Comets claimKM Trophy 21-12

Above: Naselle Comet Austin Burkhalter intercepted a Wahkiakum Mule pass intended for Bryce McClain to seal the Comets’ 21-12 victory over the Mules in last Friday’s KM Trophy Game. It was the Comets’ first win over the Mules since 1995.

Below: Mule Coach Eric Hansen, left, presented Comet Coach Jeff Eaton with the KM Trophy after the Comets defeated the Mules 21-12 last Friday. Photos by Rick Nelson.

The Naselle Comets defeated the Wahkiakum Mules 21-12 last Friday to open the 2009 high school football season.

The win gave the Comets the KM Trophy, prize for the winner of the annual game between the two teams, for the first time since 1995.

The Comets jumped to an early lead and withstood a Mule rally to gain their win.

The Comets scored on their first drive. Quarterback Austin Burkhalter connected with Logan Scrabeck on a slant pass that went 33 yards for the touchdown. Leonel Mendoza kicked the conversion for a 7-0 lead at 3:04 of the first quarter.

A subsequent Mule fumble gave the Comets a short field, and Nathan Carlson ran the ball into the endzone on a four-yard run at 1:31 of the first quarter. Mendoza's kick was wide, leaving the score 13-0 going into the second quarter.

"Don't panic," Mule Coach Eric Hansen told his team on the sidelines. "Don't panic."

The Mules didn't panic. The defense held, and running back Bryce McClain broke free for a 45-yard touchdown run at 6:05 of the second quarter. The Mules' two-point conversion try failed, and the score stood 13-6 at halftime.

The Mule defense set up the offense by blocking a Comet punt midway through the fourth quarter. McClain capped a short drive with a five-yard touchdown run at 5:10 to cut the Comet lead to 13-12. The Mules again tried a two-point conversion, but the pass failed, leaving the Comets ahead.

The Comets responded with a touchdown drive of their own. Alan Erickson, the 195-pound fullback, pounded the ball between the tackles, and once close to the goal line, quarterback Burkhalter faked a handoff to Erickson and followed him through the hole for a short scoring run to give the Comets a 19-12 lead. John Hines ran the two-point conversion to put the game away.

The Mules went to the air on their next offensive series, but Burkhalter picked off a Brandon Fudge pass to allow the Comets to run out the clock.

The Comets gained 203 yards on the ground and 35 yards in the air on two passes. Erickson gained 97 yards, Burkhalter 41 and Scrabeck 32.

The Mules gained 197 yards on the ground and none in the air. McClain picked up 86 yards, Wyatt Parker 66, Zack Schneider 30, and Joel Nicolazzi 17.

"Naselle should compete well in their league," Hansen later commented. "They're a high quality team.

"It comes down to blocking and tackling, and we didn't do that the way we should. Fumbles hurt us, too. What we did wrong is fixable."

Hansen said he was pleased with McClain's runs on offense, and added that Parker, a sophomore, showed great potential on a 25 yard run.

"I was pleased with Brandon Fudge at quarterback in his first varsity start," Hansen said. "Phillip Doumit did a good job on the offensive line. On defense, Ty Bain and Jeff Vik played well; the secondary played well, and Brett Chaput came in as a substitute and did a good job."

The Mules travel to Corbett, Ore., this Friday for a non-league game.

Also on Friday, the Comets host Warrenton in a non-league game.