For the second straight year, the Onalaska football team struggled to get out of its way in the season opener against Nooksack Valley, and for the second straight year, the Loggers are 0-1.
Onalaska made the trip north to face the Pioneers on Friday, and they left with a 35-12 loss.
“Just a lot of little things killed us,” Onalaska coach Mazen Saade said. “Just little things that we work on every single day at the most inopportune time we need to focus a heck of a lot more.”
The Loggers struck first when Lane Gordon broke free for a 67-yard touchdown, and after a pair of Nooksack Valley touchdowns, Ethan Thayer pushed through for a two-yard touchdown run to make it 14-12.
Onalaska had the chance to take the lead before halftime, but fumbled the ball away in the red zone.
It wasn’t the only time the Loggers squandered a shot near the goal line. In the third, they got to the 10-yard line, but an illegal shift and false start pushed them back.
“In games like this where you’re playing a high quality opponent like Nooksack Valley, you can’t afford to make mistakes,” Saade said. “We need to focus a heck of a lot more.”
Onalaska (0-1) will head across I-5 to take on Napavine next Friday, Sept. 12 before heading to Cedar Park Christian on Saturday, Sept. 20.
“The road doesn’t get any easier for us,” Saade said. “If we want to continue to compete, we have to improve on our little mistakes. We have a lot of things we need to shore up if we want to get where we want to get this season.”
