Members of the Ilwaco and Kalama soccer teams line up before their match last week.

Ilwaco and Naselle Cross Country

The Ilwaco and Naselle cross country teams were among nine squads participating in the Pacific League Championship last Thursday in Ocosta, where the Fishermen squad emerged as the overall team winner. Ilwaco edged out Ocosta and Forks, who finished second and third respectively.

Naselle senior Derek Suomela (19:36) finished in first place with the fastest overall time at the meet, roughly five seconds ahead of the second-place finisher in the men’s 5,000-meter race.

Ilwaco was led by senior Jacob Mathison (19:58), who finished fourth overall, followed by junior Wyse Mulinix (20:47) and Sammy Lloyd (21:45) in 10th place among 44 runners.

In the women’s 5,000-meter race, Ilwaco sophomore Nora Soule (25:22) finished third, followed by Naselle eighth grader Karsen Green (25:55) in fifth.

In the women’s 2,500-meter middle school race, Ilwaco eighth grader Elsa Linquist (9:26) finished in first place. In second place was Naselle seventh grader Kenzie Larson (10:19) followed by Ilwaco eighth grader Taylor Morrison (11:17), among 14 runners.

In the boy’s 2,500-meter middle school race, Ocosta swept the top three positions, led by eighth grader Kristar Ashby (8:16). Ilwaco eighth grader Mason Harrell finished fifth (8:47) followed by Naselle seventh grader Bowen Burkhalter (8:50) in sixth, among 36 runners.

Up next: Ilwaco and Naselle athletes will participate in the District 4 1B/2B Championships Saturday, Oct. 28 at Rainier Elementary School.

Naselle football

The Naselle Comet football team rebounded from their first loss of the season by shutting out Taholah 70-0 last Friday, improving to 8-1 on the season and securing a home playoff game.

Naselle was led by junior running back Caiden Burke, who rushed for a game-high 156 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries, more than 25 yards per tote. Comet junior quarterback Jacob Lindstrom was nearly perfect, completing 5 of 6 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns while adding a score on the ground.

With the win, Naselle locks up the south No. 2-seed and will host the north No. 5-seed in a 1B state play-in game on Nov. 4, with the specific time and opponent to be announced.

Up next: Naselle (8-1) hosts Chief Leschi (6-1) for senior night in a non-league game at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 in Naselle.

Pe Ell/Willapa Valley footballThe Pe Ell/Willapa Valley football team was edged by Forks 21-18 last Friday in Forks. Pe Ell/Willapa Valley (5-3) was led by junior quarterback Nate Fluke, who connected on 19 of 38 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort. Titans sophomore receiver Blaine King accounted for 235 receiving yards with one touchdown.

Up next: Pe Ell/Willapa Valley (5-3) will travel to take on Onalaska (6-2) Thursday, Oct. 31.

Ilwaco soccerThe Ilwaco girls soccer team slipped to 1-7 on the season after falling to Napavine 6-0 on senior night last week in Ilwaco. Napavine (9-2-3), currently second place in the 2B Central, struggled to score in the opening minutes against a dogged Fishermen defense. The Tigers broke open a scoreless first half after sophomore Hayden Kaut found the back of the net at the 14-minute mark, roughly 26 minutes into the match, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. About 10 minutes later, Napavine added their second goal by eighth grader Jenna Gallagher, taking a 2-0 lead into the half. The Tigers continued to keep the Lady Fishermen scoreless while adding four more goals in the second half, ending in a 6-0 victory.

Up next: Ilwaco (1-7) will travel for the final game of the season to face Toutle Lake (3-9) on Wednesday, Oct. 26.