Kodiak football ends season with a loss in a wild game but looks toward a promising future

CHELAN— In the Caribou Trail League regular season finale, the Cascade Kodiaks faced off against the Chelan Goats in a thrilling match that featured two recovered onside kicks, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, twelve touchdowns, and 86 points. Unfortunately, in the end, the Kodiaks fell short, losing to the Goats 58-28 at Chelan’s Sargent Field on Friday night.

As a result, the Goats head to Royal City on Monday, November 4, for a crossover five-team modified Kansas City knockout tournament looking for a berth in the WIAA 1A State tournament. The Kodiaks head home.

Chelan surged ahead with 28 unanswered points, starting with an efficient opening drive followed by a 55-yard pick-six, a fumble recovery leading to a 20-yard TD pass, and an interception followed by a 32-yard pass to the endzone. 

Then with just over five minutes remaining in the half, the Kodiaks finally struck back as quarterback Will Biebesheimer connected with sophomore Julian Fenney for a big gain to the Chelan 2-yard line. Artie Northrup then ran into the endzone. After recovering the onside kick, the Kodiaks drove down to the Chelan 22-yard line. From there, Biebesheimer avoided a Goats’ blitz by rolling left and throwing across the field to sophomore Eli Webb for another score. Biebesheimer ran in the two-point conversion to make it 28-14. 

The Kodiaks were back in the game, but the Goats refused to let up as the half wound down. After fielding another onside kick, they marched down the field to make it 35-14 as the teams headed into the locker rooms.

Chelan opened the second half by recovering yet another onside kick and scoring on a 44-yard strike. The Kodiaks, however, refused to back down. On the ensuing possession, Biebesheimer tossed a 60-yard TD bomb to Feeney and ran in the PAT to remain in contention with most of the half still ahead, and being only down by twenty, 42-22, in a game in which the points came easy.

Notions of a comeback were quickly dashed, though, when the Goats returned the following kick off 85 yards for a 50-22 lead. The Kodiaks, nonetheless, followed that big play with one of their own: defensive lineman Ethan Flansburg tipped and intercepted a pass and added insult to injury by bowling over the Chelan QB and rumbling for a few more yards. Biebesheimer soon after connected with Feeney again on a nine-yard TD pass. The Kodiaks failed to convert the two-point attempt, and the score was 50-28 at the end of the third quarter. The Goats scored the lone touchdown of the fourth quarter to end the scoring.

It was Senior Night for the Goats, who celebrated at half-time. And it was the last game for the Kodiak seniors: Landon Curnutt, Cole Ennis, Artie Northrup, Will Biebesheimer, Amiano Coronado, Jackson Feeney, Trail Hyel, Ethan Flansburg, Frank Rosario, and Olyn Schultz. 

Reflecting on those players, Kodiak head coach Carl Haberberger stated: “What I’ll say about the seniors is not necessarily about their play tonight. They are the reason we had a successful season. Their leadership was the difference. There was no quitting, even when we were down. They did things right.”

This season marked a significant turnaround for the Kodiaks, who finished at 4-4 after going winless in 2023. “To go from not winning a game to being a win away from being in the playoffs in just one year is something I’m very proud of,” continued Haberberger. “Winning takes a lot of work. It’s not easy. I’m so thankful these kids are buying in because it’s much more fun winning games. We couldn’t do it without great assistant coaches either. I will say that this year’s team was definitely greater than the sum of its parts and that’s what you strive for as a head coach.”

Some of those younger parts shined on Friday night and throughout the season, promising a bright future for the Kodiaks in the coming years. Against the Goats, in addition to standout Feeney’s receiving prowess, fellow sophomore Eli Webb came up with his own TD catch and an interception, and freshman Milo Gibbs had a big kickoff return. Other notables were sophomore receiver and defensive back Aengus Gillian, and sophomore lineman Gene Witt.

As Haberberger put it: “We’re excited about our younger players who actually have quite a bit of experience. I’m confident that the momentum gained this year will carry over to next year’s team. We need to hit the weight room and get bigger, faster, and stronger though if we want to take the next step. Luckily, this group likes to work.

Caroline Menna is an intern for Ward Media and a senior at Cascade High School, where she serves as Editor-in-Chief of the school’s Publications Group.