YAKIMA — The CBBN district championship game couldn’t have started any better for Davis on Thursday night at Zaepfel Stadium.

Miguel Mireles sent home a cross from Jaime Alcocer in the sixth minute and Carlos Benitez buried a penalty kick in the 23rd,  giving the top-seeded Pirates all the momentum they would need to  defeat Wenatchee, 4-2, and earn the conference championship.

“We came out strong, and getting an early goal against them is always a plus because you know they are going to score, it’s inevitable,” said  Davis coach Cristian Gonzalez, whose team also locked up a Class 4A  state tournament berth with the win.

Wenatchee  got one back right before halftime when Luis Beltran broke free inside  the box, but the Pirates wasted no time pushing the lead back to two  when Alcocer took advantage of a defensive error in the 43rdminute and sent the ball into an empty net.

But  the second-seeded Panthers wouldn’t go away, climbing back to within  one on an unassisted goal by Jonathan Garcia Mendoza in the 66th.

The  Davis defense held strong down the stretch, with center backs Aiden  Munoz and Osmar Perez winning balls in the air and snuffing out any  significant threats in the final third. Senior goalkeeper Gabe Paulani  also provided a calming presence in the waning moments, collecting every  loose ball that came his way.

The  Pirates’ stingy back line and steady possession in the midfield  eventually led to the clinching goal in the second minute of stoppage  time when Lino Stevenson carried the ball into the box and found Alcocer  with a perfectly timed cross.

“We got a great breakaway and a great goal,” Gonzalez said. “Jaime wanted to sub in (late in the game) and now I know why.”

The  win gave Davis three wins over Wenatchee, last year’s league and  district champion. Gonzalez believes that accomplishment alone should  earn the Pirates a first-round home game when the 4A state tournament  brackets are announced Sunday.

“I  don’t see why we shouldn’t be hosting a game, at least, especially  beating (Wenatchee) three times and Eastmont twice,” the coach said.

With a record of 13-3-1 overall, the Pirates are No. 5 in the latest WIAA RPI rankings. Wenatchee, currently 12th in the RPI, fell to 11-5 overall and will take on No. 3 seed Eastmont on Saturday at home for the Big Nine’s second state berth.

The Wildcats (12-4-1) defeated Sunnyside 6-2 in Thursday’s loser-out contest and are ranked ninth in the RPI.