Fifty years back: Mossyrock and Morton battle into the night

As touched on in previous weeks, the 1973 season introduced overtime to high school football in Washington, and it didn’t take long for the area to get its first dose of the extra period. But nobody played a longer game than Mossyrock and Morton on Oct. 26, when the Vikings downed the Huskies 34-26 in triple overtime.

Morton star Mike Herron scored the first three Morton touchdowns, finishing the game with 226 yards on the ground. But going into the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, the Vikings held a 26-20 advantage. That changed on Morton’s final drive, which reached the 1-yard line before Tim Cournyer punched it in with 20 seconds left on the clock, but Mossyrock’s defense held firm on the two-point conversion try, sending the game into free football.

The defenses had their way for the first two overtime periods, before Mossyrock’s offense found its spark with Terry Stamper hitting John West for a 5-yard touchdown. The two-point try that followed was good as well, going from Stamper to Kevin Mitchell, and after a third defensive stop, the Vikings at the longest win of the fall.

‘Out of the cellar’

Something had to give in the battle between White Pass and Tenino —- the last two winless teams in the South Central League —- and while it took the better part of four quarters for anything offensive to happen, the Panthers came out the better for an 8-0 win.

The scoring came on a six-play, 67-yard drive in the fourth quarter, capped by a 6-yard Steve Kaliman run. Kaliman also ran in the two-pointer, giving White Pass what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.

Dave Randall led the defensive effort for the Panthers, logging 13 solo tackles, seven assists, a blocked punt, and a fumble recovery.

Quick hitters

• Adna fell behind 8-0 to Napavine in a rivalry clash, but Randy Topel changed that quickly with an 80-yard touchdown run. The Pirates turned the big play into momentum, taking the lead on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Rick Hasten to Brent Detering and running out ahead 30-8 before winning 30-14.
• Oakville only played its starters for two drives against Wishkah, but that was still enough time for Terry Kohr to rip off a 60-yard kick return touchdown, along with 176 rushing yards on nine carries. The Acorns ultimately won 60-8.

Quotable

“We are 5-3, and the coaches have lost all three games.” —- Pe Ell coach Bill Berg, after a 20-19 loss to Quinault.

Other scores

Shelton 20, Chehalis 7

Centralia 33, Timberline 7

Winlock 30, Kalama 12

Onalaska 6, Rochester 0

Rainier 29, Boistfort 6

Standings

Black Hills League (AA)

Shelton 6-0 8-0

Centralia 4-2 5-3

Chehalis 4-2 5-3

Camas 4-2 5-3

Tumwater 2-4 4-4

Elma 2-4 3-5

Timberline 1-5 2-6

1. Thurston 1-5 1-7

South Central League (A)

Winlock 7-0 7-1

Onalaska 6-1 6-1

Mossyrock 5-2 5-3

Kalama 5-3 5-3

Morton 4-3 5-3

Toledo 3-4 3-4

Rochester 1-6 1-7

White Pass 1-6 1-7

Tenino 0-7 0-8

SWW 8-Man League

Quinault 6-1 6-2

Pe Ell 5-1 5-3

Adna 4-2 4-4

Oakville 4-2 4-4

Napavine 3-3 5-3

Rainier 3-3 4-4

Boistfort 0-6 0-7

Wishkah 0-6 0-7