Sports Just a few plays into the first game of the season after a long bus ride north, the Washougal Panthers pounced on a fumble by the West Seattle Wildcats and scored a touchdown Sept. 1 in Seattle.
Ian Harris scooped up the football and carried it across the goal line to trigger a tidal wave of touchdowns for Washougal. By the end of the first quarter, it was 44-0. And then 54-0 by halftime.
“Sometimes, after a three-and-a-half hour bus ride, you come out flat,” said Washougal head coach Dave Hajek. “Our kids were ready to play and they were excited to play. They all played hard throughout the entire game.”
The Panthers racked up points, left and right. Kade Coons collected 117 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He crossed the goal line on runs of 2, 5 and 24 yards. Grant Lewis caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Stevens, and Stevens also kicked a 21-yard field goal. Nathan Tofell and Brevan Bea added touchdown runs, and Jakob Davis sacked a Wildcat in the end zone for a safety.
“Our guys got a slight taste of what Friday nights are going to be like,” Hajek said. “Hopefully, they stay hungry and want to keep playing hard.”
