Citing safety concerns, Ilwaco forfeits 2B football district playoffs matchup with Kalama

One school has already stamped its ticket to the state playoffs -- two-time defending Class 2B champion Kalama. That is because the Chinooks' scheduled district

One school has already stamped its ticket to the state playoffs -- two-time defending Class 2B champion Kalama.

That is because the Chinooks' scheduled district playoff opponent -- 4-5 Ilwaco -- announced Monday it was forfeiting because of the "safety factor" of an injury-depleted roster, athletic director Tim Harrell said.

"We were pretty thin (in roster numbers) ... all season long, and over the last three weeks, we lost four or five of our best players on each side of the ball," Harrell said.

Harrell said he and David Tobin, the school's principal, met with coach Sean Cease on Monday to talk about what kind of lineup the Fishermen could field for a playoff game.

"In every one, we'd have to send out four or five freshmen who are not ready to be playing ... against the two-time defending 2B champions," Harrell said.