Springing the trap

The Washougal Panthers eluded the Fort Vancouver Trappers and reached the end zone five times in a 35-0 victory Friday, at Kiggins Bowl.

Senior Bobby Jacobs ran for 149 yards in the first half and scored three touchdowns. He rushed for a grand total of 229 yards in the game.

“I got to give it up to our up front linemen. They play with a lot of heart. We wouldn’t be able to do anything without them,” Jacobs said. “It’s not a one-man thing scoring a touchdown. It takes a whole team.”

Brandon Casteel and Garrett Duey also scored touchdowns for Washougal. Casteel recovered a fumble on defense and Adam Thomas snagged an interception.

Jacobs recorded a 10-yard touchdown about six minutes into the game. The Panthers sacked the Fort Vancouver quarterback on defense and got the ball right back. Jacobs broke free of a 48-yard gain and finished off the drive with another touchdown.

Casteel slammed into the Trapper running back and tackled him for a 6-yard loss. Patrick Jones stood like a tree at 6 feet, 5 inches. His arms waved in front of the quarterback like swinging branches.

“I’m just playing to get back in shape for basketball,” Jones said. “I see the ball and try to block it, and I try to see a touchdown if I get it in my hands.”

Fort Vancouver punted away again. On the next play for Washougal, Jacobs scored his third touchdown on a 40-yard dash.

The Panthers tricked the Trappers on their next possession. Jacobs completed a 33-yard halfback pass to Duey, who was brought down on a 1-yard line. Casteel followed his bulldozing linemen into the end zone.

“It shows that we have great team chemistry to be able to pull off stuff like that,” Jacobs said.

Trailing 28-0, Fort Vancouver finally gained a first down. But on the next play, Michael Stevenson sacked the Trapper quarterback for a loss of 17 yards.

“I just saw the opportunity and went after it. It was very surprising to me,” Stevenson said. “Our defense is pursuing. We’re fast to the ball and putting a lot of pressure on the quarterback.”

Two holding penalties prevented the Panthers from scoring a touchdown in the third quarter. A determined Washougal front line pushed forward and scored one more time in the fourth quarter. Long runs by Jacobs and Duey gave the Panthers a first-and-goal, and Duey dove across the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown run.

“We are trying to get these guys to play hard for 48 minutes,” said head coach Bob Jacobs. “When you get a big lead like that, sometimes you kind of get lackadaisical and you start to make mistakes. We can’t afford to do that in our league.”

Washougal can look forward to a 2-hour bus ride Friday, before playing at Rainier, Ore. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

“This game is short and the opportunities are limited. We can’t afford to squander them,” said coach Jacobs. “Just leave it all out on the field. It’s tough enough to walk away from this game. You don’t want to leave with any regrets.”