COULEE CITY — Gage Burchill returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. Three plays later, Sean Syth added a 43-yard pick six to the mix.

When Almira/Coulee-Hartline finally did get the ball, Maguire Isaac scored on the first offensive play on a 29-yard run and the Warriors ran away from Yakama Tribal (0-3, 0-2) Friday night 48-0.

“Five minutes in, we were up by 22. I’m happy with the way things are going,” said Warriors coach Brandon Walsh, whose team improved to 3-1, 1-0. “After the first game where we lost (to Sunnyside Christian), the kids refocused. It was a good team that beat us and if we want to do what we want in the playoffs, we’re going to have to get better. It’s been an easy message to sell and the kids have bought in.”

Brayton Schafer had 9.5 tackles, five solos, to lead the Warrior defense that held Yakama Tribal to just 30 total yards. Parker Zappone finished with 5.5 and Anthony Giulliani added four tackles to the effort.

“Zappone’s been a good leader for us. He’s a hustle, spark plug guy on the field the way he flies around,” Walsh said. “Offensively, he’s had a couple of big games for us. Timmy Hahn is the leader on our offensive line. He’s a veteran on that group and set the tone for their work ethic, so we have several leaders on the team.”

The Warriors won the 1B state championship two years ago and are looking to go farther into the playoffs than they did a year ago when they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. They have been making progress since losing to Sunnyside Christian in a battle of ranked teams in the season opener.

“I think we’re playing pretty good defense, even in the loss. That game got away from us late,” Walsh said. “Our defense is the strength of our team, really. The kids tackle well. We’re fast sideline to sideline. They’ve done a nice job.”

Issak was 2-of-5 for six yards and a touchdown. He averaged 22.5 per carry, rushing just twice for 44 yards. Payton Nielsen hauled in a 6-yard touchdown catch. The ACH defense picked off Yakama Tribal quarterback Andy Bennett three times.

The Warriors host Pateros on Friday.

Rodney Harwood is a sports writer at the Columbia Basin Herald and can be reached at rharwood@columbiabasinherald.com

Score by quarters

Yakama Tribal 0 0 0 0 - 0

ACH 40 0 8 0 - 48

Scoring summary

ACH - Gage Burchill 80 kickoff return (Isaac run)

ACH - Sean Syth 43 interception return (pass failed)

ACH - Maguire Isaac 29 run (Zielinski run)

ACH - Payton Nielsen 6 pass from Isaac (run failed)

ACH - Tim Hahn 8 run (run failed)

ACH - Hayden Loomis 14 run (pass failed)

ACH - Wyatt Zielinski 20 run (Zielinski run)