Gar-Pal falls to Potlatch 16-12

Garfield/Palouse Vikings opened their season Friday with a neighborhood battle against the Potlatch Loggers on the Potlatch field. The matchup turned into a duel between the Viking air attack and a solid Potlatch ground grinding offense.

Potlatch took the win 16-12 with a pair of two-point conversion plays nailing the edge.

Logger Coach Pat Amos credited his front line with making the difference in the close battle. The Vikings scored first with a 20-yard sideline zapper by QB Hunter Woltering to Jessie Lopez in the corner of the end zone.

The score was set up by another Woltering-Lopez pass in the same zone. The Vikings missed the extra point attempt a factor which eventually decided the game.

Potlatch, which had been blistered early by a scrambling Viking defense, found its yards later in the second quarter with QB David Amos grinding out straight-ahead plays behind the big Potlatch line. Amos finished the night 8-62 rushing. Potlatch scored in the final seconds of the first half on a six-yard TD shot from Amos to Kenny Sheffler. The Vikings picked up the two points and the 8-6 lead before the break.

Amos scored another TD in the next quarter and added another two points for a 16-6 lead. The Vikings came back with another Woltering to Lopez shot, this one for 23 yards, but they again couldn't collect the two points, and the Potlatch lead held up through a scoreless fourth quarter.

Woltering finished with a 16-25 passing night with 223 yards.

The Vikings will have a bye this week and play Genesee in the next round. Coach Scott Thompson's crew finish 4-5 overall last year.