ZILLAH – A week after finding nearly every way possible to get into the end zone, Cashmere standout junior receiver Ethan Bessonette took more conventional routes Friday night.

Hauling in two of fellow 11th-grader Mac Carlson’s three touchdown passes and adding a short touchdown run, Bessonette and a stingy defense led the third-ranked Bulldogs to a 49-7 victory against No. 8 Zillah at Andy Collins Memorial Field in a game that likely decided second place in the SCAC.

“We talked all week that we felt that this was one of our last chances to make a statement,” Cashmere coach Bryan Bremer said. “There are still games on our schedule that we gotta win, for sure, but as far as top-10 matchups, this is going to be our last one.”

• FOOTBALL STANDINGS

A week after scoring six non-offensive touchdowns against Wapato – including  kickoff, punt and interception returns for TDs by Bessonette – and running just 10 plays from scrimmage, the Bulldogs offense saw much more action.

On the 11th offensive play Friday, Carlson found Brett Rubio for a 26-yard score. Then it was a 55-yard strike to Bessonette, who finished with eight receptions for 149 yards, to give Cashmere a two-score lead with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

“Ethan Bessonette was unbelievable today,” Breber said. “He had a stellar showing last week against Wapato, and all he did today was make big plays and move the chains.”

Bessonette would add a 7-yard TD run, and cap the scoring by grabbing another touchdown pass from Carlson, who completed 22 of 27 passes for 294 yards.

The Bulldogs defense forced four first-half punts, the third blocked by reigning SCAC Defensive Player of the Year Grey Jacobson and pulled out of the air by Colton Stendera, and returned for a touchdown.

“That’s just our best player being really good,” Bremer said of Jacobson.

It wasn’t all sparkling for Cashmere, which was whistled for several penalties, and saw Zillah’s Budda Aranda take a Beau Donahoe pass 60 yards for a touchdown to open the second half.

“The penalties are a direct reflection of the head coach, I believe, so we got to be better cleaning that up,” Bremer said. “And the one time they scored was a mistake I made.”

Zillah held tough in the first half, forcing the Bulldogs into a few third-and-longs. Unfortunately for the Leopards, Cashmere often was able to convert.

“We just couldn’t get off the field in the first half,” Zillah coach Ryan Watson said. “They were able to score on two of those third-and-longs, so that’s tough.”

Compounding the Leopards’ pain were injuries. Standout running back Maverick Myers was lost to an injury to his core area late in the first quarter.

Watson said Myers was at a local hospital getting assessed.

Brayden Russell, another key junior for the Zillah, later was lost to what was suspected to be ashoulder injury.

“We got to take a look at ourselves over the weekend, and we got to get back to work Monday because the season’s not over,” Watson said. “We can still do some things, there’s still a lot of talent in that locker room.”

Cashmere (4-1 overall, 3-1 SCAC) hosts Kiona-Benton next Friday, while Zillah (3-2 overall, 3-2 SCAC) visits Wapato the same night.