Naselle players walk off the field after their 60-50 state quarterfinal win over Pomeroy. See more photos online at ChinookObserver.com

SOUTH BEND — A wild, back-and-forth 1B state quarterfinal football game unfolded Nov. 23 in South Bend, an instant classic between Pomeroy and Naselle that took a heroic effort from the home team to keep their state championship hopes alive.

Naselle had knocked Pomeroy out of the state playoffs last season, and this game was bound to be personal with several returning players on both sides. And from the first whistle, it was.

Pomeroy (10-1), like Naselle (11-0), entered the game with a high-powered offense and an equally proud defense, holding six of their opponents to 12 points or less, including four shutouts.

But the Pirates didn’t have a weapon like Naselle senior running back Jack Strange (44), who would account for 300 yards rushing and 96 yards receiving with six total touchdowns to lead the Comets to a dramatic 60-50 state quarterfinal win on a brisk Saturday in South Bend.

A back-and-forth battle throughout, the game would erupt into a shootout in the final quarter with a combined 44 points before Naselle could take the final kneel down, punching their ticket to the next round.

The No. 3 seed Naselle Comets advance to face the No. 2 seed Wilbur-Creston-Keller Wildcats (12-0) in the WIAA 1B state semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at Lions Field in Moses Lake. It will be a rematch of the state quarterfinal last season, in which WCK prevailed 90-48. This time, however, the winner will advance to the state championship.

Comets outgun Pirates

The Comets opened the game on defense and promptly stuffed the Pirates on back-to-back runs, but Pomeroy broke loose on third-and-long with junior running back Kyler Herres (22) taking a screen pass 80 yards for the opening touchdown. It would be the first of many screens used by Pomeroy, taking advantage of an eager and aggressive Naselle defense.

A little over a minute into the game, the Pirates had a 8-0 lead.

Naselle’s offense went smashmouth on their first possession, led by senior Jack Strange with five straight carries, setting the Comets up inside the 10 where senior running back Caiden Burke (26) rumbled into the end zone on a gutsy fourth-and-seven call, tying the game at 8 in the first quarter.

On the next Pomeroy possession, Naselle junior defensive end Leith Chadwick (15) and junior linebacker Jason Gardner (4) combined to sack Pomeroy senior quarterback Jett Slusser (99), forcing a turnover on downs.

The Comets quickly cashed in the turnover when Strange took a swing pass 48 yards for a touchdown, giving Naselle their first lead at 15-8 with four minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

The Pirates responded by converting a fourth-and-13 on a 49-yard pass, followed by a 31-yard touchdown run from Slusser, drawing within one point (15-14) to end the first quarter.

The score held until midway through the second quarter, when Strange hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Chadwick, extending the Comet lead to 22-14.

The Comet defense stiffened on the ensuing Pirate possession, with Eli Gardner (9) and William Anderson stopping Slusser short on fourth down, setting the Naselle offense up near midfield.

Burke, Naselle’s senior running back, scored his second touchdown of the first half on a 14-yard reception from Chadwick, pushing the Comet lead to 28-14 with only two minutes remaining in the half. But that two-possession lead would be short lived.

On a fourth-and-eight on the 26-yard line, on the final play of the first half with only three seconds remaining, Slusser (99) threw a jump ball to the end zone, with Pomeroy’s Herres and Naselle’s Burke both simultaneously caught the ball, resulting in a ‘shared possession’ and a touchdown for Pomeroy, drawing the Pirates within a touchdown (28-22) at the half.

Second half

Pomeroy was unsuccessful on an onside kick to start the third quarter, setting Naselle up near the 50-yard line, where they quickly capitalized.

On the first offensive play of the third quarter, Strange ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run, extending the Comet lead to 34-22 and setting the tone seven seconds into the second half.

After trading a couple of possessions, the Pirates again began to move the ball against the Comets, primarily through screen passes and quarterback draws, ending with a Slusser keeper, closing the gap (34-30 Naselle) with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Both teams again traded possessions, with an interception from Naselle junior defensive back Scott Henington (13) eventually ending with a Strange 22-yard touchdown run, giving Naselle a 42-30 lead early in the fourth quarter.

As they did all afternoon, the Pirates answered with a touchdown of their own less than three minutes later, with Slusser keeping and crossing the goal line, tightening the score to 44-38 in favor of Naselle with nine minutes remaining in the game.

Naselle’s next drive only lasted one play, with Pomeroy senior linebacker Boone Schmidt (49) intercepting a Chadwick pass intended for Henington. The Pirates converted the turnover into points, again on a keeper from Slusser, tying the game at 44 with eight minutes remaining.

Naselle responded by turning to their old faithful: a toss sweep to Strange. The senior back first gashed the Pirates for 23 yards, then took the next toss 34 yards for a touchdown, retaking the lead for the Comets (52-44) with seven minutes remaining.

Naselle then forced a turnover on downs, which Strange again converted into six points, this time on a 44-yard sweep down the sideline that gave the Comets a 60-44 lead with four minutes remaining.

Less than 40 seconds later, Pomeroy answered with a touchdown pass from Slusser, cutting their deficit to 10 points. Naselle defensive back Gus Burkhalter (24) made one of the plays of the game on the ensuing Pomeroy two-point conversion attempt, where the freshman broke up a pass and preserved the Comet’s two-score lead with only three minutes remaining in the game.

A couple rushes from Strange and a kneel down from Chadwick brought a wild fourth quarter to a tame conclusion. The teams combined to score 44 points over the final 12 minutes, with the Comets advancing with a 60-50 win over Pomeroy, knocking the Pirates out of the playoffs for the second straight year.

Game notes: Naselle had 389 rushing yards, with Strange accounting for 300 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries, followed by Burke, who added 61 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. Strange was also the leading receiver, with two touchdowns and a team-high 96 yards on three receptions. Strange also had a team-high 14 tackles, followed by Chadwick and Gus Burkhalter with nine each.

Up next: The No. 3 seed Naselle Comets advance to face the No. 2 seed Wilbur-Creston-Keller Wildcats in the WIAA 1B state semifinal round at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Lions Field in Moses Lake. WCK enters the game after beating No. 15 seed Waterfield/Mansfield 94-26 in the opening round and No. 10 seed Garfield-Palouse 56-12 in the quarterfinals.