Mule's lose hard fought battle

The Wahkiakum Mules football team lost 34-29 in the final seconds on Friday night against their first opponent of the season, the Rainier Mountaineers.

With 46 seconds left in the game, the Mules took the lead, but as Coach Ryan Lorenzo said, they left a guy wide open down the middle of the field, which led to a goal line stand with one second left.

"It didn't go our way," Lorenzo said. "Their coaches and athletes play really well against us. They did their homework."

According to Lorenzo, when the two teams have matched up the last couple years, they've come out pretty even. This time, the Mules came out of the gate a little uncertain and made some early mistakes. They were able to battle back and stay in the game, thanks to defense, and during the second half, Mule offense started clicking.

'It was a hard fought game," Lorenzo said. I'm proud of our young guys. We didn't give up. I couldn't be happier about that."

During the first quarter, Grant Wilson scored on a 46 yard pass from Zakk Carlson and the Mules got the extra point off a Nathan Garrett kick. In the third quarter Gage Robinson scored a touchdown on a 10 yard pass from Carlson, and the Mules scored on a two point conversion. The Mules scored twice in the final quarter with Carlson taking the ball into the end zone, followed by another two point conversion, and Jacob Johnson getting the final touchdown.

Carlson passed 117 yards for three touchdowns, and rushed for 136 yards of the Mules 162 yards. Garrett had one interception and Robinson got a sack.

Standouts for Lorenzo on Friday night included Zakk Carlson, Grant Wilson, Aimon Lee, and Nathan Garrett.