aiden Brown 5-38, Landon Morris 1-0, Henry Sigfridson 2-(minus 1), Benji Brightbill 3-11, Talan Thomas 5-26, Brayden Storedahl 3-4, Erik Schulson 1-1.

PASSING – Seton Catholic: Kolten Gesser 9-13-0-145; Kalama: Henry Sigfridson 3-4-0-14, Drew Schlangen 1-2-0-29, Benji Brightbill 1-5-1-2.

RECEIVING – Seton Catholic: Ryker Ruelas 2-45, Teddy Wieczorek 1-16, Xavier Crank 1-24, Joe Callerame 5-60; Kalama: Aiden Brown 1-6, Jonny Martinez 2-33, Drew Schlangen 1-4, Quin Hahn 1-2.