ONALASKA — Pe Ell-Willapa Valley got the drive it needed out of the halftime break.
Trailing by three scores at halftime, the Titans went on an eight minute drive and got into the end zone to get on the board. All of the momentum was on the Titans’ sideline.
That was until moments later, when Blaze Underhill ripped off a 53-yard touchdown on the first play of the following Onalaska drive to give the Loggers all of the momentum back.
It was that kind of night for Underhill, who ran for 233 yards and four touchdowns to lead Onalaska to a 36-8 win over PWV on Friday.
“That kid can run the ball,” Onalaska coach Mazen Saade said. “He’s a lot of fun to watch carry the ball. Tonight was a good test for him and he played his tail off.”
It wasn’t Underhill’s only long touchdown run of the day, as he opened the fourth quarter by ripping off a 56-yard run to put the game away.
“We trust each other as a team,” Underhill said. “The line did great today … Just ran through the holes they created for me.”
“It’s a privilege,” he continued. “To be out here, to wear this uniform. Everyone out here on a Friday, it’s the best experience you’ll ever get. We’re out here grinding on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we get to celebrate on Friday.”
Rodrigo Rodriguez was the first Logger to find the end zone on the night, as he capped Onalaska's second drive with a short score.
Underhill scored the Loggers’ second and third TDs of the night, though they were separated by a fumble at the goalline and a turnover in between.
While the stops gave the PWV defense some life late in the second half, the offense couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities.
The Titans didn’t record a first down until their sixth drive of the game. That was also the first time they got across midfield, but they ran out of time before they were able to get into the endzone.
“We just weren’t prepared up front,” PWV coach Nate Smith said. “They’re a very physical team.”
On that 14-play, 65-yard drive to open the second half, Smith said that they “played their kind of football.” Cody Strozyk, who finished with a team-high 54 rushing yards, punched it in from the one for PWV’s only touchdown of the night.
“They’re gonna come back,” Smith said. “They don’t quit. It was a rough game, but we got Toledo next week and we’ll go from there.”
Saade was especially pleased with the way his defense performed, and he credited defensive coordinator Wayne Nelson for getting the team ready to go on that side of the ball.
“I thought our defensive game plan was spot on tonight,” Saade said. “We made a lot of improvements from last week … Our kids played lights out.”
Rodriguez and Sam Pannkuk came down with interceptions, and as a team, the Loggers only allowed 102 total yards.
“We still got a long way to go,” Saade said. “We just gotta keep working on the little things to get where we need to be.”
The Old Helmet Game will be played next week for the first time since 2018, as Mossyrock will come to Onalaska (1-1) next Friday, while PWV (1-1) will return home to host Toledo at Willapa Valley.
