Big second half boosts Woodcreek over Inderkum

Other than wanting to beat Sonora really badly in the second game of the season, Woodcreek's main goal of the regular season was to win the Capital Valley Conference championship. With a 24-14 win over Inderkum on the road on Friday night, the Timberwolves (9-0 overall, 5-0 in league) need only to beat Bella Vista (5-3, 2-2) next Friday to win the league, the team's first league championship in their history. The team knows they've still got to beat Bella Vista on Friday night, but it was hard for them not to talk about "winning" the league title after the game. "It feels unreal; I mean, it's school history," Woodcreek defensive end Brody Kee said. "It's like the greatest feeling, but there's still work to be done." Kee made the game's biggest defensive play early in the fourth quarter after the team's second touchdown of the second half put them in front, 17-7. With Inderkum quarterback Brody Cole scrambling for his life in the pocket, Woodcreek defensive tackle London Acosta hit Cole and he fumbled the ball straight up in the air. Kee caught it and rumbled to the goal line before he was tackled. Caden Cook took it in from there to give the Timberwolves a commanding 24-7 lead with 10:13 to play in the game. It was essentially the final nail in the coffin. "That play felt unreal," Kee said. "My man London Acosta stripped it and the ball was in the air and I just grabbed it and took it to the crib. I wouldn't have never made the play if it weren't for London. Our defense overcame some adversity and we did a great job not letting them intimidate us and we finished the job." Arguably the game's second biggest play came about two minutes earlier when Dylan England found a wide open Ethan Keim for a 47-yard touchdown which put the Timberwolves briefly up by 10, 17-7. Keim, like Kee, was excited to win the game and, presumably, the conference championship. "I just try to always find the opening in the defense and I found it and Dylan put a good ball on me," Keim said of his touchdown. "I don't know how I got wide open. I don't know if it was a blown coverage or what it was. I just saw the spot and I knew where to go and Dylan got me the ball. "It feels amazing to win the league title. We've been working on this since January, so it means everything." Trailing 7-3 at halftime, Woodcreek came out and scored on its first possession of the second half to take the lead for good. The six-plus minute drive was ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass from England to Trace Murchison on a crucial third-down play that gave Woodcreek a 10-7 lead. Woodcreek's only points of the first quarter came on a 37-yard field goal from Brody Simpson. Woodcreek coach Kyle Stowers was happy for his team. "I'm ecstatic," Stowers said. "I know it's not the end of the road, but it's a step for us. Anytime you can be the first to do something in school history it's a big deal. It's our first league championship. I'm just so happy for the kids." Not only was Stowers happy to win the game, but he was also happy with how his team won it. "Just the adversity, right," Stowers said. "We haven't had much adversity this year so to be down 7-3 at halftime, that was our first first half where we didn't play that great offensively. We had a ton of penalties. Just the way we were at the half, our heads weren't down. It wasn't disappointment; it was a belief that we were going to win and that's powerful to have that. "We came out and had a big second half. We didn't make the plays in the first half, but Jack Torrey made a big catch here that led to our first touchdown. Trace found a way to get open on a third-and-nine play. The kids made the plays and they deserve the credit." England finished the game with 14-of-21 passing for 229 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. Caden Cook rushed for 113 hard-earned yards on 25 carries and one touchdown. Murchison caught six passes for 89 yards and one score, while Keim caught three balls for 68 yards and a score. Cook caught three passes for 29 yards, while Torrey caught two passes for 33 yards. Woodcreek plays Bella Vista next Friday in the final game of the regular season. "We take it week by week," Keim said. "Next week we've got Bella Vista and that's all we're worried about right now."