Timberwolves 48, Bruins 7

Their first four touchdowns followed a lost fumble by the Bruins, Columbia's failure to convert on fourth-and-2 from its own 37, a blocked punt by Goldendale and a bad snap by CHS in punt formation, respectively.

Kyle Hamilton scored four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) and Tanner Milliren passed for three scores and 149 yards to lead Goldendale, which finished with 352 yards of total offense.

Columbia totaled 161 yards of offense and was held out of the end zone until 9:31 remained in the contest.

"We have to give Goldendale credit. They returned 20 starters from a state playoff team and have only gotten better from where they were last year," Bruins Coach Matt Whitmire said. "Goldendale played a relatively mistake-free game, and they have a good run of talent going through there right now."

The Timberwolves took the lead less than four minutes into the game when Hamilton scored from 32 yards out on a first-down counter play that caught the Bruins' defense over-balanced to the left side of Goldendale's offensive formation.

On the ensuing series, Columbia went for it on fourth-and-2 from its 37. But Goldendale dropped Taylor Champion for a 1-yard loss and CHS turned the ball over on downs.

From there, Goldendale needed seven plays to go 36 yards for its second touchdown: an 8-yard run by Nick Dohrman that capped the Timberwolves' most time-consuming drive of the night (4 minutes, 54 seconds).

A pair of CHS special team blunders set up Goldendale's third and fourth touchdowns.

The Timberwolves blocked Enrique Granados' punt less than 3 minutes into the second quarter and recovered the free ball at CHS's 37. Two plays later, Goldendale led 19-0 on a 26-yard run by Hamilton.

Columbia couldn't get its offense untracked on its next possession, however, and again had to punt. This time, the snap sailed over Granados' outstretched hands. Granados recovered for CHS, but was tackled at the Bruins' 18.

Goldendale capitalized in three plays, scoring on a 9-yard pass from Milliren to Hamilton, and Milliren ran for the 2-point conversion to give the Timberwolves a 27-0 lead.

The Bruins avoided the shutout, however, when Champion scored on a 17-yard run with 9:31 remaining in the fourth quarter--a run that finished off an eight-play, 60-yard drive.

It was Columbia's longest drive since its opening possession, when it drove from its 31 to Goldendale's 37 before losing the ball on a bad center-quarterback exchange.

Earlier, Champion returned the second-half kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown, only to have the effort negated by an illegal block in the back penalty on CHS. For the Bruins, it was that kind of night.

"The most disappointing things we saw on film were players who have been in the same offensive scheme for four years and they still didn't execute what they needed to do," Whitmire said. "Regardless of how poorly we played, we have to own up to the fact that we were responsible for our poor showing and need to take steps to correct it."

Sideline Notes:

Columbia played without four starters on offense and on defense; they were ineligible for the first game. Moreover, CHS used its third-string center and its second-string punter.

"With the starters being out, it forced us to play quite a few kids, including two freshmen, in places that they shouldn't have to play," Whitmire noted. "We won't have that problem this week as we are expected to be fairly healthy."