ONALASKA — Progress isn’t linear. Mazen Saade understands that better than most Class 2B coaches.
The Onalaska High School football team returned a plethora of starters on both sides of the ball. They weren’t just all-league, all-area and all-state kids back in the mix, but stalwart leaders that understand the ways in Grit City.
Still, Saade stated before a snap of competitive football ever happened, “A year older doesn’t make a year better.”
A year older does make a year wiser and more mature. And when the Loggers needed to rise to the occasion, they did so emphatically.
Their defense bent several times on Friday night and never broke plus key runs from Ethan Thayer and company allowed Onalaska to come away with a 44-32 triumph against Adna in a non-league barn-burner.
“I think it will only increase,” Saade said of his group’s maturity. “A win is a win and you have to enjoy that. I’m impressed with our kids, they could have easily tucked tail and hid. They fought like hell.”
It was billed as a matchup between a pair of teams that can be squarely in the mix to be a representative inside Husky Stadium in December. Just like Onalaska, Adna brought nearly everyone back from last year’s state semifinal group.
The two sides exchanged blows throughout the night and it only got to a three-score deficit once.
“We knew this was going to be one of our most challenging games,” Loggers senior Eli Srnka said. “We got to show up and show out.”
Srnka ended up with one of the plays of the night, picking off Adna quarterback Trevin Salme in the end zone to close the opening half. He kept his eyes on Salme and read his throw to come down with the interception.
It kept the Loggers (3-0) in front by nine with the Pirates receiving the second half kick.
“I just went up and got it,” Srnka said. “I knew it was big for us.”
“Huge,” Saade added. “He plays out of his mind. He keeps making big play after big play. He pulls himself up by his bootstraps and just goes to work.”
After Adna ate up six-plus minutes on its first drive out of the locker room, capped by an Evan Hultberg 2-yard plunge, Srnka went up the ‘A’ gap on the left side and dashed his way for a 56-yard TD. It took Onalaska just 64 seconds to find an answer.
Ethan Thayer hurdled a guy, broke a tackle and found paydirt from 18-yards out early in the fourth to make it 44-26.
“We got into our diesel set and it was absolutely huge,” Saade said.
Adna (2-1) refused to go quietly.
Salme dove for the pylon with 92 seconds left to make it 44-32, this after the Pirates turned the ball over on downs, but proceeded to force an Onalaska punt. Despite not getting the onside kick, the Loggers coughed the ball up for the third time with goal-to-go and under a minute left.
Adna marched across midfield and then the drive wilted before any potential miracle. Srnka had a pair of pass breakups in the fourth.
“Hell yeah we got to execute,” Pirates head coach Aaron Cochran said. “We can compete with that team. When you have opportunities, you have to take them. We scored 32 points on Onalaska, who I think is the best team in the state.
“We didn’t do a good enough job stopping them and that’s on me.”
Without the services of star fullback Beau Miller, who suffered an injury in the Week 2 win over Seton Catholic and Cochran stated he was “not close” to playing, the Pirates went to the air frequently.
The screen game with Landen Cline, Grayson Humphrey and Kannen Kephart was more than effective. Salme finished 30-for-48 with 343 yards while Cline, Humphrey and Kephart all had north of 70 receiving yards; Cline finished with 112.
Salme was also the top rusher at 66 yards. Adna averaged 4.6 yards per carry on the night.
“If they give us something, we’re going to take it,” Cochran said. “I thought a lot of guys played really well. We played them hard.”
Onalaska knew the screen passes were coming. It struggled to contain it.
“We weren't quite as ready as we should have been,” Srnka said.
Hamrick and Thayer each scored in the opening quarter, then Adna responded with back-to-back scores from Humphrey and Cline. Both of the Pirates’ touchdowns came off turnovers.
Onalaska QB Lane Gordon executed what Saade called a “poetic” option pitch to Hamrick for a 40-yard score in the second. Thayer added another TD from 43 yards out. Thayer went for 171 on 19 carries while Hamrick added 153 on 11 carries.
Gordon totaled over 125 yards of total offense for the evening.
“Just to watch him come of age and take over the offense has been awesome,” Saade said of his QB. “I thought our offensive line did a better job.”
The Pirates will host Bellevue Christian next week before their first C2BL West game of the season, at home against Pe Ell/Willapa Valley. Cochran is always looking for his group to get better and this week is no different.
“We got a lot of growing to do and we’re gonna have to play assignment-sound football,” he said.
Onalaska gets two more non-league games against 1A powers Meridian and Mount Baker. The Loggers will recognize the 1986 state championship team next week against Meridian for the 40-year anniversary.
To be 3-0 and still with plenty to improve on, Saade couldn't be happier.
“Our kids are playing well,” Saade said. “Our world doesn’t get any easier. That’s how we want it and we’re gonna keep playing.”
