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Created as an independent team for the 2005 season by Malcolm and
Kelly Townsend, the Okanogan County Commandos rallied one of the
best fan bases any team could desire coming from a smaller
community. With an intimate field and fans lined up sitting on
pickup tailgates behind the visiting bench, Okanogan was heralded as
one of the most fun teams to visit by opponents who also knew they
were in for a tough game week-in and week-out. During a short six-game inaugural season, the Commandos wasted no time going into the deep waters scheduling a two-game set with the Tri City Knights. The Knights, playing under the Rattlers banner in the Inland Northwest League in 2004, were 11-0 and INWFL champions. After starting the season 1-1, Okanogan took the Knights to the wire at home in a 20-13 loss, proving they would be no push-over. Next up, would be a two-game set with fellow independent start-up from the west side of the state in the South Sound Shockers. The teams would split home-and-home wins ahead of the Knights rematch. The Commandos fell 28-6 in Pasco as the Knights went on to win the Evergreen League with a 13-2 record. Okanogan had built a base to work from. The Commandos would improve to 6-4 as full-fledged members of the Evergree League in 2007 and would be in the mix of the Top Four teams in the league. The Knights would knock Okanogan out of the playoffs in the first round to end the season. The record for 2007 on paper shows 1-7, but that does not tell the story of the season. The season started off with a canceled game by the Riverhawks, before a string of tight losses by 13-points to the 2006 league runners-up on the road, two-consecutive 3-point losses, two consecutive 14-point losses, but at 0-5, the Commandos upset the defending champion Knights 14-7. The season closed out with a one-point loss and a seven point loss. The Commandos just needed a couple breaks their way. Those breaks would come through in 2008, though it would be tough sledding starting off the season with three road games. Opening with a 31-point loss on the road, the Commandos bounced back to take an overtime win in Idaho, before traveling across the mountains to the west for a game with the Shockers that ended in a 25-point loss. From there, Okanogan reeled off five straight league wins and a home field playoff game against the Shockers. Once again, the Commandos defended the home turf against South Sound avenging the earlier loss with a 21-15 win over the former 2007 Pacific Northwest Conference champions, sending the Shockers out of the playoffs. Yakima would end the season in like fashion in a 16-13 slugfest as the Mavericks punched their own ticket to the EFL Championship. Malcolm Townsend would be named GNFA Regional Coach of the Year for the massive turnaround from 1-7 to 7-3 in a few short months. The 2009 and 2010 seasons were struggles for the small county team, Okanogan County boasts a mere 43,000+ residents in total, while "nearby" rival Wenatchee (93 miles away) itself is home to 35,000 and hosted a junior college. A 4-5 2009 season was derailed by a 6-0 loss to defending champion Blue Mountain, a 12-6 loss to Yakima, and 19-13 overtime loss to Wenatchee. The final nail in the Commandos playoff hopes were crushed by the Shockers 31-0. That frustration was taken out in a 37-0 smashing of Hells Canyon in the finale. 2010 was a similar template as close losses to Yakima in overtime and Wenatchee by one-point led Okanogan into another showdown with the Shockers in Lacey, Washington. Both teams clinging to near .500 football. The Commandos left the west with a 26-23 victory, but the team from Hell's Canyon had to forfeit the following week, and with the league playoff draws, the Shockers were in and the Commandos were left out. Hell's Canyon would combine it's few remaining players with remnants of the collapsing North Sound Sting for an "exhibition" game against Okanogan with the Commandos winning going away 37-7 to end the season. In 2011, the Spokane Wolfpack had the Commandos number. Opening the season with a road loss in Spokane 16-6, the teams would meet again five weeks later, and again the Wolfpack would take away a 28-7 victory. The rest of the league had a problem though. The Commandos had acquired a star wide receiver in Steve Stockton, a former two-sport star from Whitworth University. Few would guess this star who smashed the regional record for receptions in a season with 86 and wrote his name into other receiving categories with 1,309 yards and 14 touchdowns wa the nephew of NBA Legend John Stockton. The Commandos rode his play-making and game-breaking ability to the Washington Football League championship, where they expected the Wolfpack to await them. However, it was Wenatchee who pulled the upset and sent Spokane out. The Commandos survived a 15-14 playoff scare from the Hurricanes, then won their only league title in franchise history with a 16-10 win over the Rams to complete a 10-2 season. Stockton would be named GNFA Player of the Year for his record-setting performance in 2011.
As the league faced new hurdles, the Commandos were once again looking for luck in tight games. The 2012 season, shortened with the departure of league teams to just six games, came within 8-points of starting out 5-0. But, at 3-2, the Commandos and Rams would meet again, with the Rams taking the playoff win, sending Okanogan home at 3-3 on the seaon. The spread got a little wider in 2013 as the Commandos finished how they started in 2005 with a 2-4 record and a playoff ouster at the hands of Wenatchee. That would be the final game for the Commandos on the field after nearly a decade of giving the Okanogan area a community event like no other. As much as the community supported the team, the team in turn supported the community with various events throughout the years, fund-raising to help families during hardships and being a bright spot on the semi-pro football scene, a one the community was proud of. DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION TO CONTRIBUTE? CONTACT US! (email)
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