Things get away from Washougal late in 47-6 loss to Tumwater

TUMWATER — At first glance, Tumwater’s 47-6 win over Washougal in a Class 2A state first-round game on Friday is what one might expect from a No. 2 seed against a No. 15 seed.

But the final score masked how competitive this game was for quite some time.

But an end-zone interception by Tumwater in the third quarter opened the door for the Thunderbirds to pull away and advance to the 2A state quarterfinals.

“I was hoping we would show that we were better than a 15 seed,” Washougal coach Dave Hajek said. “And I thought for three quarters, we did. The last quarter, it just got away from us.”

Things nearly got away from the Panthers right from the start.

Washougal was fortunate to only be trailing 7-0 with 1:22 left in the first quarter, considering the Panthers did not have a first down in two possessions and Tumwater did not take an offensive side from its side of the 50-yard line.

And then Royce Jones provided Washougal with its highlight of the night — maybe for the entire season.

Facing another three-and-out, Jones took a screen pass on third down and appeared set to be brought down short of the first down.

But as he was being tackled, Jones landed on Tumwater’s Blake Heryford, stayed on his feet and took off for a 72-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 7-6.

Tumwater answered back to go up 13-6. Washougal was hoping to keep that score going into halftime when the Panthers punted back to the Thunderbirds with 3:29 left in the half.

But Peyton Davis’ 41-yard punt return set the Thunderbirds with a short field that they converted into a 20-6 halftime lead.

Even after Tumwater extended its lead to 27-6 in the third quarter, the Panthers didn’t quit.

A 10-play, 55-yard drive got Washougal a first down on the Tumwater 10 after Jones’ gritty 6-yard run on fourth down.

But Wyatt Chase pulled down an interception in the end zone on the next play to end Washougal’s hopes, given the way the Thunderbirds offense was rolling.

Tumwater rushed for 367 yards, led by 149 from Davis. The Thunderbirds scored on every possession Friday night, except the first that ended with a fumble into the end zone and a brief possession at the end of the first half.

“We had a tough time stopping them all day long,” Hajek said. “Then we made too many mistakes on offense. With the false starts, things like that, we kept getting in first-and-15, second-and-15. And as good as they are, it’s tough to be behind the sticks.”

It was a disheartening way to end a memorable season led by huge senior class to a 2A Greater St. Helens League title and a 9-2 mark.

“Going into the season, I don’t think anybody but us thought we would win the league title,” Hajek said. “Then we go into the playoffs, and we still felt like we didn’t get enough respect. So (the players) felt like they had a chip on their shoulders, and they were going to show people how good they are. And like I said, for the first three quarters, I thought they did a pretty good job.”