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Wa-Hi just 54 inches from Tacoma Overtime - like a certain form of government we all know and love - may not be perfect, but it's the best system we have. Walla Walla lost to Capital in double overtime on Saturday at Kennewick's Lampson Stadium in a game with more twists and turns than the Columbia River. It was one of those games where both teams played well enough to win, where both teams made enough mistakes to lose and it all came down to a matter of 54 inches. Despite all the drama, though, all the big plays by both sides, the one call that will long be debated came on a simple extra point. In the first overtime, Capital got the ball first, scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point to take a 28-21 lead. Just as it has all year, Walla Walla bounced right back. The Blue Devils scored on a touchdown pass from Casey Waddell to Justin Coronado to make it 28-27. As Walla Walla lined up to kick the extra point in hopes of sending it to a second extra period, Capital jumped offsides. After the half-the-distance penalty was taken, Walla Walla was only a yard and a half - a mere 54 inches - from a two-point conversion and the win. On the Walla Walla sidelines, head coach Marc Yonts was getting lots of advice. Finally, one of the assistants ended the debate by stating the obvious. "Marc," he said. "It's your call." Running out of time, Yonts went for the kick. "We didn't have a timeout to take and really discuss it," Yonts said. "Plus, we had tried some of our short-yardage plays earlier and they had done a good job of defending it. "It turned out well," he added. "Our freshman kicker (David Cerna) nailed it and we got to the next overtime." On the other sideline, Capital coach Wayne Sortun breathed a sigh of relief. "I was scared they were going to go for it," Sortun said. "I think they were playing the percentages just to go ahead and kick it and keep the game going. They had some momentum going toward the end of the game and thought they could win it in another overtime. "We did, too. It was just a great football game." Walla Walla quarterback Casey Waddell, who completed 30 passes for 257 yards, said the offense, which did not have a vote, was split on what to do. "Half of us wanted to go for it, and it would have been fun to take a shot," Waddell said. "That's the way our whole season has been. All year long, we just wanted to take a shot and see how far we could go. It turned out to be the right call because he made the kick." Sortun, no doubt, would have been second-guessed forever in Olympia had Capital not won. The Cougars led 21-14 with 2:17 left in regulation. With fourth-and-two from their own 16, Sortun called for a fake punt. Jordan Carey, the Capital running back and linebacker who has accepted a scholarship to the University of Oregon, ran around the left end but was stopped a yard short by Walla Walla defensive back Marc Siegel. Walla Walla scored five plays later, with only 53.9 seconds left, to send the game into overtime. "I'm stunned right now," Sortun said. "I really thought we might have given it away." Sortun said it was the third time this season his team had been in overtime, but he couldn't remember how many of them his team had won. "I think I'm in shock," he said. "All I know is that our kids played a fine game and the Walla Walla kids played a fine game. "I'm proud of both teams. They pushed us to the max and we were lucky to win and get a chance to win the state championship." | ||||||||||
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