The Inchelium Hornets have ridden the 6-foot-1, 240-pound frame of Aifala Ama all season. So there was no surprise when the senior running back carried Inchelium to the class B-8 state football title at Kingbowl XV Saturday.
Ama rushed for 191 yards and scored three touchdowns despite suffering a second-quarter shoulder injury as Inchelium ran past Pateros, 44-34. Ama and his cousin, Eti Ena, are native Samoans who transferred to Inchelium from Orem, Utah, this season.
The Kingbowl victory capped the Hornets' undefeated season at 11-0, just one year after Inchelium finished 1-8.
"They were everything I thought they'd be," Pateros coach Joe Worsham said. "They're great running backs. But one thing more they do for their teammates: they make the whole team better players. That's their bigger contribution."
Ama's contribution Saturday was more apparent.
In addition to 191 yards on 26 carries, Ama also returned a Pateros fumble 29 yards for a touchdown and had five tackles. He entered the game with 1,572 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Ama's explanation for his success? Hard work.
"You don't just go out there and think you know everything," said Ama, who is getting some looks from major colleges. "I always try to work myself into becoming a better football player."
Ama and Inchelium grabbed the big prize, but the Billygoats snagged a few individual honors.
Pateros wide receiver Travis Maitland set two B-8 championship game records. He caught seven passes for a record 217 yards, including a record-setting 76-yard scoring play. The longest touchdown reception previously was 74 yards.
"I'm very pleased for him," Worsham said. "It's a great way to end his high school career."
Maitland's receiving efforts eclipsed the record of 187 yards set by Mark Meline of Washtucna back in 1977.
"That's pretty nice," Maitland said. "I didn't think I had 200 (yards), but I knew I had quite a few."
Billygoats quarterback Derek Hunter also set a championship game record with 22 completions, beating the old mark of 21, shared by two players.
At the start, things actually looked positive for Pateros.
The Billygoats took advantage of an Ena fumble and drove 52 yards to score the game's first touchdown on Aaron Hagenbuch's 19-yard run. Pateros then stopped Inchelium again on defense.
But on Pateros's ensuing drive, Hunter was hit and fumbled at his own 29. Ama picked up the loose ball and took it in for an 8-6 lead. Inchelium never trailed after that. Though Pateros kept it close throughout.
"They were much smaller, but they played us tough," Inchelium coach Ron Washington said. "They did a good job."
In the end, though Inchelium's size won out.
"We wanted to contain them so they weren't making long runs," Worsham said. "We did that for a while, but then they wore us down a little and broke a few."
Ama had four runs of 10 yards or more, including a 46-yarder. Duke Finley added a 40-yard touchdown run for Inchelium on the second play of the second half, giving the Hornets a 32-20 lead.
TNT
No comments:
Post a Comment