Bracket Breakdown: WIAA 2B state football tournament first-round previews, stat leaders, game picks
After a pair of two-victory seasons, Asotin High School football needed to learn to win again.
And two September losses, in which the Panthers were outscored, 89-32, put this year’s youthful Asotin squad at a crossroad.
A 22-8 victory over Chewelah in Week 5 turned the tide, and the Panthers are now winners of six games in a row entering their WIAA Class 2B state tournament first-round matchup against River View.
“We started believing a bit that we had the ability and a bright future,” said 10th-year coach Jim Holman, who leads Asotin to its first state appearance since 2019.
* CLASS 2B WASHINGTON TOURNAMENT BRACKET
At the helm of that turnaround are Holman’s nephews — Gavin and Cody Ells.
Gavin, a senior receiver, leads the team with 39 catches, 758 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. But it’s his intelligence and football wherewithal that make him stand out most, Holman said.
Then there’s the sophomore quarterback, Cody. A "prototypical quarterback", Holman described, Cody has now started 20 games for the Panthers. This year, he’s thrown for 1,419 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“He’s athletic enough, a dual-threat guy,” Holman said of his signal caller. “Often times, it seems like they have this connection: Gavin knows how to get open, and Cody knows to look at him first.”
While the two are not outwardly affectionate, "deep down, they’re each other’s biggest fans," Holman said. And that bond has been built in large part due to sports.
Both three-sport standouts, the Ells brothers are emblematic of a big reason for Asotin’s success: All 23 varsity players are multi-sport athletes, 16 of which compete in all three seasons.
Holman concluded why that’s important for the Panthers: "They understand what it means having each other’s backs and enjoy going to battle together."
Editor’s note: Here’s a game-by-game breakdown, including top individual performers, outlook and score predictions of this weekend’s 2023 WIAA Class 1B football first-round matchups.
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NO. 11 TRI-CITIES PREP JAGUARS (7-3) vs. NO. 6 TOLEDO RIVERHAWKS (8-2)
Photo courtesy of Toledo athletics
1 p.m. Saturday at Kelso High School
Statistical leaders: For Tri-Cities Prep — No stats provided. For Toledo — QB Eli Weeks (1,037 passing yards, 11 TDs; 589 rushing yards, seven TDs), RB Ethen Carver (146 carries, 1,508 yards, 17 TDs) and WR Trevin Gale (28 catches, 472 yards, eight TDs).
What to watch for: Making their fourth consecutive state playoff appearance, the Riverhawks have an updated look to their Wing-T offense this year. In large part due to Weeks, a sophomore, Toledo has opted for more shotgun formations this year, and the offense has hummed to the tune of 38.2 points per game. Senior linemen Bayron Rodriguez and Gabe Cabrera pave the way for the Riverhawks' attack. But they will have their hands full against a stout Jaguars’ defense that’s allowed just 11.1 points per game, including two shutouts in their past three contests. Quarterback Caleb Sherfey is a Tri-Cities Prep standout worth the price of admission.
Pick: Toledo, 27-14.
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NO. 10 BREWSTER BEARS (5-5) vs. NO. 7 GOLDENDALE TIMBERWOLVES (9-1)
Photo courtesy of Goldendale athletics
1 p.m. Friday at Goldendale High school
Statistical leaders: For Brewster — QB Brady Wulf (97-181, 1,445 yards, 13 TDs), RB Cole Aparicio (96 carries, 516 yards, five TDs), RB Fabian Nava (63 carries, 472 yards, three TDs), WR Mario Camacho (33 catches, 573 yards, 10 TDs) and LB Preston Thompson (77 tackles) and DB Mario Camacho (four interceptions. For Goldendale — QB Braxton Seaver (56-103, 888 yards, 11 TDs), RB Matthew Gray (101 carries, 1,151 yards, 18 TDs), WR Cameron Groves (30 catches, 537 yards, eight TDs) and LB Matthew Gray (64 tackles, nine TFL, three INT) and DL Seth Wilder (10 TFL).
