3A STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Priest River loses first playoff game since 2012

ABERDEEN — In its first playoff appearance since 2012, No. 8 seed Priest River fell 42-12 to No. 1 seed Aberdeen on Saturday in a 3A first-round playoff game.

Senior Sawyer Staudt scored both touchdowns for Priest River (6-3), which posted its first winning season since 2013.

Aberdeen (8-1) advances to next weekend’s state quarterfinals against an opponent to be determined.

Aberdeen entered Saturday’s game allowing just 6.25 points per game and four turnovers.

“Aberdeen trains well defensively and we knew that,” Priest River coach Alex Zepeda said. “We were hoping to score a little bit more because we know we have a good offense, but we scored more than most teams, so that’s a positive.”

With 12 points, Priest River broke the all-time record for a single season. This year, the Spartans scored 288 points, four more than the previous record in 2012.

Staudt, with 40 seconds left in the second quarter, scored on a 4-yard run to cap a 47-yard drive to cut the Tiger lead to 7-6. Sophomore Nate Fegert, who also had a 4-yard loss on third down and two on Aberdeen’s first drive of the game, recovered a fumble with about four minutes left in the quarter to give the Spartans field position that eventually led to a touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, now down 35-6, junior running back Lucas Matthews hit Staudt with an 11-yard touchdown with 5:11 left. Earlier in the same drive, Matthews, who was 11-for-19 passing for 107 yards, hit freshman Leighton Goins with a 41-yard strike to set up the score.

The touchdown brought Staudt’s total to 24 for the season. He also broke the all-time Priest River rushing record set by Cameron Riley in 2012 when he rushed for 1,139 yards. With his 37 rushing yards Saturday, Staudt finished the season with 1,146 rushing yards.

Aberdeen scored six touchdowns and piled up 354 yards on the ground.

Priest River made the playoffs for the fifth time in school history.

“Just considering the stride we made this year, having the co-op schedule last year and only winning two games in a five-year stretch the year before, that’s huge for Priest River,” Zepeda said. “Of course we’re disappointed, we want to win everything, especially today, but it was extremely important for our program. I’m really excited to get back into it in the offseason. We are a super young team and we have a bright future.”

Priest Richka 0 6 0 6 — 12

Aberdeen 0 14 8 20 — 42

Second quarter

AB — Alvarez 5 run (good shot), 8:57

PR — Staudt 4 run (conversion failed), 0:40

AB — Shackelford 2 runs (good shot), 0:06

The third quarter

AB — Shackelford 2 (Beck conversion), 9:00

Fourth quarter

AB — Shackelford 4 drive (conversion failed), 11:20

AB — Back 2 run (good kick), 6:44

PR — Staudt 11 pass from Matthews (conversion failed), 5:11

AB — Alvarez 1 lan (good shot), 3:44

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

SHOOT: PR — Staudt 9-37, Fegert 7-21, Goins 1-10, Kuprienko 3-6. AV — Shackelford 10-111, Beck 13-84, Ortiz 11-83, Alvarez 7-45, Foster 3-15, Jenkins 2-8, Driscoll 1-4, Serna Carrillo 1-4.

PASSING: PR — Mathews 11-19-1-107. AB — Ortiz 1-3-0-20.

RECEIVING: PR — Goins 1-41, Staudt 5-36, S. Simcox 1-19, L. Simcox 1-6, Lamanna 2-5, Kuprienko 1-0. AB — Serna Carillo 1-20.