Eagles defeat Vikings in OT thriller

PALOUSE – The Week 1 matchup between the Garfield-Palouse Vikings and St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse Eagles ended with a 55-0 victory for the Eagles. While the Vikings were down to eight players at the end of the game out of a possible 15, the rematch between the two teams that transpired on Sept. 23 was one that would be hard to imagine for any game, with the Eagles winning 54-48 in four overtimes.

Garfield-Palouse (0-4, 0-2) was down again heading into the game, with only 12 available players. Even with 12 players, the Vikings gave St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse (3-0, 2-0) its biggest test of the season so far.

"That was wild. I don't know if I've ever coached an overtime football game," Garfield-Palouse coach Garrett Parrish said. "Our guys fought, man. They battled once again. I think we started today with 12 (players) and for the last half of the game we were down to 10. We just kept sending guys out there and moving them around. We kept battling, we just couldn't score when we needed to in overtime."

On the Eagles side, they were without key players, as well. Bear Brewer was out with an injury and starting quarterback Matthew DeFord was knocked out of the game after being involved in a collision with a teammate and a Vikings player on defense.

This led to a few different players for St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse stepping up in Brewer and DeFord's absence, with freshman receiver Tyler Hough catching two touchdown passes in the win.

Starting running back Tanner Fleming was another player who stepped up, moving to quarterback and leading the Eagles to the win.

The final few minutes of regulation were dramatic, with Garfield-Palouse starting quarterback Bryce Pfaff running the ball in for a touchdown and completing a 2-point conversion pass to freshman running back/wide receiver Lane Collier to take a 40-34 lead with 3:17 left in the game.

Joseph Hergert returned the ensuing onside kickoff to the house for a St. John touchdown to tie the game at 40.

The game stood at 40 and went into overtime.

Both teams scored on the first overtime, with Fleming scoring on the quarterback keeper for St. John and Pfaff completing to Lane Collier for Garfield-Palouse. Both teams converted on their 2-point tries, tying the game at 48. Neither team was able to score in the second or third overtimes, and the Vikings were unable to capitalize on their fourth overtime possession.

The Eagles scored with a handoff to running back/lineman Landen Miller for the go-ahead score and the win.

"I told the guys all week long we cannot underestimate Gar-Pal," St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse coach John Hergert said. "We saw the difference in what they did between their game with us and their game with (Tekoa-Rosalia). They were a completely different team with T-R. And then they came here and they're a completely different team again. So honestly my hat is off to the Gar-Pal team. The Viking team did a wonderful job, their coaches did a great job and we had to find something special to pull it off."

Hergert also described the trust he had with Fleming at quarterback.

"(Fleming) isn't my running back. He's my backup quarterback," Hergert said. "He's been taking snaps, he's been throwing the ball before, he was my quarterback in middle school, so I trust Tanner completely with the ball. There's nothing he can't do on the football field. I trust him completely."

Gar-Pal's quarterback situation has also been one in flux. Starting quarterback Pfaff was knocked out with an injury in the first game between the Eagles and the Vikings, but Pfaff was able to come back in the Sept. 16 match against Touchet, and suited up for this game.

The difference in the offense showed, with Pfaff having six total touchdowns, four passing and two rushing.

The return of Pfaff has helped the team open up its offense more, with the Vikings offense operating out of both traditional I-Form and empty backfield formations during the game.

"We've always been run first. Always been I-formation for a long time," Parrish said. "This year, our lineman aren't very big yet so we kind of had to spread the ball out. Our guys have done a great job picking it up. We're far from perfect but we've adapted to that. And that's a testament to our guys and how smart they are, being able to pick something new up midseason and doing a great job with it."

St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse is one of the three remaining undefeated teams in the 1B Southeast league, with Liberty Christian and DeSales.

The Eagles will take on DeSales this week, Sept. 30 in Walla Walla before facing Liberty Christian in St. John the following week on Oct. 7

For Garfield-Palouse, the team will look for its first win against Liberty Christian Oct. 1 in Richland.