Naselle Comets steamroll way to quarterfinals

The Naselle High School Comets continued their perfect season in style in their first playoff game this year, decimating Moses Lake Christian - Covenant Christian 70-0 on Nov. 16 at South Bend High School.

It was a script that Comets fans have been seeing season: a pulverizing ground attack led by Jack Strange and a suffocating defense that refused to be scored on. When all was said and done, Strange and the other weapons on the ground amassed 342 yards on the ground for the Comets. On defense, the pass rush was lethal, racking up seven sacks and securing the sixth shutout of the season.

A big part of Naselle's imperious form at the moment is the strength of the running game. Strange, who averages more than 100 yards rushing per game, was his usual productive self. He steamed through the defense to the tune of 127 yards on the ground to go with two rushing touchdowns. A two-way player, Strange also gave the opposition headaches on offense, registering a sack and seven tackles in the contest.

Caiden Burke also turned in a stellar performance for Naselle, rushing for 103 yards on just six carries and finding the endzone twice. Both backs, Strange and Burke, have been instrumental in an offense that has put up at least 255 rushing yards in each of their last three contests. As senior captains, each is also a leader within the team, and there are few better ways to lead than by example.

As impressive as the offense is, the Comets' defense deserves much credit for holding Moses Lake Christian - Covenant Christian to zero points. It was the first time this season that the Lions were held scoreless, and the second time they scored fewer than double digits this year. One of the monsters making plays for Naselle during the game was sophomore defensive end Kyle Pakenen. Offensive linemen for the Lions will have nightmares about Pakenen, as he got to the quarterback four times during the game. Pakenen's four sacks were more than the rest of the Comets combined.

Naselle's 70-point blowout of the Lions has them set for a matchup with Pomeroy on Nov. 23, and the game will again be played at South Bend High School. Pomeroy enters the quarterfinal matchup, coming off a 52-12 win over Odessa.

Pomeroy has only lost one game this season (against #1 ranked Liberty Christian) and enters the final eight as the #8 1B team in the state with a 9-1 record. The Pirates promise to be a challenging matchup, as they have only scored fewer than 50 once this season. The ticket to the final four is on the line, and it's time to see if the Comets can keep their streak alive.