Panther football runs over Bruins

Fishback Stadium rocked and rolled Friday, as the Washougal Panthers rushed for eight touchdowns in a 56-0 victory over White Salmon.

Seniors Sam O’Hara, Austin Tofell and Colton Sullivan each crossed the goal line in the first quarter, on respective runs of 66, 65 and 33 yards.

“It feels nice to start the season off well with two wins,” Sullivan said. “We put a lot of points on the board fast, and we fed off that momentum for the rest of the game.”

Sophomore Bobby Jacobs delivered three touchdowns in the second quarter, and the Panthers took a 42-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Jacobs saved his best for last, by breaking off a 78-yard mad dash into the end zone in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 155 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Tofell is thrilled to see six different Panthers carrying the load on offense. He said it helps having stronger offensive linemen up front.

“Our line absolutely destroyed their front, and that allowed us to move the ball really well,” Tofell said. “It’s great because it opens up a lot of opportunities for everyone to be successful in moving the football. Everybody gets a part. It’s a total team effort.”

Washougal (2-0) hits the road to play Fort Vancouver Friday, at Kiggins Bowl. Kick off is at 7 p.m.

Head coach Bob Jacobs and his staff hit the Panthers with a heavy load of conditioning Monday. The kids reached the point of exhaustion several times, but the coaches told them to keep going.

“Go hard. We got the Trappers this week,” Jacobs shouted. “They are number three on our payback tour.”

Fort Vancouver is first on the hit list of teams Washougal lost to last season. Crook County, Mark Morris and R.A. Long are also on that “payback tour.” Jacobs is not about to look past the 0-2 Trappers.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the air in Washougal, but I am trying to keep these guys grounded,” he said. “It’s a long season, and we’re just two games into it. We can’t afford to be too happy. My challenge for the kids this week is to bear down harder and protect what we’ve earned.”

The Panthers remember starting 2010 with two wins, before suffering some tough losses. This week is the first step in proving they are a better team than last year.

“It looks good on paper with two wins, but we still have a lot of things to work on,” Sullivan said. “There’s still seven games left. We haven’t done anything yet. We won’t be satisfied until the end of the year, and we’re in the playoffs.”