There's a new king in WPL
Oct. 1—COTTONWOOD — From the jump, Kamiah left no doubts as to who the best team in the Whitepine League Division I is.
The Kubs dismantled the Pirates on their homecoming night, 52-0 on Friday, to take over sole possession of first place in the division.
"You can't do better than a goose egg," Kamiah coach Nels Kludt said. "We were able to stop the run early so we were able to put them in certain downs and distances that made it really hard for them."
Kamiah outperformed Prairie on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Pirates 318-77 on offense and registering five total turnovers on defense to make a big statement.
Here are some takeaways:
David Kludt is that guy
While Kamiah is a traditional ground-and-pound team, against the Pirates, David Kludt was able to air it out.
He arguably had his best game to date, scoring with his legs and his arm. He had four total scores, two on the ground and two in the air.
The junior quarterback found receiver Kaden DeGroot twice, and each for more than 30 yards.
"(DeGroot) is a heck of a receiver," Nels Kludt said. "He's got great hands and speed so he's always a threat to make a play."
Kludt also completed his first 10 passes and didn't throw an incompletion until the third quarter.
"We typically like to run the ball but they gave us some opportunities tonight," Nels Kludt said. "They had a connection going there and they made the most of it for sure."
Defense wins championships
Prairie came into the game banged up, playing without its best all-around player in Trenton Lorentz.
During the second quarter, it took another big blow by losing quarterback Colton McElroy. Sophomore Eli Hinds came on in relief and struggled, throwing two interceptions and losing one fumble.
The defensive line of Kamiah was able to get after the two quarterbacks to the tune of three sacks. The Kubs also limited the Prairie run game that had been so explosive all year to less than 100 yards.
"It was a combination of things," Nels Kludt said. "The defensive line did a good job causing pressure and our defensive backs have been pretty optimistic on the back end and they put some up for grabs and we were able to come up with it."
Where do you go from here?
For both teams, it's an important question to start asking what's next?
For Kamiah, it still has some scrappy opponents left in Troy, Genesee and Potlatch. Prairie's schedule doesn't let up either, having to play Lapwai, Clearwater Valley and Logos to close out the season.
"This is how you have to win in this league," Kludt said. "You have to get the tough wins at their home field. We have a long ways to go we have three more games to play and they're all going to be tough but this is a signature win."
Kamiah 8 30 6 8 —52
Prairie 0 0 0 0 — 0
First Quarter
Kamiah — Kaden DeGroot 50 pass from David Kludt (Colton Ocain run).
Second Quarter
Kamiah — Colton Ocain 28 run (Kludt run).
Kamiah — Colton Sams 3 run (Everett Oatman pass from Kludt).
Kamiah — DeGroot 35 pass from Kludt (Kyler Usher run).
Kamiah — Kludt 2 run (pass failed).
Third Quarter
Kamiah — Oatman 58 interception return (pass failed).
Fourth Quarter
Kamiah — Kludt 7 run (Usher run).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Prairie: Eli Hinds 6-23, Jake Quinnan 4-12. Kamiah: Colton Ocain 14-104, Connor Weddle 11-24, Colton Sams 5-22, David Kludt 4-17, Kyler Usher 2-14.
PASSING — Prairie: McElroy 2-7-1—13, Eli Hinds 0-7-2—0. Kamiah: Kludt 10-12-0—144.
RECEIVING — Prairie: Shane Hanson 2-8. Kamiah: Kaden Degroot 4-99, Colton Ocain 4-26, Colton Sams 2-30.
Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.
