Clarkston playoff-bound after getting rivalry win in Pullman

PULLMAN — When it looked like the Pullman Greyhounds might have made it a one-score game after senior running back Brady Coulter moved the chains on three straight carries, the Clarkston Bantams found their backs to the goal line.

Coulter’s carry was met by a flock of Bantams, who knocked the ball loose into the end zone for Clarkston to recover.

Clarkston would go on to win 28-6 against their 2A Greater Spokane League rivals.

“That was just a huge play. It was one of those where the ball came out and we thought they had it and our guy made the effort to go out and get it,” Clarkston coach Brycen Bye said.

Clarkston used a balanced offense and a turnover-generating defense to pound the Hounds into submission Friday in Pullman.

With the win, Clarkston secured second place in the 2A GSL and a ticket to the playoffs.

Bantams overcome first-half mistake

The first half ended rather peculiarly when Clarkston found itself on the goal line in the final seconds of the second quarter.

After a 17-yard completion, the Bantams spiked the ball.

Bye said that the first down marker was inches away from where the spot of the ball was, but he and his staff thought they had the first down. Wanting to give his team the chance to huddle and plan a play, the Bantams spiked the ball on what turned out to be fourth down.

Clarkston went into the locker room up 13-0, having come up inches short without a real shot at the end zone.

Senior running back Milo Kunnap said that the team doesn’t hold that against their coach and has a lot of respect for him taking ownership of that moment.

Kunnap steals the show

Kunnap made a difference for the Bantams with 14 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and an interception.

Bye said Kunnap was out for several games and that the Bantams definitely missed him.

“Having him back, it creates an explosive offense and defensively it’s huge for us too,” Bye said. “Proud of him. He deserves it.”

Kunnap gave a lot of credit to his offensive line and teammates for blocking.

“It’s the most important thing,” Kunnap said. “If I don’t have anyone blocking for me, I can’t do my job.”

“The quarterback that no one is talking about”

Clarkston QB Hayden Line put on another show going 11-of-22 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for nearly 100 yards on 11 carries with a QB sneak at the goal line for another score.

Line kept the line moving for the Bantams with numerous scrambles, towering pocket passes and his own runs.

“I would say he’s one of the top quarterbacks that no one is talking about yet,” Bye said. “So hopefully when we get into the playoffs, when we get into State, when you have a guy who can run for 100, pass for 200, that’s a huge deal.

“So just another game where he comes out and does his thing and it’s really fun.”

Greyhounds anchored by all-senior O-line, senior running back

The Greyhounds moved the ball well between the 20-yard lines but failed to make the plays in the red zone to punch it in. Pullman fumbled at the goal line in the first half and threw and an interception on the plus side of the field in the second half.

Pullman quarterback Connor Stewart found Caleb Ratliff wide-open in the end zone for 20 yards and a touchdown to put his team on the board at the start of the fourth quarter.

“They’re a much better team than their record shows,” Bye said. “They’ve played a ton of close games this year, senior night, they had a bunch of seniors so they had a lot to play for and we knew it was going to be tough coming up here — it always is — so coming out strong like we did, holding on defensively (was big).”

The Hounds put up decent offensive numbers thanks to Coulter, who rushed for nearly 200 yards on 30 carries behind a 100%-senior offensive line.

“We’ve got six seniors there between Brady (Coulter) and the five O-linemen,” Pullman coach Kevin Agnew said. “They play really hard. They care about each other. It’s a great group, you know, and they’re going to leave a good legacy, even though the record might not indicate it. Those guys have really done a nice job of establishing their culture and leaving their legacy as leaders on this team.”

What’s next for the Bantams?

Bye said Clarkston had a solid year last year when it reached State and graduated a significant senior class from that group.

This year’s group matched that and set up Clarkston for a second straight postseason berth.

“These seniors have stepped up into that role,” Bye said. “When you look at our seniors it doesn’t just come naturally. Every kid on the team has been in the weight room over the summer, so they deserve it because they worked really hard.”

Clarkston 7 6 8 7—28

Pullman 0 0 0 6—6

Clarkston — Hayden Line 1 run (kick)

Clarkston — Ryken Craber 23 pass from Line (kick failed)

Clarkston — Milo Kunnap 4 pass from Line (Kunnap run)

Pullman — Caleb Ratliff 20 pass from Connor Stewart (run failed)

Clarkston — Kunnap 36 run (kick)

Passing — Clarkston: Hayden Line 11-22-222; Pullman: Connor Stewart 9-23-1-84.

Rushing — Clarkston: Milo Kunnap 14-115 Line 11-97, Niko AhHi 3-33; Pullman: Brady Coulter 30-1-196, Kenji Ohki 6-11.

Receiving — Clarkston: Ryken Craber 6-110, AhHi 2-64 Kunnap 3-11; Pullman: Caleb Ratliff 3-44, Will Focht 2-26 Coulter 2-11, Evan Anderson 1-10.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.