Mule JV’s come up short against Toutle

November 1 , 2007

On Monday, the shorthanded Wahkiakum Mule junior varsity football team lost 20-8 to the visiting Toutle Lake JV's.

The Mules scored first on a short run by Cameron Elliott; he had set up the score with a 60-yard blast up the middle. Bryce McClain swept around the right end for the two point conversion to give the Mules an early 8-0 lead at the start of the first quarter.

Toutle took advantage of the aggressive Mule defense by hitting two big play-action pass plays, said JV Coach Kevin Patching.

"Big plays by Toutle and turnovers by the Mules were reason for 20 points," Patching said.

The Mules had 191 yards rushing for the game but were not able to score after their first drive.

Elliott, Jeff Vik, James Goldsmith, Brandon Fudge, and Phil Doumit, McClain, and Jordan Fritch were standouts on defense holding the Ducks to only 92 yards rushing and 96 passing, Patching said. Vik finished with eight tackles; Elliott had six; Goldsmith, McClain and Fudge had four, and Doumit and Fritsch each had three.

Elliott ran for 144 yards; McClain had 38, and Schneider 11.

"As a coaching staff we couldn’t be more proud of this group of kids, 10 freshmen, 3 sophomores, and one junior," Patching said. "We have some injuries to the older kids that forced some of our young players to move up, and these kids have had to change positions several times. They just keep working hard and have great attitudes so the future is bright for Mule football."

The Mule JV's finished the season with a 3-4-1 record.