Naselle junior quarterback Jacob Lindstrom (5) looks to turn the corner against Wilbur-Creston-Keller.

MOSES LAKE — The Naselle football team relied on their speed to carry them to the WIAA 1B State Semifinals, where the Comets ultimately met their match in a 98-44 setback to the Wilbur-Creston-Keller Wildcats (11-0) last Saturday in Moses Lake, concluding a memorable season for the 11-2 Comets.

“W-C-K was bigger and more physical than we were,” summed Naselle head coach Kevin McNulty following the season-ending loss.

“They have good speed in the backfield and we could not stop them.”

Comets don’t slow speedy Wildcats

Like their previous game against Pomeroy, Naselle found themselves in an early hole in a wild opening quarter, where W-C-K scored two touchdowns in rapid succession, taking a 16-0 lead only minutes into the game.

Unlike the Pomeroy game, however, Naselle was unable to generate enough turnovers to close the distance.

Naselle eventually answered on their third possession on a Jack Strange touchdown, momentarily drawing within one score (16-8), however W-C-K returned the ensuing onside kick for a touchdown, extending the lead back to two scores. The Wildcats continued to pile on, pushing the lead to 30-8 before the Comets could respond.

“They had difficulty stopping us as well and the huge difference was the amount of possessions they had! They were able to recover a few onside kicks and we also fumbled a kick off return,” McNulty said. “This impacted our game in a big way, as the onside recoveries all lead to touchdowns. Our kids competed hard but ultimately they had the ball five more times than we did….that was the difference. That funny shaped ball took some weird bounces on the turf.”

The Naselle football team, who didn’t have a single player over 200 pounds on their 18-man roster, used their quickness to outscore their opponent all season, but W-C-K was able match with speedy skill players of their own, particularly senior quarterback Kalub Dreger who piled up more than 400 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 18 carries, an average of more than 22 yards per touch.

McNulty was proud of the will and accomplishments of the team this season, which compiled a remarkable 11-2 record while finishing second in the league to Mossyrock. The comeback victory over Pomeroy in the opening round of the state playoffs was among the most memorable games.

“We had a great season and accomplished a lot and [made] many great memories. The Pomeroy game comes to mind. Obviously a long trip and we faced adversity and were able to overcome it. Horrible weather, down 14 points and able to turn the tables, then have one of our key players go out in the second quarter with a game-ending injury. Our team adjusted and overcame, upsetting the No. 7-ranked team and advancing in the state playoffs,” McNulty said.

A young team, the Comets will only lose two seniors to graduation, including WR/OL/DE Jacob Pakenen and OL/NG Allen Haataja.

“We will return a solid group next season. This team is a crew of high-character kids that represented their families, school and community in a very positive way,” McNulty summed.