ACH Warriors run wild in state-clinching rout

COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (10-0) have punched their ticket to the 1B state tournament after earning a shutout win over Touchet 56-0 on Friday.  

"It's a fun time of year," Head Coach Brandon Walsh said. " I've said all along, we're not hiding from the fact that we want to go accomplish something great after the last two seasons have fallen a little bit short, and so we've got to go play great every week. That's all we can do." 

Over 80% of the Warriors' final score came in the first quarter. In a matter of five minutes, the Warriors put up 42 points on the board, including a safety, adding one more score before the end of the quarter to take a commanding 48-0 lead. Max Grindy, Noah Butler, Cade Carstensen, Tucker Bayless and Porter Wood found the end zone behind a powerful run game. 

With a running clock, the rest of the game went swiftly, with ACH finding the end zone one more time in the third quarter off a 39-yard passing touchdown by Easton Dewing to Eli Edwards. They secured the win after regulation ticked away. 

After the first quarter, the Warriors' backups took over and got some valuable experience as they enter the postseason, Walsh said.  

"I thought they played good. Throughout the season, you notice progress and improvement with the younger guys on your team more than you do the older guys on your team," said the coach. "They got a whole season of high school football under their belts, and so that all is going to pay off huge for us in the future. Whether it's sometime in the playoffs, if it's a next man up scenario, or whether it's next year when we graduate nine guys." 

The Warriors recorded 363 yards on offense; 269 came on the ground at the feet of Nolan Grindy (41) Quin Peha (99) and Max (117).  

"That's the strength of our team, and we've got a really good O line, and they take pride in what they're doing," Walsh said. "And it's more than just them, the other guys that want to get out in front and lead block in space, and it's we're going to try and do that as often as we can." 

Behind center, Max completed all three of his passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. Holding it down after him was Dewing, who completed 4-of-5 passes for 64 yards as well as a touchdown. 

The Warriors were dominant on defense, recording three interceptions. Trey Kast, Peha and Carstensen (pick six) were hawks in the ACH secondary. Carstensen also accounted for a kick return which resulted in a touchdown to aid his team in their victory on Friday.  

While the entire team is a motivated group determined to get over the hump, they're led by a senior class that has been there for the past two seasons where the Warriors came just short in the semifinals of the state tournament. According to the coach, they don't only lead on the field, but off it as well.  

"They have a huge impact on all of those things," Walsh said. "They're great leaders. They practice hard. They lead by example. They're good kids with good grades. All those things, in school and out here on the field. They're great guys." 

The state tournament bracket had not been announced as of presstime. The Columbia Basin Herald will publish those details, along with other Basin schools who qualified, as they become available.  

BOX SCORE: 

TCHT: 0-0-0-0: 0 

ACHW: 48-0-8-0: 56 

    Eli Edwards (21) stops the Touchet ball carrier in the backfield as fellow ACH teammates come in to finish the tackle.
  

    Tucker Bayless (65) celebrates with the ACH Warriors in the end zone after scoring a touchdown on Friday.
  

    The Warriors' Noah Butler (64) tackles a Touchet ball carrier in the end zone for a safety.