MOSES LAKE – No. 4 Almira/Coulee-Hartline opened the 1B State Football Tournament with a shutout win over No. 13 Inchelium on Friday night, defeating the Hornets 48-0 at Lions Field in Moses Lake. 

“I thought the kids were pretty loose,” ACH head coach Brandon Walsh said. “We had a good week of practice, they were prepared. We felt pretty confident coming in and played well.” 

ACH opened the game with a nine-play, 59-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown run by junior Brady Roberts, who ran into the end zone on a sweep on fourth down. 

“It was hard to see because of the sun, but I had great blocks — just cut it up and got in,” Roberts said. 

On the next play from scrimmage, Roberts intercepted an Inchelium pass and returned the interception nearly 60 yards for a touchdown, putting ACH up 16-0 after the two-point conversion just under five minutes into the game. 

“Our d-line was getting great pressure, and he just threw up a prayer; got it, took it — my first thought was just ‘Don’t get caught and don’t fall over,’” Roberts said. “'Don’t drop the ball.’ Just ran as fast as I can the other way.” 

Two offensive possessions later, ACH junior Caden Correia put the Warriors up 24-0 with a 5-yard touchdown run, with the two-point conversion being run in by senior Carter Pitts.  

Roberts scored his third touchdown of the day on a 29-yard reception with less than a minute remaining before halftime, as the junior high-pointed the ball to take possession away from an Inchelium defender. 

“(Inchelium is) a team with some athletes that can make you pay,” Walsh said. “We talked about that – we need to get out to a quick start, we want to execute early. When you get a pick-six to help you out, that gets your momentum going the right way even more.” 

ACH led the game 32-0 at halftime. 

“I think we were all pretty hyped up,” senior Jameson Conley said. “We were just excited to be back on the field and excited to play.” 

Pitts added a touchdown in the third quarter, running into the end zone on a 5-yard carry, and sophomore Brody Pitts pushed the lead to 48-0 on a 12-yard run to begin the fourth quarter.  

The Warriors ran for 304 yards in Friday’s win, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Correia led the team with 117 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, followed by Carter Pitts with 10 carries for 74 yards and a score.  

“As a team, everybody was doing the right things; we were making blocks, catching passes,” Roberts said. “Everything was working well.” 

Inchelium was able to sustain drives in Friday’s game, totaling 254 yards in the game, but the Warrior defense stood tall on key fourth downs and forced four turnovers in the win; Roberts (twice) and Carter Pitts intercepted passes and senior Kayle Casimir recovered a fumble on the first play of the third quarter. 

Walsh credited the defensive line for the defense’s success in the win. 

“Our kids were disciplined in their assignments,” Walsh said. “I think our defensive line did a really good job of bottling up their quarterback and not letting him get out and scramble, which is where he’s really dangerous. They did a nice job of that – a lot of credit goes to those three for making out defense click tonight.” 

“We knew both sides were going to get a good play here and there, we just didn’t let that affect us,” Conley said. “Just kept pressuring them.” 

ACH will take on No. 5 Neah Bay next week; date, time and location of the game were not available in time for press deadline.  

“I hope what we can take away is a level of confidence that, ‘Hey guys, we belong,’” Walsh said. “We’ve talked about that a lot this year, that you’ve got to believe that you belong in the conversation of the best teams in the state if you’re going to make noise in the playoffs. We came out and did it tonight. Hopefully, we can build on that and play great again next week.” 

Box Score 

INC: 0-0-0-0 0
ACH: 16-16-8-8 48 

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline junior Harvest Parrish, bottom right, tackles an Inchelium receiver during the first quarter of Friday’s 48-0 win over the Hornets.
  

    A group of Almira/Coulee-Hartline defenders combine for a tackle during the second quarter against Inchelium on Friday. The Warrior defense forced its first shutout of the season on Friday night at Lions Field in Moses Lake.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline senior Carter Pitts, right, carries the ball during the third quarter against Inchelium on Friday. Pitts ran for 74 yards an a touchdown on 10 carries in the win.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline junior Caden Correia (2) runs into the end zone during the second quarter of Friday’s win over the Hornets. Correia led the Warriors in rushing with 117 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.