Chelan celebrates Senior Night, but falls to Bulldogs

CHELAN -- The Battle for the Bronze Shoe, a 70-year rivalry between the Chelan Goats and the Cashmere Bulldogs, was also Senior Night for the host Goats on Oct. 21. The season’s undefeated, leaders in the 1A Caribou Trail League, took the shoe home along with a lopsided 58-7 win.

Prior to kickoff, Chelan recognized not only its senior football players and cheer team members but also seniors on the varsity cross country team because the Goats did not host a home cross country race this year.

While the heavily favored Bulldogs had the odds on their side, Chelan made the scoreboard light up first with a 12-yard touchdown  midway through the first quarter. The extra point was good, and the Goats led, 7-0, with 6:34 left in the quarter.

Cashmere responded about four minutes later to tie the game 7-7, with 2:46 remaining in the first.

An unusual incident occurred in the quarter when the ball fell off the tee just as Cashmere was attempting a kickoff. A perceptive Goat player picked up the ball and ran it toward the Bulldogs’ end zone before a referee whistled a dead ball. The Goats did win possession on Cashmere’s 42-yard line where the missed kick occurred.

Following a 7-7 first quarter the Bulldogs launched a combined running and passing drive to extend their lead to 27-7 by halftime. The last half of the game was all Cashmere despite a few hiccups as the Bulldogs closed the third quarter, 51-7. The bulldogs added one more TD in the fourth for the 58-7 final.

Cashmere got a two-point safety in the third quarter when a punt fumble deep in Chelan territory was retrieved by the kicker but then blocked and recovered by the Bulldogs in the Goat’s end zone.

Cashmere may have won the shoe, but Chelan won the hearts with a halftime show featuring scores of young ladies called the Mini Goats cheerleaders who performed for the crowd under the mentorship of the Goats varsity cheer squad.

Senior football players recognized include Chase Woodley, Ryan Rainville, Lance Gogal, Landon Johnson, Isaac Wilson, Mikel San Jose Getrueix, Luiz Arellano, Dominick Solorza, Charlie Garton, and Josue Cazarez.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483, michael@ward.media

The history of the Bronze Shoe

“The Shoe Trophy” originated at Cashmere High School in 1953 and is awarded annually to the winner of the Cashmere/Chelan regular season football game.  The football shoe was Bill Lippincott’s college shoe from his running back days at Washington State University.

Lippincott graduated from Okanogan High School prior to playing four years of football and one year of basketball at WSU.  He is regarded as one of the best athletes to ever come out of North Central Washington.  Lippincott enjoyed a record-setting college career and was drafted by the L.A. Rams.  “Coach” Bill instead chose to teach and coach high school athletes after graduation in 1949.

Don Pugh, who was Lippincott’s assistant coach at Cashmere, had the trophy made in his 1953 shop class after Lippincott left Cashmere to join the Chelan staff.  Lippincott was head football, basketball, and baseball coach, as well as an educator at both high schools, retiring in 1984.

The trophy symbolizes a bridge of friendship and good sportsmanship between the Bulldogs and Goats.