Key plays spell doom for La Center Wildcats

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RIDGEFIELD – La Center coach John Lambert teaches his players that every football game, especially those in the state playoffs, comes down to a handful or so big plays.

Lambert’s Wildcats have a long history of coming up with more than their share of success on those key plays, but that was not the case Saturday as La Center fell 42-21 to King’s in a Class 1A first round playoff game played at Ridgefield High School.

“We kept fighting but it all came down to a couple of big plays,’’ Lambert said. “I tell the kids that there are always 6-7 plays in every game that turn the game around one way or another. When those plays came up in this game, for the most part, King’s was the team that made the plays and we didn’t.’’

Those who had been following Lambert’s team all season, and during his tenure as coach at La Center, likely weren’t surprised when the Wildcats attempted an onside kick on the opening kickoff. King’s wasn’t either. After recovering the onside kick, King’s needed just four plays to score the game’s first touchdown.

On La Center’s next possession, the Wildcats went for it on a fourth-and-1 at their own 27-yard line. The attempt failed and they turned the ball back over to King’s, which needed just five plays this time to score a second touchdown to post a 14-0 first-quarter lead.

“That’s what we do; we’re not going to change what we do for the playoffs,’’ said Lambert, referring to his decision to attempt the onside kick and the fourth-down conversion. “We do what’s best for our program, not what people looking from the outside think we should do.

“It’s not going to work every single time, but it puts a lot of pressure on the defense,’’ Lambert said. “There were other fourth downs where we went for it and made it. We’re not going to change what we do just because it’s the playoffs.’’

In the second quarter, La Center got on the scoreboard when quarterback Wyatt Aguirre found Max Hiller for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Then, down 21-6, the Wildcats were driving for another score that could have pulled them to within a touchdown but a King’s defensive lineman made another big play, forcing a fumble and then recovered it and ran 74 yards for a touchdown that increased the King’s lead to 28-6.



“They’re really physical,’’ Lambert said of King’s. “They came out and really punched us in the mouth to begin the game. We were driving in the first half to pull within a touchdown and they just made a good play. That was one of the key parts of the game.’’

La Center broke through with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the first when Aguirre hooked up with Dalton Morgan on a 56-yard scoring strike. Hiller then scored his second touchdown on a 51-yard run to complete the scoring.

Aguirre completed eight of his nine passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Hiller finished with 75 yards rushing and Morgan had 81 yards receiving.

La Center, which finished the season with a 6-4 overall record, was playing in the playoffs for the 14th time in Lambert’s 15 years coaching the Wildcats. La Center won the Trico League championship for the fourth straight season and fifth time in the last six seasons. Under Lambert, the Wildcats have now won the league title eight times and they did so this season with only three returning starters.

“We had a couple of uncharacteristic things happen that put us behind a little bit,’’ said Lambert, referring to the playoff loss. “But, if you look at it holistically, where we were at at the start of the year and where we were at our camp in June and where we were at the end of the year, we made a tremendous improvement.’’

La Center opened the season with three straight losses to ranked 2A opponents Hockinson, Woodland and Tumwater and then won six straight to finish the regular season.

“We always end the season with a loss, which is tough, but it’s also a good thing because it means we’ve been in the playoffs each year,’’ Lambert said. “It’s tough also because it’s the last time you’re going to see the seniors in their uniforms. Hopefully, they’ve had a great experience and made some great relationships and learned some life skills that will help them down the road.’’