State Football: Wilson, Denault fuel Napavine to rout over Adna

By Zach Martin / zach@chronline.com
Posted 11/23/24

From the season-opener to the Class 2B state quarterfinals, Grady Wilson and Karsen Denault have built and formed a connection.

The pair of playmakers for the Napavine High School football team …

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State Football: Wilson, Denault fuel Napavine to rout over Adna

Posted

From the season-opener to the Class 2B state quarterfinals, Grady Wilson and Karsen Denault have built and formed a connection.

The pair of playmakers for the Napavine High School football team have been through some ups and downs. After all, Wilson is a first-year starting quarterback and Denault – for all his talent and natural speed – is in the midst of going through a fully healthy season.

There might have been no bigger high for those two than on Saturday night.

Third-seeded Napavine scored six times with Denault and Wilson being responsible for all of them in a dominating 46-6 triumph over 11th-seeded Adna at Tiger Stadium to reach the semifinals for the 10th consecutive season.

“Super important, it is fun to be there and work together,” Wilson said. “See where we can go.”

The decade-long stretch of dominance has been fueled by consistency in the coaching staff and the athleticism the Tigers (10-2) boast on the field.

Yet this group, in head coach Josh Fay’s eyes, might be the most focused in terms of preparation and in-game adjustments as they prepare to face No. 2 Asotin in the semifinals next Saturday at Richland High School.

“We got a lot of really nice pieces and parts and we do have athletes,” Fay said. “I think they’ve come to understand, especially in the last three-to-four weeks, that attention to detail has been the difference in the outcomes of games.”

When the two sides met in Week 5 in the C2BL West opener, it was viewed as a seismic shift. Napavine was without four starters and grinded out a 27-13 win, then rolled over its next seven opponents by scoring at least 45 points every time.

And Adna (8-4) reeled off six straight wins and triumphed over the defending Class 1B state champs in Liberty Bell 8-3 on the road in the Round of 16.

“Even though we lost by a lot tonight, we’re a better team than we were (at) the beginning of the year,” Pirates head coach Aaron Cochran said. “I’m proud of that.”

This meeting turned one-sided in a hurry.

Wilson plunged for a 7-yard TD on Napavine’s first possession that featured four first downs. Then Denault took a sweep, avoided what would have been a loss of at least four yards, and broke free for a 67-yard scamper on the next drive to put it up 16-6.

Two plays before the long run, the senior dove for a fumble recovery.

“I couldn’t be prouder, honestly,” Denault said.

It took until the second quarter for Wilson to find Denault in the end zone.

On fourth down, Denault was left wide open and darted 20 yards for six. Then when facing pressure, Wilson unleashed a heave that Denault leaped over two defenders and ended up scoring a wild touchdown from 26 yards out.

“He’s one of the best athletes in the state,” Wilson said. “I saw him down there and I was trying to get it in front of him. Wasn't where I wanted it to be exactly and he made a great play. Pretty awesome to watch.”

“I just got higher than both of them,” Denault added. “We don’t want the season to be over yet.”

Then on defense, Wilson had an interception return and Denault capped the night with a scoop-and-score.

Wilson was an accurate 10-for-12 with 141 yards and Denault hauled in seven of those passes for 118.

“That chemistry has developed in maybe four months and that’s not normal for that to happen that quickly,” Fay said. “They spent a lot of time together.”

The opening kickoff took seven seconds and then a 20-minute delay.

Adna’s Preston Cardin was injured and had to be placed on a stretcher and into an ambulance. The sophomore had most of his teammates tap his helmet before the contest resumed.

The Pirates used that bit of emotional boost and finished an eight-play, 74-yard drive with a 57-yard touchdown from Layden York to Gavan Muller.

“You have to be able to do more than one thing against a team like that,” Cochran said. “Expand upon what we do. They’d play for any of their teammates. It is a pretty close team.”

York ended up throwing it 16 times, more than most this season and it caught Napavine off guard. Still, Wilson snared three interceptions and the turnover margin favored the Tigers.

Beau Miller tallied 100 yards on 18 touches and York ended with over 110 total yards of offense for the Pirates.

“It wasn’t something we planned on a lot,” Fay said.

The Pirates will graduate a seven-member senior class, buoyed by the leadership from guys like Luke Mohney, Muller and Jack Smith. Four of the five starters on the offensive line and most of the defense are expected back for 2025.

But Cochran has always viewed success if his group got better each day, each week and each game.

“There’s a lot of talent and there’s a lot of work those kids are willing to do,” he said. “I know my team will focus on getting better.”

Napavine now gets a date with the unbeaten Panthers out east. Asotin’s signature win is Week 4 against Freeman, another semifinalist, by three points. Its two postseason wins over Cle-Elum Roslyn and La Salle have been by a combined four points.

“They don’t think highly of us at all and we’re ready to prove them wrong,” Denault said.