ONALASKA – It was clear from the first snap of the game: It just wasn’t the Loggers’ night on Friday against Nooksack Valley.
Onalaska actually got a free five yards thanks to a penalty before the first play from scrimmage, but the good fortune didn’t last long.
The Loggers fumbled on its opening play, and the Pioneers took advantage by scoring a touchdown six plays later.
The second drive was almost identical to the first, as another fumble just two plays in led to another Nooksack Valley touchdown.
“Protecting the ball is everything,” Onalaska coach Mazen Saade said. “And we didn't do that tonight.”
The Loggers never recovered from the early flurry of turnovers, as the Pioneers built a lead before cruising to a 42-16 win to open the season.
“We put ourselves in some early holes, and we didn’t dig ourselves out of them,” Saade said. “That’s tough. We have a lot to learn. We have to grow up quick, fast, and in a hurry.”
The turnovers didn’t stop after the first two drives. Instead, each of the next two drives also ended in a turnover, as a bobbled snap was picked up by a Pioneer and a deep shot on fourth-and-7 near midfield was intercepted.
By halftime, the Loggers had turned the ball over four of their five drives, excluding a short drive before the end of the half, and they trailed 27-0.
“That’s a really good program,” Saade said, noting that the Pioneers made the 1A semifinals last season. “I didn’t do a good enough job preparing our kids to play them.”
It wasn’t just the turnovers that hurt Onalaska, however, as they also committed five pre-snap penalties in the first half alone.
“I hate the cliche, ‘We keep shooting ourselves in the foot,’” Saade said. “We just made a lot of stupid mistakes. Little things just killed us tonight. And that’s on me as the coach. I’ll fix that and this program will get better.”
The second half was better for the Loggers (0-1), as they forced a three-and-out before going on a five-play touchdown drive. Blaze Underhill had the big play of the drive, a 26-yard gain, and he punched it in for a two-yard touchdown.
Lane Gordon scored Ony’s second touchdown, punching it in from the one. Underhill led the Loggers with 86 yards rushing, while Rodrigo Rodriguez wasn’t far behind with 84. As a team, Onalaska tallied 261 rushing yards.
While the second half had its bright spots, Saade still sees a big week ahead as the Loggers prepare for Week 2 against Pe Ell-Willapa Valley.
“We gotta go to work,” Saade said. “We gotta focus on us and figure out Ony football. We didn’t play Ony football tonight … I believe these kids are up for the challenge.”
