Mini Mules win championship

Much like the tornado earlier in the week, the Wahkiakum Mini-Mules Youth Football tore through Kelso, ripping through the previously undefeated Longview Youth Football (Longshore) team for a 30-6 win. The triumph capped a perfect league season of 6-0 and secured the Mini-Mules’ championship.

Playing in front of a large crowd at Kelso High School, the Mini-Mules defense stymied the Longshore football team, keeping them scoreless for the entire first half.

Brody Carlson started off the scoring by running in a touchdown from seven yards out. His two-point extra-point kick gave the Mini-Mules the early 8-0 lead.

Halfback Jake Leitz stiff-armed a would-be tackler on route to the Mini-Mules second touchdown in the second quarter. The 15 yard touchdown was capped by another Carlson two-point extra-point kick, which gave the Mini-Mules a 16-0 lead at halftime.

The third quarter started off strong, as the Mini-Mules drove down the field, aided by a 40-yard run by Carlson on a fourth down play. Carlson threw a 4th down pass to Gabe Moon in the left side of the end zone for another touchdown. Carlson added another two-point conversion, to extend the Mini-Mules lead to 24-0.

Longshore finally got on the board after a tough defensive stand by the Mini-Mules. The team fought off three plays inside the five yard line, before Longview scored on a fourth down play. The extra-point kick was blocked by the Mini-Mules, which made the score 24-6.

A final long drive by the Mini-Mules in the fourth quarter was completed when Carlson scored his second touchdown of the afternoon from 16 yards out. That made the score 30-6.

The second team defense (mostly fourth and fifth graders) held the Longshore team scoreless for the remainder of the game. The final play of the game was a sack by Dominic Curl, which sealed the game.

Over the six game league schedule, the Mini-Mules’ stifling defense gave up just 38 points, while the offensive juggernaut scored 193 points. The league championship for the Wahkiakum Youth Football team was the first in a number of years. The Mini-Mules appreciate all the support from the community during the season.