Small eastern Washington school snaps record-setting 45-game losing streak

'That was old Kettle (Falls)' is phrase players kept repeating on sideline of Bulldogs' lopsided win over Tonasket - the school's first since 2016

Kettle Falls players got to ring the bell after a win for the first time since 2016, snapping a 45-game losing streak. / Photo courtesy of Kettle Falls athletics

There is a longstanding tradition around Kettle Falls High School that dates back to the 1980s.

After every football win, players comes up and ring the Doug Lickfold Memorial Bell on campus.

Except over the past eight years, that iron bell had gone silent, collecting more cobwebs than ding-dong chimes.

But on Friday, the familiar sound came to life - just hours after the Bulldogs put their infamous streak of futility to rest.

Kettle Falls defeated Tonasket, 46-8, on the road to open the fall season.

The win ended a 45-game losing streak, tied for longest ever in Washington high school football with Tyee (1988-93).

On the way that victory, every time Kettle Falls made a good players, players kept repeating the same catch-phrase on the sideline.

"That was the hold Kettle (Falls), this is the new Kettle (Falls)!"

Indeed, it is.

"I did not know what kind of kids I was getting," said new coach Greg Mace, who came over from Colville High School during the spring. "When they came in, I could tell immediately that they were competitive kids who cared about each other and would work hard."

That was the biggest reason Mace chose to make the losing steak a topic for discussion in the months leading up to the first game.

"I felt it was a group with a chip on its shoulders," Mace said.

Noseguard Kaden Hippler caused a Tonasket fumble on the opening series, and the Bulldogs took just four plays to score their first touchdown of the season on a Talan Fisher 12-yard run.

Fisher's 5-yard run put Kettle Falls up 16-0 with four minutes remaining. He finished with a career-high 238 yards and four scores.

It was a complete effort as the No. 1 defense gave up just 33 yards all night.

"What was so cool about the experience is after we won game, just seeing the elation, especially the seniors who played four years of football and never won a game," Mace said. "A lot of tears. A lot of hugging."

After getting home near midnight, players vacated the bus and headed directly to the bell. One by one, each player gave it a gong.

And after that, they went into the locker room and erased the date written on the greaseboard - Oct. 21, 2016 - as the last time the school won a football game.

"They've bought into a brotherhood at the highest level," Mace said.