9/30/16

Rainier 22, Onalaska 20

(Rainier, WA) The Rainier Mounties have reached the halfway point of the season and to many are surprisingly undefeated at 5-0. The Mounties latest win Friday night was the most spectacular of their run so far. The Mounties have run off wins over North Beach, Raymond, Chief Leschi and Morton-White Pass before facing off Onalaska.

The Loggers came in to the game with a 3-1 record winning their 1st 3 but dropping to Napavine last week 34-8. The Tigers are heavy favorites to take the Central 2B so the loss was certainly no red flag for Ony. The Loggers were ready to bounce back and looked like they were going to hand the Mounties their 1st loss leading 20-16 with 1 play to go. Rainier’s QB Dillon Stancil lofted a 30-yard pass into the endzone as time expired and a guy named Devan Stancil found the other end of that pass for the last second win stunning the Loggers as the home team and home crowd exploded in celebration.

Prior to the dramatic game winning play the 2 teams had battled back and forth. The Loggers took the early lead on an Ernie Roque 7-yard run but the PAT failed and it was 6-0 Onalaska. Rainier bounced right back with Zach Lofgren touchdown from the 11, the extra point was good and the Mounties led 7-6.

Rainier added to their lead when Ian Russell plunged into the endzone from the 4-yard line and then the Mounty defense got a safety to make it 16-6 at the half. In the 2nd half the Loggers made their run beginning with another TD run by Roque from the 8. The Logger defense then chimed in with a fumble recovery by Trace Lawrence  who ran it in from the 31-yard score. Roque ran in the PAT and the Loggers reclaimed the lead 20-16.

This set up the final dramatic finish that saw the Stancil to Stancil Hail Mary for the win. Rainier improves to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in league play while Onalaska drops to 3-2 and 1-2.

Our Pacific Sports Spa Players of the Game went to Rainier’s Devan Stancil and to Onalaska’s Ernie Roque. The Pacific Sports Spa Play of the Game was clearly the Dillon Stancil to Devan Stancil game winning pass play.

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