Third Times The Charm?

WAITSBURG -- The Cardinals find themselves exactly where they were last year -- undefeated (12- 0) and facing the equally undefeated Colfax Bulldogs (11-0) in the semi-final game of the state playoffs.

Even emotionally, the WP players are as confident and as ready as they were last year to take on their Eastern Washington rivals, who have knocked them out of the playoffs two years in a row.

"We want to win and we think we can," head coach Jeff Bartlow said. "The kids are really hungry. The kids really want it."

But some of the factors that go into this key duel against Colfax on Saturday are different this year, and it isn't just the three-times-isa charm rule.

First, the Cardinals are playing on a familiar field, Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco, where they beat Ritzville last week and DeSales in the playoffs last year, and where they're practicing Wednesday. You could say it's their home field.

Last year, the game against the Bulldogs in snowbound Pullman was 20 minutes from Colfax, but two hours from Waitsburg.

This year, the venue is an hour from Waitsburg and about two and a half hours from Colfax.

"That's a big deal," Bartlow said. "It's a huge advantage."

Secondly, the Cardinals' coach has learned a big lesson from playing Colfax last year.

In the first half of the playoff game last year, the Bulldogs were unable to run the ball against WP until it adjusted its offensive lineup and began a sustained air attack that eventually yielded the Bulldogs a victory in the second half.

The biggest mistake Bartlow said he made was not adjusting his defense along with the Bulldogs' changes.

This time, he has his team ready to "mix it up," switching back and forth between zone and man-to-man coverage .

Lastly, despite Bartlow's inclination to underplay it, the Cardinals have a bone to pick with the team that has stood in their way of the final twice now.

Although Bartlow's focus is on the fundamentals of their play-off strategy, psychologically the boys would like nothing better than to beat the perennial big-city spoiler in its tiny 2B class.

Sports writers statewide have already decided WP has an edge, ranking the Cardinals no. 1 in the state, while Colfax stands at no. 3.

The Cardinals will have to be tenacious and not be outfoxed again by a seasoned team coached by an even more seasoned staff from a community several times the size of Waitsburg and Prescott combined.

"We have to play smart and aggressive," Bartlow said. "We have to play four quarters. I think I have a good team that can win and go to state (final)."