High school football roundup: Hawks ready to build after loss to defending 2A champs

Many might think River Ridge High School football players will be hanging their heads after being abruptly dismissed from the Class 2A state playoffs by defending champion and top-ranked Archbishop Murphy.

That could not be further from the truth.

The young Hawks now know exactly what a state-championship program looks like, coach Steve Schultz says.

Archbishop Murphy dominated from the first snap on, handling the Hawks, 47-7, on Friday night at Goddard Stadium in Everett.

Ray Pimentel rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats, all in the first half. His 75-yard scoring scamper with 5:17 to go gave his team a 40-0 lead.

Wildcats quarterback Victor Gabalis also threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kyler Gordon.

“We watched a lot of teams play them, and play them soft,” Schultz said. “Maybe we should have played them like that … but we went after them. We played man-to-man. We couldn’t simulate that speed.”

The second half was played under the WIAA’s 40-point “mercy rule” of a running clock.

River Ridge got its lone touchdown on Jevon Brown’s 11-yard run with less than a minute remaining.

Schultz will have much of the core group of this team returning next season for another run.

“I rallied them up, and I told the team that I am very disappointed and heartbroken that I don’t get to coach you for another week,” Schultz said. “I love this team.”

At No. 6 Selah 35, Black Hills 0: The ride back from Yakima got a little bit longer after the Wolves’ season ended with a shutout loss to the Central Washington Athletic Conference champions.

Quarterback Zak Donato passed for 266 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the Vikings built a 21-0 lead.

Black Hills coach Kirk Stevens said the whole trip east was thrown off with transportation issues. The team arrived at Zaepfel Stadium later than anticipated.

“We started off sluggish,” Stevens said. “It’s a four-hour bus ride when you’re kinda just sitting there and then you quickly do your pregame warmup.”

Black Hills committed four turnovers in the game as well.

Stevens credited his defense for doing a good job of limiting the Vikings’ option rushing attack. But he also praised Selah’s physicality on both sides.

“Selah’s defense was big. They were fast and they were strong,” Stevens said. “They really shut down our run game.”

The Wolves (6-5) made a first-round exit for a third consecutive season.

At No. 6 North Kitsap 38, W.F. West 7: Right from the get-go, the Bearcats’ turnover issues led to a surprise blowout in Poulsbo.

W.F. West (8-3) fumbled twice in the first three minutes, including the opening kickoff that led to a field goal, and another one that led to the Vikings’ first touchdown.

Dax Solis gave the Olympic League champions a 10-0 lead on a 5-yard touchdown run.

W.F. West committed five turnovers, and was held to 162 total yards.

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 12:28 AM with the headline "High school football roundup: Hawks ready to build after loss to defending 2A champs."