Playoff Football: Battered, Proud Champions Limp into Pasco

The two-time defending champs, hampered by sickness and injury... are consensus road underdogs Saturday at 10-1 Chiawana

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PASCO – Doing battle with a tattered and wary old predator isn’t anyone’s idea of a pleasant weekend.

No, signing up for a Saturday midday cage match with a literal cornered lion isn’t in the same league as hitting the Home Depot with Honeybuns – perhaps even a Bed, Bath and Beyond run – who knows if you’ll have enough time?  

But that’s the situation in which 10-1 Chiawana finds itself. Yes, they are the deserved three seed, the home team for a state quarterfinal matchup and the definitive favorite. 

Yeah, that’s all true. 

But you know they can’t be thrilled to see Tom Tri, Kolton Matson, Keagan Howard and Jayshon Limar getting off that bus tomorrow, riding a ten game WIAA playoff win streak. 

Nowhere outside of mid-2000s Skyline can one find a more decorated set of 4A football players. Matson - the reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year and starting quarterback of the last three 4A title games. Limar and Howard bring four state titles and seven all conference awards between them.  

So one would assume this isn’t the type of six seed one might hope to draw for  a quarterfinal matchup. 

On the other hand, this version of the Vikings is decidedly mortal. Say all you wan’t about the quality of competition (unparalleled),