Napavine turns away Onalaska to advance to WIAA 2B football championship game, 3 takeaways

Ashton Demarest passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers' 36-26 state semifinal victory Saturday in Tumwater

TUMWATER, Wash. - Top-ranked Napavine earned its chance to do something its football program has yet to accomplish at any point in the school’s history.

The Tigers quashed a late comeback attempt from Onalaska and advanced to the Class 2B state championship game with a 36-26 victory at Sid Otton Field on Saturday afternoon.

The defending champions will go after back-to-back titles for the first time ever.

“Hopefully we can pull it off,” senior receiver Conner Holmes said. “First back-to-back in school history if we can pull it off. It’s gonna be a battle again.”

The Loggers (9-3) turned the semifinal into more of a battle than Napavine has seen at any point in the 2B ranks this season. The Tigers (11-1) had one game, their only loss, against 1A Lynden Christian.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

---

CHINK IN THE ARMOR?

The way it began, the semifinal looked for two and a half quarters like it would be a repeat of these two teams’ first meeting back in Week 2 – a 58-14 Napavine victory.

Instead, the Loggers' running attack turned it into a game.

Quarterback Kaylen Mozingo, who rushed for a game-high 190 yards on 33 carries, and running back Rodrigo Rodriguez (22 carries for 103 yards) combined to run the ball 21 times for 110 yards in the fourth quarter alone as the Loggers cut a 24-point deficit to 36-26 with 6:29 to go.

That’s when Mozingo scored his third rushing touchdown of the game, strolling in virtually untouched from 2 yards away. That drive covered 96 total yards and ate up 6:17 on the clock. Onalaska put a similar drive together in the last five minutes, but Mozingo was intercepted by James Grose with 1:04 to go to halt the comeback.

"We were working all that drive to get a stop," Grose said. "We made them get on a third down. We knew they were going to pass. He kinda just threw it in a place where I could go get it."

It was Mozingo’s only pass of the second half, made necessary by the shortened clock.

"Their identity is just running over guys,” said Holmes, who also plays safety. “It was working for them today. But they didn’t have enough time."

---

SHUFFLING THE RECEIVING CORPS

With leading receiver Karsen Denault, on the sidelines in sweat pants and sneakers due to an injury, Napavine quarterback Ashton Demarest needed to look in other directions to keep the Tigers potent passing game rolling.

Five different Napavine receivers caught passes as Demarest completed 15 of 23 attempts for 307 yards and three touchdowns.

"It’s been like this for awhile," Demarest said. "We’ve done this our entire careers. We’re all together."

None of those receivers was bigger than Holmes, who caught seven passes for 201 yards and two first-half touchdowns Saturday.

“Just run the routes they give you and if you’re open you get the ball,” Holmes said. “The last few games I’ve had pretty good games.”

"He runs great routes," Demarest added. “He’s a big part of our offense.”

---

TIGERS INVADE LAND OF DAWGS

Napavine will certainly be up and ready to go Saturday morning with another date in the WIAA title game, this time at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

"We’re just excited to get back there,” Napavine coach Josh Fay said. “It means a lot to get there. We’re excited to go up to the UW. It’s going to be a neat atmosphere for the kids. The WIAA figured it out."

---

Boxscore

Onalaska 6 6 6 8 - 26

Napavine 14 16 6 0 - 36

O – Kayden Mozingo 1 run (run failed).

N – Conner Holmes 57 pass from Ashton Demarest (pass failed).

N – Cael Stanley 19 run (Stanley run).

O – Rodrigo Rodrguez 5 run (run failed).

N – Holmes 60 pass from Demarest (James Grose from Demarest).

N – Demarest 7 run (Stanley run).

N – Cayle Kelly 33 pass from Demarest (pass failed).

O – Mozingo 7 run (run failed).

O – Mozingo 2 run (Rodriguez run).

Statistics

Passing – Onalaska: Kayden Mozingo 2-4-40-1; Napavine: Ashton Demarest 15-23-307-1.

Rushing – Onalaska: Mozingo 33-190, Rodrigo Rodriguez 22-103, Samuel Pannkuk 5-29, Napavine: Demarest 12-75, Cael Stanley 8-47.

Receiving – Onalaska: Case McGraw 1-34, Blaze Underhill 1-6. Napavine: Conner Holmes 7-201, Cayle Kelly 4-60, James Grose 2-26, Cael Stanley 1-16, Colin Shields 1-13.