WHITE SALMON — Columbia High equaled its cumulative three-year win total Nov. 1, when it won the Gorge Bowl, 42-18, over rival Stevenson on the final night of the regular football season.
The Bruins (3-6 overall, 2-5 Trico League) dominated the muddy line of scrimmage against the Bulldogs on a cold night — where steam often rose from the huddles of players. Stevenson had won the past three games between the two teams and last week’s win gave the Bruin seniors a winning sendoff.
“A good way to finish, that’s for sure; I’m so proud of this team and the coaching staff,” Coach Shawn Friese said of the seniors. “A big part of that is the senior leadership we’ve had on this team They kept us on the right track, and that has bigger implications than just on the football field.”
Columbia opened the season with a win, but then lost five games on the field and another via a forfeit (because of a lack of healthy players).
“We dealt with so much adversity this year. I don’t know if I’ve been a part of the team that’s had to deal with the kind of adversity we’ve had,” Friese said. “It would have been really easy to throw in the towel at some point and they just never did. They just kept fighting no matter what was thrown our way. The boys kept fighting, the coaching staff worked just harder, and that’s the reason we were able to finish the season how we did. … The seniors were such a huge part of that.”
Columbia’s offensive front powered the Bruin running game to a nearly 400-yard night. Wongani Schlegel was the main beneficiary, rushing 38 times for 289 yards and five touchdowns. Teammate Kai Brasuell added another score and 82 yards on 12 carries — when he wasn’t springing Schlegel with lead blocks.
Friese said: “I really can’t say enough about [the linemen]. Over the last three weeks really, but especially on Friday, they just played excellent. We have such a young line. They have improved so much. We threw the ball one time the entire game and put up 42 points — that’s pretty good.”
Columbia set the tone of the game on its first drive, an eight-play (all runs) thrust of 49 yards, resulting in a Schlegel seven-yard touchdown. The Bruin offensive front — led by seniors Matthias Posini (four-year starter) and Brendan Donica — imposed their will throughout the contest, often forming wedges for the CHS ball carriers to follow. Sophomores Razo Salazar and Trenton Boydston, and freshman Jacob Wolf were also part of Columbia’s advantage up front.
A bad pitch on Stevenson’s first play from scrimmage resulted in a Brasuell fumble recovery at the Bulldog 30-yard line. Columbia couldn’t take advantage of the turnover. Nine straight Schlegel carries covered 70 yards; the junior halfback scored from the 3-yard line and Wyatt Stelma’s point-after gave CHS a 14-0 lead seven minutes before halftime.
Stevenson (2-7 overall, 1-6 Trico) answered before the break with a one-yard TD run by Skylar Polzel to pull within 14-6. The Bulldogs later stopped Columbia from scoring inside the 1-yard line in the closing seconds of the second quarter.
The home team’s momentum continued after the break. A blocked punt gave Stevenson life early in the third quarter, as the Bulldogs gained good field position at the Bruin 36. A nine-yard run by quarterback Jude Travinski pulled Stevenson within 14-12, but Columbia scored 28 of the next 34 points to pull away.
The backbreaker came on the Bruins’ ensuing possession. Senior Jaden Wang recovered a Stevenson onside kick at the Columbia 46. Schlegel ran five yards to the Stevenson 49 and then Brasuell followed the lead blocks of his interior linemen on a 49-yard TD run. The wedge essentially stayed intact 20 yards downfield before Brasuell broke to the outside and won a footrace to the end zone.
Brasuell made a key defensive play on Stevenson’s next possession, stuffing a Bulldog running back for a two-yard loss on a fourth-and-one situation near midfield. The tackle was one of 14 solo tackles for Brasuell, who assisted on six others. Brasuell did so playing a new position, as injuries necessitated him moving to linebacker from defensive end two weeks ago.
“On both sides of the ball, Kai just had the best game of his career on Friday. His last game and he left everything out there,” Friese said. “He had some huge blocks all game long. He is essentially another lineman lead blocking. … He was just all over the field making plays everywhere.”
After Brasuell’s defensive gem, it took Columbia four plays to score. Schlegel broke to the outside and raced 43 yards giving CHS a 28-12 lead.
Travinski gave Stevenson life on the ensuing kickoff. He scooped it up at the Bulldog 13, found a seam up the middle and ran 87 yards for a touchdown to make it a two-score game at 28-18. Those proved to be the final Bulldog points. Schlegel capped the game’s scoring with 7:24 remaining when he followed a lead block from senior Zeke Orozco 11 for a five-yard TD. His conversion run, sprung by some good blocking, made the score final.
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