By Al Camp
Chronicle staff

     MOSES LAKE - Okanogan came from behind twice to edge Chewelah 28-27 in football Nov. 7, lifting the Caribou Trail League to a clean sweep of the Northeast 1A teams.
     Brewster, Tonasket, Cascade, Omak and Okanogan all topped NEA teams. The CTL advanced four to state.
     Okanogan returns home for its first state playoff game since 2006 at 2 p.m. against River View this Saturday, Nov. 14.
     Chewelah scored first on a three-yard run for a 7-0 first quarter lead. The Cougars recovered a fumbled punt to keep the scoring drive alive.
     Okanogan responded with touchdown passes by Ryan Price to Hayden Bristol (12 yards; shrugged off a tackler on his back), Jerid Peterson (20 yards; great touch to find receiver) and Mason Minter (2 yards; set up by a Chewelah fumble at mid-field).
     Chewelah closed the halftime margin to 21-13 with a 15-yard pass from Sam Fisk to Bryan Crain, who appeared to have pushed Danny Parks away before catching the ball in the right side of the end zone.
     The extra-point kick failed, going high and to the left.
     "I think we got a piece of it but I can't tell you who did," Okanogan coach Denny Neely said.
     Chewelah scored on an eight-yard run in the third quarter and a seven-yard run in the fourth quarter for a 27-21 lead.
     After the first score, a two-point run was stuffed at the line.
     The second score was set up by Okanogan losing a fumble at its 34. Chewelah scored on fourth and two at the eight with 10:37 left in the game. Chewelah converted a two-point pass.
     Okanogan charged back through the air, with Price (17-25, no interceptions, 197 yards) showing poise in the pocket with a soft throw to Bristol (7-90), who leaped high in the back left corner of the end zone.
     "I think this might have been Ryan's best game at quarterback," Neely said. "His pass selection and how he threw the ball. I think he became a leader at quarterback.
     After Okanogan fell behind a second time, Neely said, "I told him to suck it up, get us a drive and get this game back. He responded well to it. He did a great job running the team through it. We dropped some passes, started off slow before he hit some receivers."
     Okanogan needed the passing attack, which produced 197 yards because its running game produced an anemic 39 yards on 14 carries (only three times in the second quarter, and one of those was fumbled).
     After Parks kicked his fourth-straight extra point, Okanogan led 28-27 with 5:54 to go.
     A near interception and two quarterback sacks slowed Chewelah almost as much as two unsportsmanlike penalties. The second was a killer, as Fisk was called for a personal foul against an Okanogan defender hanging onto the quarterback's jersey.
     Fisk stayed in the game and completed a pass to Okanogan's 13 before time expired.
     Chewelah attempted a game-winning drive without any timeouts starting at its nine (following a false start penalty) with 1:59 left in the game.
     Connor Tupling and Enver Figueroa took a lot of time off the clock with sacks in the late drive.
     "Sometimes the enemy is the time. I don't know what would have happened if they had one more play," Neely said.
     "That shows a lot of character for a bunch of kids," Neely said, noting Okanogan was easily out-sized on the front line. "They really sucked it up and played.
     "The last three weeks we've proven we can play close games and win."
     Rushers for Okanogan included Figueroa 7-27 and Tupling 6-15. Receivers included Figueroa 5-36, Minter 3-16 and Peterson 2-55.
     River View (8-2) lost to Connell and by a touchdown against Royal. The Panthers wear red and black, a color familiar to the Bulldogs from playing against Omak.
     They sport a quarterback who can throw the ball, much like Okanogan, and a running game, too.
     "They do it all," Neely said. He who said River View (from Finley, near Kennewick) is athletic and offensive-minded.