Chiawana rescues Mid-Columbia Conference title-clinching hopes with last-minute comeback

PASCO, Wash. - DJ Duran admittedly didn’t have his best game Friday night, throwing four interceptions.

But the junior quarterback from Chiawana never let mistakes keep him from leading the seventh-ranked Riverhawks to a come-from-behind 21-20 Mid-Columbia Conference victory over Southridge at Edgar Brown Stadium.

It was Duran who connected with sophomore Michael Hansen twice in the second half for touchdowns — including a 6-yard strike with 1:21 remaining that gave his team the victory.

It also clinched the MCC regular-season title for the Riverhawks, who overcame seven turnovers and still found a way to win. Chiawana is now 7-0 in MCC play (7-0 overall) and hosts Mount Si next Friday night in a non-league game.

"You can’t let a handful of throws define the whole game," said Duran, who finished at 10-for-20 for 149 yards passing and the two touchdown throws to Hansen. “We talked about how bad of a week we had at practice. But it all came together at the end.”

It didn’t look good for Chiawana in the first half.

The visiting Suns (3-3, 4-3) opened the game with a touchdown on the game’s first play, as senior Jimmy Rush took a handoff and pretty much raced untouched 84 yards for a score.

Rush would finish with 203 yards rushing on 28 carries.

"Some of our guys on defense were not doing what we had coached them to do all week, especially on that first play," Chiawana coach Scott Bond said. "Our front guys need to make a pile (of bodies) up front, and let the next guys come up and make the tackles."

But it would get worse before it got better.

Southridge took advantage of a muffed punt to score another touchdown, as Rush scampered into the end zone for a 17-yard scoring run and a 14-0 lead.

Duran would finally get things untracked, and responded by leading Chiawana to a touchdown, when he scored on a 12-yard run.

Rush would add a third touchdown — another 17-yard rumble to the end zone — and Southridge went into intermission hellbent on an upset with a 20-7 lead.

"Our talk at halftime wasn’t crazy," Bond said. "The first thing I said to them was ‘Before I get going, we’re down 13 points.’ For us, 13 is a magical number. We’ve been down 13 points a number of times this season and we’ve always come back."

And suddenly, things started to change in the second half.

Chiawana’s defense stiffened, not allowing anymore Southridge points. Riverhawks junior linebacker Hunter Taylor led the way, with an unofficial 15 tackles (one for loss).

Riverhawks senior running back Ian Mohl started reeling off big chunks of yardage to keep drives going. As good as the Suns’ Rush was, Mohl was just as impressive, rushing 21 times for 172 yards.

But it was Duran who started righting the ship. And he didn’t let the interceptions he threw — three alone by Southridge standout Lucien Cone — get him down.

With top receiver Kade Smith on the sidelines in street clothiers, and in concussion protocol after last week’s win over Hermiston, Duran connected with Hansen for a 15-yard touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter to cut the Suns lead to 20-14.

And then the two connected for the game-winner late in the game, as Hansen ran a quick slant pattern and Duran placed it perfectly into his hands in the end zone.

"I love Michael’s height," said Duran of the 6-foot-4 sophomore who finished with five catches for 77 yards. "He’s still working on his hands, but he’s doing great."

And Bond loved the grit of his quarterback.

"I tell DJ all of the time to keep plugging away," Bond said. "That’s the luxury of having an ex-quarterback as your head coach. I had games where I threw five interceptions before. I chewed his butt out good. He and I weren’t on the same page tonight. I wanted him to do one thing, and he wanted to do another."

But Bond wouldn’t change what he has — Duran, Mohl, his defensive unit — for anything.

"I love this team," Bond said. "I haven’t seen a team like this in a long time. I love its resilience."

For Southridge head coach Matt Johnson, the loss was tough to take. The Suns had the lead 19 seconds into the contest, and held it until there was just 80 seconds remaining.

"It’s not a moral victory anymore," said Johnson, who prepped at Tumwater, played at Eastern Washington University, and spent some time with the Dallas Cowboys as a player. "As a coach, I feel I didn’t do enough to put these guys into a chance to win."