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From the YakimaHerald.com Online News.
Published on Saturday, October 13, 2007
Prep football — EV leaves it on the field in loss to Othello

By PAUL SHUGAR YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Cam Muggleston should be the only East Valley player with a bad taste in his mouth after this loss and he's got an excuse.
Mostly because he regurgitated whatever the Red Devils' pre-game meal was again as he rushed out to kick a late, fourth-quarter field goal. All part of a frantic comeback as East Valley did just about everything against Othello except win, falling 13-6 in a key CWAC contest.
"In the world's eyes, this isn't a great season," said East Valley coach Barry Reifel, whose team falls to 2-4 in league and 3-4 overall. "In our eyes, this is a great season because I've seen how far these boys have come.
"I know I have a great football team, and they showed me that today."
What the Red Devil coach is talking about is how the team played mistake free, remained in the game despite the Husky rushing attack racking up 309 yards and was only a score away from tying things up. An East Valley player just couldn't come out of the pile after an onside kick with 34 seconds remaining as Othello ran out the clock on the game and maybe the Red Devils' postseason chances.
Only the first four teams make the postseason out of the CWAC as the top two teams after the regular season earn automatic Class 2A state playoff berths. The third and fourth teams then play for the conference's third and final state bracket spot.
East Valley now finds itself behind six teams vying to be in the top four with only three games remaining. Not that they didn't play like that was the case, especially Muggleston late in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 13-3, the Red Devils jumped on an Othello fumble — their second turnover of the game — with 1 minute, 18 seconds remaining and made a frantic push down the field from the East Valley 43-yard line. Muggleston contributed to the quick drive with an 11-yard reception as EV reached the Othello 15, and Reifel decided to take care of the field goal first.
The problem was Muggleston, who is also the kicker, was on the sideline puking from all the activity when the special teams call came. He didn't hesitate when asked if he could make the boot, sending his second kick of more than 30 yards through the uprights just like the first one in the third quarter.
Fine-tuned mechanics had little to do with the second effort.
"Yeah, I changed up my stance Wednesday in practice and had got some help from my coaches," Muggleston said. "But I wasn't really thinking about that; I just went out and kicked the ball."
Othello went out and just ran the ball the whole game, displaying why it sports the best two rushers in the conference as David Walker added up 82 yards and a touchdown with pounding attacks up the middle. The speedy James Valdez handled things outside of the tackles with 130 for the night.
Husky quarterback Marc Garza attempted only three passes — none were completed and one was intercepted — as he finished with 97 yards rushing himself. Most of the distance coming when he scampered 52 yards into the end zone on an option keeper in the first quarter.
The East Valley offense, which managed only 76 total yards in the first half, got better after the break but couldn't find end zone or convert on key fourth downs. Quarterback Kevin Komstadius provided most of the yardage, throwing for 135 of his 150 yards after halftime and no rusher finished with more than 50.
Not that Reifel was complaining about his boys' efforts.
"You played hard right down to the end and that was a great job," said Reifel to his players in their usual post-game huddle. "You didn't make any mistakes and you can be proud of that."
Leving Muggleston to cure his bitter taste with a few swigs from a water bottle.
Othello 6 0 0 7 — 13
East Valley 0 0 3 3 — 6
Oth — Marc Garza 52 run (kick failed)
EV — 31 FG Cam Muggleston
Oth — David Walker 1 run (Nathan Larson kick)
EV — 32 FG Muggleston
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Oth, Walker 18-82, James Valdez 22-130, Marc Garza 9-97. EV, Matt Orthmann 9-43, Jesse Schindler 10-38, Kurt Russell 1-(negative 1), Ryan Young 2-3, Michael St. Mary 1-(negative 7), Kevin Komstadius 4-15.
PASSING — Oth, Garza 0-3-1 0. EV, Komstadius 11-31-0 150, St. Mary 1-2-0 17.
RECEIVING — EV, Russell 4-67, Schindler 2-35, Muggleston 2-22, Michael Rogstad 4-43.