COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (1-0) opened their season on the road against the Garfield-Palouse Vikings with a 40-12 victory last Friday. After having their first game canceled due to smoke, head coach Brandon Walsh said his team was excited to hit the gridiron.   

“The players were excited to actually get on the field and play somebody else besides practicing against one another and I thought the result was pretty good. On Friday, we started out a little slow, I'd say we had some maybe first game jitters and execution things, but once we got going, we looked pretty good,” Walsh said.   

In the first quarter, the Warriors found themselves behind 6-0 after the Vikings scored on an 18-yard passing touchdown. However, the Warriors would respond when quarterback Max Grindy found Nolan Grindy for a 45-yard passing touchdown. Max carried the ball himself to complete a two-point conversion and take an 8-6 lead.   

In the second quarter, the Warriors capitalized on an opportunity to extend their lead. After moving the ball downfield mainly through the run game, Nolan found the end zone once again on a two-yard touchdown and completed the two-point conversion to increase the score to 15-6.   

Walsh said they got the ball back and had another opportunity to score with just over a minute left in the half, but fumbled the ball away. “The first couple of series we just didn't feel like we were in rhythm,” he said.   

However, the Warriors opened the second half with the ball and came out swinging. Harvest Parrish provided a spark to open the third quarter with a 57-yard touchdown run. Nolan would complete the two-point conversion, and the Warriors were up 24-6.   

On their next offensive drive, the Warriors' run game erupted again with a 60-yard touchdown from Nolan. After Max converted the two-point conversion, they increased their lead to 32-6.  

“Once we got going, we kept going back to the same inside run stuff that was working and the kids settled in and started blocking just a little bit better and seeing the holes a little bit better as the running backs,” Walsh said.   

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors would find the endzone one last time. Nolan would score on a 30-yard pass from Max once again. Max converted another two-point play to increase their lead to 40-6.   

The Vikings would score late on an 18-yard rushing touchdown, but the Warriors ultimately sealed the game and a 40-12 win on the road. As a team, the Warriors rushed for 300 yards. Parrish accounted for 141 yards on seven attempts and Nolan ran for 131 on 12 attempts. Walsh felt confident they had a strong one-two punch at running back, he said. However, he also feels several of his players are capable of producing like Nolan and Parrish.   

“We probably have about four or five guys that we feel like every week could have a game like those two did,” he said. “Of course, Max (Grindy) at quarterback, he's a threat to have a big game anytime he carries the ball, too. We have a pretty good group of kids that can put up big numbers on any given week.”  

This lowered Max Grindy’s workload for the game as he completed five passes on seven attempts for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Walsh said while they prefer to run the ball most of the time, he said it’s important that the run and pass complement each other to have a successful offense.   

“That's kind of our philosophy and goal, but we feel confident, if we need to, we can and will pass the ball successfully, and that should keep the defense honest and allow us to continue to run the ball,” Walsh said.   

The Warriors' top players on offense also spend a lot of time on the field contributing to the defense. Parrish led the team in tackles with 12, and Max had 9.5 and an interception. Brody Pitts had nine tackles, and Porter Wood had four tackles and a sack.   

On Friday, Sept. 19, the Warriors host familiar foe Liberty Christian at home with kickoff set for 7 p.m.   

Walsh said his team is eager to play Liberty Christian because it will be a good test for them to face a quality opponent early in the season. Additionally, he said, they will have redemption on their minds as they were defeated twice by them, including a state semifinal loss.   

“They're big, and so that's going to be a challenge for us a little bit. I'd say across the front, they're bigger than we are, and so our kids are going to have to be stout in the middle and we're going to have to play fast and be tough. Hopefully, we can match up with them and, in that regard and be successful,” Walsh said.   

BOX SCORE:  

ACHW: 8-8-16-8: 40
GPHS: 6-0-0-6: 12 

    The ACH Warriors huddle up during drills at practice. As a team the Warriors had 300 yards rushing and 151 passing.
  

    Warriors quarterback Max Grindy, left, practices an option play while Harvest Parrish, right, blocks for him. The Warriors defeated Garfield-Palouse 40-12 on the road to open their season.
  

    Ryan Hernandez runs a route during a drill at practice. Hernandez recorded two tackles against Garfield-Palouse last Friday.