By Al Camp
The Chronicle
 
     OAK HARBOR – The Okanogan County Commandos minor league football team started relaxing a little too soon in its game with the North Sound Sting last Saturday.
     The Commandos hung on for a 25-20 win to open play in the Washington Football League on March 20.
     After all, the Commandos were leading 25-6 with four minutes to go in a game where they could have been ahead by two more touchdowns.
     The Sting, behind their scrambling quarterback, stung the Commandos with a quick touchdown and then another fast score after recovering an onside kick.
     “We were expecting an onside kick,” coach Malcolm Townsend said. “The ball was lopped over the top of our nine guys up front and the two guys in back could not get to it.”
     Townsend made sure that someone got to the ball on the second onside kick try before his team picked up a first down and ran out the clock.
     The Commandos struck first with Ryan Cate (23-128) running 16 yards and Andy Clark kicking the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
     North Sound responded with a 24-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Justin Koepke blocked the extra point kick. He finished with two sacks, too.
     In the second quarter, Carter Coates (2-28) caught a 42-yard touchdown pass. A faked extra point led to a two-point conversion pass from Ian Ashley (15-24, 179, 2 TD, 1 INT) to Taylor Horner (3-25) put the Commandos in front 15-6 at the half.
     After no one scored in the third quarter, Shawn Townsend (5-106) rambled over the middle and caught an Ashley pass. He got a big block from Coates and scooted for a 65-yard touchdown.
     After an extra point and later a 34-yard field goal by Clark, the Commandos felt comfortable with their 25-6 lead.
     North Sound’s quarterback scored on a draw play to cut the lead to 25-13 with a little over four minutes to go.
     After the onside kick recovery, North Sound quickly passed to the one. The Commandos stuffed the first two plays before the North Sound’s quarterback ran around the end to score.
     “We made quite a few mistakes,” coach Townsend said, noting the team did not have a pre-season game.
     The Commandos committed three turnovers and lost yards on penalties like not lining up enough players for a field goal.
     The county football team had one pass intercepted in the end zone and another dropped by a wide receiver with no defenders in front of him.      Townsend said he played all 40 players that made the trip, which allowed him to see what some of the players could do. He was happy with what he say, considering the team took a six-hour bus ride to the game.
     The Commandos return to action for two weeks at home starting with Oregon’s Hermiston Hurricanes on Saturday, April 3, followed by the Spokane Wolfpack on Saturday, April 10.
     Other rushers included Craig Hall 6-55, Ryan Anderson 2-7 and Shawn Townsend 3-10.
     Other receivers included Cate 2-14 and Darren Yusi 2-8.
     The Commandos limited North Sound to 29 yards on the ground, 132 yards in the air.
     The score was close, coach Townsend said, because of the scrambling ability of North Sound’s quarterback.
     “They hung in there, made it a game,” Townsend said. “I was getting, I should not say agitated, I was getting a little nervous” after North Sound cut the lead to five points.