Cascade football team improves to 3-1 with 22-5 win at Sultan

The Cascade Kodiak football team improved to 3-1 on the season with a 22-5 victory at Sultan last Friday. It avenged 48-41 loss to the Turks last season. Still Head Coach Dom Coffin was not pleased with his team’s play. “That game was very sloppy for us. It was not one we were too pleased with. We pulled out the win but it was not the quality win we wanted going into league,” Coffin said. “We had a lot of penalties, missed assignments. It was just a very sloppy game, no discipline.”

Sultan opened the scoring in the first quarter with 28-yard field goal. The Turks picked up 2-points on a first quarter safety. Sultan led 5-0. Cascade came back with a 50-yard pass from Jose Mendoza to Jose Valdez for the touchdown. 

Cascade led 7-5 after one quarter. The Kodiaks’ Arthur Drake made a tackle in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter. Cascade led 9-5 at half. 

The Kodiaks opened the third quarter with another 50-yard pass from Mendoza to Valdez for touchdown. The extra point was blocked. Cascade led 15-5. 

Cascade completed the scoring in the third quarter on a 10-yard TD run by Isaiah Dayton. 

“It was a lot closer game than it looked. We really never had full control of the game. The stats don’t really tell the story,” Coffin said. “We threw the ball more. Sultan brought some pressure. Our run game was shut down so we looked to throw. Jose Mendoza did a good job of moving around in the pocket and delivering the ball.”

Cascade had 308 yards of offense versus 197 for Sultan. The Kodiaks were penalized 14 times for 110 yards. The Turks had 7 penalties for 60 yards. Cascade had four turnovers, 3 fumbles and 1 interception. 

Mendoza was 12-for-23 for 290 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Cascade rushed for only 18 yards on 23 attempts. Sultan had 147 yards rushing. Valdez caught 6 passes for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quinn Ashcraft had 2 catches for 120 yards. 

Eric Rosario led the defense with 9 solo tackles, including 3 for loss. 

“Our defense did really well. They stepped up. They started out slow, but then came back and really dominated,” Coffin said. 

Up next for Cascade (3-1) their league opener at home against Omak (1-2). Last year, Cascade beat Omak 45-35. 

“It’s going to be a tough one. Our league is strong this year. It should be pretty even. It will be a good test. They have a good quarterback, some fast running backs and receivers. It will be interesting,” Coffin said. “Last year was a close game until the end. They’ve had a lot of really close games. They’ve been really competitive. We need to cut out the penalties, improving on the little things. Just need to come out and compete.”

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.