WesternWA notebook: Neah Bay an extreme road warrior in 1B football playoffs

Red Devils about to take second three-day, 900-mile road trip to play No. 1 seed DeSales in the state quarterfinals in Walla Walla

Neah Bay players such as Robert Arnold Jr., left, and Joseph Smith will be taking another three-day trip covering more than 900 miles when. (Darrington football / Courtesy)

Neah Bay football coach T.J. Greene knows the isolated town on the Makah Reservation in Clallam County in which his players live essentially is a stone’s throw from the Canadian border.

He understands a WIAA road-playoff game anywhere would be a haul.

But a 457-mile road trip last week to Colfax High School to defeat Garfield-Palouse in a Class 1B first-round game, followed by this week’s 459-mile bus ride to Walla Walla High School to take on DeSales in the state quarterfinals?

That is a bit extreme, Greene said.

“We are going from traveling to the Idaho border last week,” Greene said, “to the Oregon border this week.”

Needless to say, the No. 9 seed Red Devils’ playoff trek is unlike anybody’s in recent memory.