SOAP LAKE – After the Soap Lake offense scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, the MLCA/CCS defense held the Eagles to just eight points over the remainder of the game to earn a 32-22 win over Soap Lake. 

“We were confident, but we knew Soap Lake was going to be a pretty tough test for us tonight,” MLCA/CCS head coach Josh Kast said. “They’ve been playing some pretty good football and have been pretty competitive this year throughout league. We knew they had some tough kids.” 

Soap Lake marched down the field on an 11-play, 57-yard drive capped off with a 14-yard touchdown run by senior Sam Schopf on the first drive of the game. The Lions answered quickly, with junior Johnny Ferguson scoring on a 48-yard run on a quarterback scramble. 

“I saw the (defensive) end, I made a move and all I saw was green grass,” Ferguson said. “I just had to run to the end zone.” 

The Eagles offense continued to move the ball, with Schopf scoring his second touchdown of the game to end an eight-play, 57-yard drive and put Soap Lake up 14-6. 

“We were planning on coming out in more of a heavy package to stop the run, but we struggled with that a little bit the first couple possessions – getting off the field, we had them fourth-and-long a couple times on that first drive that they converted,” Kast said. “Once the guys settled down we switched into a different defensive formation.” 

Soap Lake Head Coach Garrett Devine credited senior quarterback Jairo Lopez’s mobility as a key factor in the fast start offensively. 

“Jairo Lopez made some plays with his feet – any time he can make some plays with his feet, that opens up some stuff for us,” Devine said. “... It gets the offensive line going when he can make some plays.” 

The Lions tied the game on a nine-yard reception by senior Levi North early in the second quarter, with junior Micah Fountain catching the tying two-point conversion. Soap Lake turned the ball over on downs twice in the second quarter and muffed a punt, while the Lions scored again on a six-yard run by sophomore Treyson Kast just before halftime to take a 20-14 lead into the break. 

“Any time you can gain a little momentum after you’ve been down and trailing in the first half, you can swing the game a little bit that way, that’s always great for the boys going into halftime,” Josh Kast said.  

Soap Lake recovered an onside kick to begin the third quarter, bringing the score within two after a nine-play, 50-yard drive where junior Logan Northup scored on an 11-yard reception. The Eagles converted on the two-point conversion, taking a 22-20 lead. 

The Eagles recovered another onside kick after the touchdown, but the Lion's defense forced a turnover on downs.  

“Eight-man football, you get those onside kicks – you know they come at those kids fast,” Kast said. “It’s a little slick out here tonight, and I think Soap Lake did a great job recovering those. It kind of shifted possessions a little bit there.” 

MLCA/CCS added scores with a seven-yard run by Ferguson and a 47-yard run by North in the fourth quarter to eventually win the game 32-22. 

“There were some holes, I had some great blocks by my line,” North said. “Just was able to make something happen. Glory to God.” 

Without one of their starting running backs coming into the game, the Eagles suffered injuries to two wide receivers, their quarterback and fullback. There was a nearly 20-minute delay in the second quarter for a player who was taken off the field on a stretcher. 

Despite the injuries to several starters, Devine was pleased with the effort and performance by the younger Eagles who stepped in to play. 

“I was very impressed with our freshmen and sophomores with the way they stepped up,” Devine said. “Were they quite ready to beat (MLCA/CCS), who is going to be in the state playoffs? No, but they competed. I was very impressed with our young guys, and it is difficult.” 

The top three teams in the Central Washington 1B league earn berths into the Round of 16 in the state playoffs. The Lions locked up one of those berths with Friday’s win. 

“It’s exciting for the kids,” Kast said. “We started the year with really low numbers, but we knew we had some athletic, great kids on our team,” Kast said. “They have a team-first mentality – we may not have a big roster, but they’ve got heart and play for each other.” 

MLCA/CCS travels to Oroville next week, while Soap Lake hosts Bridgeport. 

Box score 

MLCA/CCS: 6-14-0-12 32 

Soap Lake: 14-0-8-0 22 

    Soap Lake senior Sam Schopf (22) follows his blockers on a run in the first quarter against MLCA/CCS on Friday. Schopf scored two touchdowns in the game.
  

    Lions sophomore Treyson Kast (4) evades Soap Lake defenders in the second quarter against Soap Lake on Friday. Kast scored on a six-yard run just before halftime to give the Lions a 20-14 lead.
  

    Eagles senior Jairo Lopez (2) runs with the football in the first quarter against MLCA/CCS. Head Coach Garrett Devine said Lopez’s ability to run with the football opened up Soap Lake’s offense Friday night.