La Center finds more ways than one to shut out Columbia of White Salmon, 61-0

LA CENTER — Everyone wearing a blue uniform, it seemed, got into the act.

Offense, defense, and special teams all came up big for the La Center Wildcats as they shut out the Columbia Bruins of White Salmon 61-0 on Friday night in the Trico League football opener for both teams.

Seven different Wildcats players found the end zone in one way or another, and the game hit running clock not quite two minutes into the third quarter with the score 51-0.

“We just got to keep moving (forward),” La Center senior running back/defensive back Isaac Chromey said. “We played crisp today. It was a good feeling. The best (offensive) line is out here. They played a good game.”

That offensive line helped the Wildcats (3-0 overall) to 190 yards rushing on 23 carries by six players.

Chromey was one of the seven to score a TD, coming on a 34-yard run in the second quarter.

Senior quarterback Wyatt Eiesland had just 31 yards passing, but it included a 16-yard TD to Landen Randall with 5 seconds to play in the first half.

Eiesland also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

He said the key for the Wildcats going forward is their “Week 1 mentality.”

“We just focus on the next team,” Eiesland said. “We have plenty of stuff to work on so we’ll get to it.”

On offense, La Center also had rushing TDs by sophomore Brady Brandenburg and senior defensive lineman Lincoln Cooley.

Nate Rembisz came through on special teams with a pair of field goals from 27 and 42 yards out, which La Center head coach John Lambert pointed out to the team in the postgame huddle, were nearly the same distances Rembisz missed last week.

It didn’t take long for the 45-point lead running clock rule to take effect as the third quarter started with senior Parker McKinney returning the kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to make the score 44-0.

Then on Columbia’s first play on offense, Randall intercepted Bruins’ quarterback Hunter Wang and returned it 35 yards to the end zone and a 51-0 advantage to kick the clock in motion for the remainder of the game.

The first series of the game for the Bruins (1-2) was a sign of things to come.

On the third play from scrimmage, Wang’s pass was picked off by Houston Coyle who returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.

Wang ended up with five interceptions — two by Randall — for 179 yards going the other way.

La Center, ranked No. 4 in Class 1A in the first media poll of the season, next plays at King’s Way Christian (2-1), which lost at Kalama 30-20 on Friday night in that league opener.

As Friday was also La Center’s home opener, prior to the game Lambert was honored for his 25th season of coaching the Wildcats.

LA CENTER 61, COLUMBIA-WHITE SALMON 0

Columbia 0 0 0 0— 0

La Center 21 16 17 7—61

First quarter

LC — Houston Coyle 40 interception return (Nate Rembisz kick)

LC — Wyatt Eiesland 2 run (Rembisz kick)

LC — Brady Brandenburg 6 run (Rembisz kick)

Second quarter

LC — Rembisz 27 FG

LC — Isaac Chromey 34 run (pass failed)

LC — Landen Randall 16 pass from Eiesland (Rembisz kick)

Third quarter

LC — Parker McKinney 85 kickoff return (Rembisz kick)

LC — Randall 35 interception return (Rembisz kick)

LC — Rembisz 42 FG

Fourth quarter

LC — Lincoln Cooley 5 run (Rembisz kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Columbia: Wongani Schlegel 17-50; Humberto Pulido 5-3; Hunter Wang 2-10; Kai Brasuell 1-2. La Center: Chromey 6-82; Eiesland 6-54; Brandenburg 6-21; Rembisz 2-21; Gaven Emerson 2-7; Cooley 1-5.

PASSING — Columbia: Wang 4-10-5-26; Wyatt Stelma 0-1-0-0; La Center: Eiesland 3-8-0-16; Rembisz 1-1-0-12.

RECEIVING — Columbia: Schlegel 2-20; Jaden Wang 1-5; Mason Hamilton 1-1. La Center: Randall 1-16; Johnny Linstroth 1-12; Coyle 1-8; McKinney 1-7.