Cardinals Take No Prisoners, Sack Pirates

WAITSBURG -- The WP "Boys of Fall" were dressed to kill in their new black home jerseys last Friday night as they robbed the Riverside Pirates blind of their loot, taking no prisoners and winning the game, 49-14.

The Pirates started things off with possession, but after three plays, including a Danny Stansell quarterback sack, the Pirates were forced to punt.

Beginning their opening drive on their own 49-yard line, the Cardinals wasted no time lighting up the board.

Dalton Estes took the first Zach Bartlow handoff, but was stopped in his tracks by the Pirates defense. Estes then answered that with a 33-yard reception from Bartlow and a Cardinals first down.

Billy Brown took the next Bartlow dish for another Cardinals first down, and Brown followed it up with an 8-yard touchdown run. Jose Barajas put one through the uprights and the Cardinals were up 7-0 with 7:50 left in the first quarter.

The Pirates would earn just one first down on their next possession before the men in black forced their second punt and the Cardinals began their second drive on their own 31-yard line .

Bartlow gained a first down on a QB keeper then found Dustin Wooderchak for 12 yards to put the Cardinals on the Pirates 29 yard line.

With 1:40 left in the first quarter, Bartlow found Wooderchak again for a 29-yard touchdown reception. With another Barajas kick the Cardinals were up, 14-0.

The Pirates began the second quarter on their own 25-yard line. With second down and five they ran the ball up the middle looking for a first down, but were met by brick house Eshom Estes and were pushed back for a loss of three yards. The Pirates were forced to punt for the third straight possession.

The Cardinals cruised their way down the field before Bartlow finished off the drive with a nine-yard touchdown scamper. Barajas found the upright once again and the men in black were up 21-0 with 8:40 left in the second quarter.

The Pirates were in dire need of some sort of treasure map to find their way down the field. They once again were forced to punt on their next possession.

Bartlow must have found that map, for he scooped up that punt and ran it back 60 yards to the Pirates 15-yard line .

Bartlow threw two incomplete passes before he handed the pigskin off to Brown for a five yard gain, and then scored on a quarterback keeper from five yards out.

With 4:29 left in the first half the Cardinals were up, 28-0.

The Pirates began their next drive on their own 19- yard line. After a near pick off by Bartlow, the Pirates found one of its own for their second first down of the night.

An offside penal t y would take the wind out of their sails and push them back to their 13-yard line forcing them to punt once again.

The Cardinals scored on their possession when Bartlow couldn't find an open receiver and decided to run it up the middle himself from five yards out. A two point conversion pass from Dalton Estes to Wooderchak would end the first half scoring and leave the Cardinals with a comfortable 36-0 lead.

The Cardinals began the second half with two carries from Brown and a Bartlow pass completion to Justin Zuger to put them on the Pirates 25-yard line.

Bartlow then connected with Wooderchak along the sideline for a 25-yard touchdown reception and the Cardinals led 42-0, and for its fourth game in a row, the running clock rule was put into action.

The Pirates began their next drive on their own 31-yard line. They made it to the Cardinal 33-yard line before Chance Leroue snagged the ball and ran it back 50 yards for his second touchdown of his high school career as a freshman.

The Cardinals were now up 49-0 with 2:01 left in the third.

The Pirates put six on the board with 9:19 left in the second half and tried their luck with an onside kick. WP's Alex Breland scooped up the pigskin along the side line and was not going to give up his treasure, giving the younger Cardinal string possession on the 46-yard line.

The men in black held off the Pirates who squeezed in one more touchdown and a two point conversion with 2:17 left in the game.

The Pirates hoped to score once more when they picked up a Cardinal fumble on the WP 29 yard line, but Keith "Biggy" Lake held them off with a game ending tackle and the Cardinals improved their record to 4-0 with a 49-14 "W."

The Cardinals continue to blow away the competition but will face their first real challenge when they face the Desales Irish on Friday.

"We've got some defensive things to take care of because they, (Desales) have a really good running back," said WP Head Coach Jeff Bartlow.

Members of the Desales team were in Waitsburg Friday night to keep tabs on the competition. After being reminded that they lost to the Cardinals twice last year and the "Boys of Fall" mean business, this week's Friday Night Lights will be burning as bright as they have yet this year.

Pack up the family and round up your friends, the hometown boys need those bleachers full of cheering fans as the battle begins in Walla Walla at 7 p.m.