After struggling through a low-scoring stretch of three games, the Wenatchee football team kicked it into high gear Nov. 1 in a 58-28 domination of Eastmont in the Battle of the Bridges game at the Apple Bowl. The Panthers improved their record to 7-2 overall and clinched first place in the Big Nine Conference.

The win earned the Panthers a home first-round State playoff game.

“We fixed the little mistakes we were making and Dillon [Sugg] stepped up and made some great reads,” said senior Jakob Stoll.

Wenatchee scored four touchdowns in the first quarter alone, a 25-yard pass from senior Dillon Sugg to senior Brock Stone, a 20-yard pass from Sugg to senior C.J. Waterman, 19-yard run by Sugg, and a 7-yard run by junior Chase Resch. The team kept it up in the second quarter, with touchdowns coming on a 31-yard run by senior Isaiah Brandt-Sims, and an 85-yard kickoff return by senior Blake Aguilar. Touchdowns in the third quarter were scored by Brandt-Sims (16-yard run), and a 41-yard fumble return by senior Kris Garrett.

Although the team has been winning, the Panthers have been involved in several low-scoring games. “Sometimes one side of the ball will struggle, so the other side has to step up. It’s just how it works. And these last few weeks it has been the defense stepping up for the offense,” said Garrett.

According to Coach Scott Devereaux, the team has a lot of great defensive players right now, including defensive lineman Stoll, junior linebacker Ben Holmberg, and defensive backs Resch and sophomore Tj Harris.

On Oct. 25, WHS played Moses Lake and won 13-10. The team’s only touchdown was scored by Brandt-Sims with an 11-yard run. Junior Garrett King kicked a 41-yard field goal which tied the game until the final two seconds, when King kicked the game-winning 19-yard field goal.

WHS played Davis on Oct.18 and won 17-8 with 374 total yards. Brandt-Sims scored the team’s two touchdowns, first with a 36-yard run and later a 1-yard run. King kicked a 30-yard field goal.

WHS played another low-scoring game against Eisenhower on Oct. 11 and won 13-3. The game was tied 3-3 until the third quarter when Brandt-Sims scored the only touchdown in the game with a 46-yard run. Wenatchee’s two field goals were both kicked by King, from 40 and 38 yards.

Wenatchee will play its last league game on Nov. 8 against Sunnyside at the Apple Bowl at 7 p.m. before beginning the postseason.

The team has been doing really well, but they still have some weaknesses. “We need to be a little more consistent; sometimes we have letdowns, no more of those,” said Devereaux. According to Devereaux, the team’s biggest strength is its teamwork.