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La Center offense runs wild over White Salmon

WIldcats pull out all the stops in 49-21 win over

By Micah Rice, Columbian Sports Editor
Published: October 10, 2014, 5:00pm

LA CENTER — There was trickery, razzle dazzle and deception.

And that was just on a kickoff.

La Center went deep into the playbook in its 49-21 win over Columbia (White Salmon).

But who knows which page the Wildcats found some of the kickoff tricks they used Friday? Some obscure appendix in the back of the book, maybe.

Midway through the first quarter, La Center had just taken a 14-0 lead.

Everyone knew something was up when the Wildcats lined up for the ensuing kickoff. There was no tee on the field. Dalton Morgan held the ball like he was going to punt.

Instead, Morgan lateralled the ball sideways to Sergio Sandoval, who drop-kicked an onside kick that La Center’s Jeremy Scott recovered 10 yards down the field.

Seven plays later, La Center quarterback Wyatt Aguirre scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns for a 21-0 lead.

The rout was on.

The only suspense was what other tricks La Center might try.

“One thing that we’re consistent with is being inconsistent,” La Center coach John Lambert said. “That was just fun, and the kids learn about it. How many kids know about drop kicks?”

Misdirection, inside handoffs, onside kicks — it all worked for La Center on Friday. The Wildcats rolled up 356 yards rushing on 45 carries — nearly eight yards a carry. Cole Judd led the way with 122 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns.

“Everything was clicking tonight,” said Aguirre. “Everything was going our way.”

Two games into the Class 1A Trico League season, the Wildcats (3-3, 2-0) are hitting their stride.

The Wildcats started the season by playing three Class 2A teams that are ranked in the top 10 statewide. They lost to Hockinson, Woodland and Tumwater by a combined score of 113-3.

La Center has since won three in a row by a combined score of 119-40.

“We’re getting better every week,” Lambert said. “We’re not going to face teams the caliber of Hockinson, Tumwater and Woodland down the road. That really set the standard of where we need to be.”

La Center runs the ball on most plays, but Lambert wanted to emphasize the passing game Friday. Aguirre completed six of nine passes for 93 yards, humble numbers for most, but a veritable air-assault for the ground-happy Wildcats.

La Center also shut down White Salmon (3-3, 0-2) offense that truly lives by the pass. Quarterback Tanner Rabinowitz completed just 13 of 37 passes for 214 yards. He was intercepted twice.

“Those games were really important to where we are now,” Aguirre said. “We’ve had a lot of growth between then and now. I know what our coaches were doing. A lot of the guys didn’t want to play those games, but they were making us better and getting us ready for the playoffs.”

LA CENTER 49, WHITE SALMON 21

W. Salmon 0 7 7 7 – 21

La Center 14 21 14 0 – 49

First quarter

LC – Brett Judd 3 run (Sergio Sandoval kick)

LC – Cole Judd 4 run (Sandoval kick)

Second quarter

LC – Wyatt Aguirre 12 run (Sandoval kick)

LC – Dalton Morgan 5 run (Sandoval kick)

WS – Kyler Riggleman 9 pass from Tanner Rabinowitz (Eduardo Ortiz kick)

LC – Aguirre 3 run (Hayden Williamson kick)

Third quarter

LC – Isaac Kula 18 run (Sandoval kick)

WS – Josh Lewis 3 run (Ortiz kick)

LC – Cole Judd 9 run (Sandoval kick)

Fourth quarter

WS – Aidan Trummel 38 pass from Rabinowitz (Ortiz kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING – White Salmon: Rabinowitz 9-53, Ryan Aldrich 1-(minus-1), Lewis 9-26, Noah Carmichael 2-0, Sam Rowlen 3-7.

La Center: Cole Judd 13-122, Brett Judd 6-39, Aguirre 10-51, Morgan 3-28, Josiah Gill 1-17, Jake Wise 1-4, Sean Nolan 2-17, Jacob O’Donnell 5-51, Jeremy Scott 4-27.

PASSING – White Salmon: Rabinowitz 13-27-2-214.

La Center: Aguirre 6-9-0-93.

RECEIVING – White Salmon: Trummel 2-51, Rowlen 3-42, Riggleman 4-53, Carmichael 2-43, Aldrich 2-25.

La Center: Morgan 5-84, Wise 1-9.

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