What to watch for: The Bears are seeking their first state win since 1998, a team led by some of this year’s player’s fathers. “So we are due for a W!” Coach Travis Todd proclaimed. An athletic and committed Bears side bolstered their non-league schedule with higher classification opponents to prepare for a playoff run. That run continues against a Timberwolves’ defense that’s allowed just 7.7 points per game, including four consecutive shutouts. Gray leads a powerful Goldendale rushing attack. A week after running for 332 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries, Gray is hungry for more.
Pick: Goldendale, 27-15.
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NO. 12 FRIDAY HARBOR WOLVERINES (5-3) vs. NO. 5 KALAMA CHINOOKS (7-3)
Photo courtesy of Friday Harbor athletics
2 p.m. Friday at Chinook Stadium, Kalama
Statistical leaders: For Friday Harbor — QB Whiley McCutcheon (750 passing yards, 10 TDs), McCutcheon (700 rushing yards, 10 TDs), RB Chris Gustafson (1,100 yards, 12 TDs) and LB Pierce Kleine (65 tackles) and LB Whiley McCutcheon (65 tackles, seven INT. For Kalama — QB Aiden Brown (2,012 passing yards, 18 TDs; 87 carries, 1,029 yards, 17 TDs), RB Drew Schlangen (51 carries, 261 yards, three TDs), WR Ethan Brightbill (48 catches, 708 yards, eight TDs), WR Quin Hahn (30 catches, 448 yards) and LB Schlangen (79.5 tackles, four TFL, three INT) and LB Dylan Jones (64 tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles).
What to watch for: The Chinooks come into this matchup “frustrated and angry” after missing out on a first-round bye to Onalaska, which they beat 44-36 on Oct. 6. But adversity is nothing new for this injury-riddled Kalama team, whose three losses came to 2A No. 9 seed Woodland, 1A No. 8 seed La Center and 2B top seed Napavine. The dynamic Brown is another in a long line of athletic, do-it-all quarterbacks for the Chinooks, who are back in the state playoffs after going 3-6 a season ago. Their first test is run-heavy Friday Harbor, led by McCutcheon and Gustafson - the latter of which, Kalama coach Mike Phelps had this to say: “They won’t hesitate to run him six, seven, eight times in a row. He doesn’t appear to get tired.”
Pick: Kalama, 34-17.
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NO. 9 ASOTIN PANTHERS (7-2) vs. NO. 8 RIVER VIEW PANTHERS (9-1)
Photo courtesy of Asotin athletics
7 p.m. Friday at Fran Rish Stadium, Richland
Statistical leaders: For Asotin — QB Cody Ells (1,419 passing yards, 12 TDs; 99 carries, 609 yards, nine TDs), RB Peter Eggleston (142 carries, 817 yards, 10 TDs), WR Gavin Ells (39 catches, 758 yards, 11 TDs) and LB Peter Eggleston and LB Dylan Finney (tackles). For River View — QB Hyatt Clark (113-172, 1,822 yards, 29 TDs), RB Karson Rawlings (125 carries, 853 yards, nine TDs), WR Trayce Teagle (27 catches, 533 yards, nine TDs) and LB Teagle (seven INT) and DB Austin Eckhart (81 tackles, two blocked FGs) and DL Nate Clinton (eight sacks, 10 TFL).
What to watch for: This Nos. 8-9 matchup should be a doozy between teams that reached this point in remarkably similar ways. Both suffered September defeats to third-seeded Northwest Christian before finding their identities as the season rolled on. River View, led by Clark, will spread the ball around to many different playmakers and challenge an Asotin pass defense that hasn’t been tested against the run-heavy offenses of the Northeast 2B League. A tight-knit Panthers side will try to play physical and use a rushing attack led Eggleston to open up the passing game. An opponent the two have in common: 11th-seeded Tri-Cities Prep. Asotin won 16-6 in Week 2; River View won 17-14 in Week 6.
Pick: River View, 22-20.
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(Featured file photo courtesy of Jim Holman)
