Aberdeen got a 100-plus yard rushing game from Aidan Watkins and the Bobcats defense pitched a shutout en route to a 36-0 victory over Hoquiam in the 118th Myrtle Street Rivalry game on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

The Bobcats (1-0 overall) and Hoquiam (0-1) both struggled early as the typical first-game miscues and penalties thwarted potential Bobcats scoring drives and had the Grizzlies offense moving backward.

Aberdeen thrilled its fans when Adonis Hammonds took the opening kickoff and sprinted deep into Hoquiam territory, but the Grizzlies defense stripped Hammonds of the ball and Hoquiam senior Chance LaBounty made the recovery just before going out of bounds.

Aberdeen’s defense held the Grizzlies to a three-and-out and a Patrick Walsh punt block on fourth down gave the Cats the ball in excellent field position.

Four plays later, Aberdeen’s offense had a first-and-goal at the five before a fumbled snap and two consecutive penalties pushed the Bobcats back to the Hoquiam 22-yard line. Another fumbled snap on fourth down gave the ball back to Hoquiam at its own 22.

But the Grizzlies continued to struggle finding any offensive rhythm, moving in reverse after a delay of game penalty followed by a false start, leading to a punt that was returned by Watkins nearly 30 yards to the Hoquiam 25.

Three plays later, Aberdeen cashed in its prime starting field position when tight end Marcus Hale scored on a 9-yard run for a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Aberdeen drove into Hoquiam territory for the third straight drive but a fumble on third down was recovered by Hoquiam sophomore lineman Ryan Pullar, killing another promising Aberdeen march.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen quarterback Grady Springer (4) tries to outrun Hoquiam linebacker Dominic Standstipher during the Bobcats’ 36-0 win on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

But the Bobcats defense picked up the slack, pushing Hoquiam’s offense inside the Grizzlies’ own 10-yard line and forcing a punt.

On the ensuing possession, the Cats offense – which once again started with great field position – drove 30 yards in four plays, capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by Watkins.

Watkins scored again on a 1-yard run with just under four minutes left in the second quarter for a 21-0 lead and – after the Cats defense forced another punt – took a 24-0 advantage after junior kicker Edmond Brown line-drived a 37-yard field goal with just over a minute left in the first half.

Aberdeen extended its lead to 30-0 in its first drive of the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Watkins and the elusive senior running back capped the scoring with a 7-yard run later in the frame, recording his fourth touchdown of the contest.

“It’s my senior year and I love playing the game and I love my teammates,” Watkins said. “Everything just came together and I’m just the one that got the touches on the goal line and that’s how it went.”

Hoquiam moved the ball into Aberdeen territory on two drives late in the game but failed to find the end zone as the Grizzlies were shut out for the second consecutive game against their longtime rivals.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen senior Patrick Walsh (8) raises the Myrtle Street Rivalry trophy after the Bobcats defeated Hoquiam 36-0 on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen rushed for 248 yards, led by Watkins with 110.

“They definitely created some big holes for me I and just tried to make the most out of the opportunities they gave me,” Watkins said of the job done by his offensive line, which consistently opened running lanes against a younger, undersized Hoquiam defensive front.

Cats senior quarterback Grady Springer added 67 rushing yards and was an efficient 7-for-15 passing for 88 yards and an interception by Jump late in the first half.

Senior receiver Patrick Walsh led Aberdeen with three catches for 34 yards while sophomore Micah Schroeder caught two Springer passes for 41 yards.

The Aberdeen defense held Hoquiam to minus-9 yards on the ground.

“Those guys did a fantastic job of game-planning and putting guys in the right position,” Bridge said of his defensive coaching staff.

Grizzlies quarterback Zander Jump went 19-for-32 for 162 yards and an interception by Watkins.

Jump’s favorite target was running back Dominic Standstipher, who caught 10 passes for 69 yards.

“I thought Zander played really well considering his feet were dirty the entire night with bodies,” Hoquiam head coach Jeremy McMillan said.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam quarterback Zander Jump (10) passes to Dominic Standstipher (21) during a 36-0 loss to Aberdeen on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

Both teams had their fair share of mistakes. Aberdeen turned the ball over four times and committed 11 penalties for 88 yards.

Hoquiam had nine penalties for 76 yards and one turnover.

“I honestly just think it was our positivity,” Watkins said when asked how the Bobcats offense overcame its mistakes. “Nobody in our huddle was down or negative the entire game. … We were focused on the next play every single time and I think that worked out for us.”

“Offensively, we were sloppy,” Bobcats head coach Todd Bridge said. “We play like that next week, we’ll get our butts kicked if we play like that. … 360-plus yards of offense is a good first night. Thirty-six points of offense is not going to cut it. We’ve got to pick that up. We were down in the red zone and walked away empty-handed three times. We have to fix things like that.”

Despite the lopsided loss and being without two starting lineman and starting defensive back Kingston Case due to injury, McMillan sees promise in his team.

“Our defense played really well considering we were backed up the entire game,” he said. “(Aberdeen) played a third of the football field. … We’ve got four or five sophomores starting on defense, so that’s a positive right there. … I’m really happy with where we are at, but I’m more excited where we could be because they have a ton of potential and bring that work-hard attitude everyday.”

Aberdeen hosts Montesano at 7 p.m. Friday.

Hoquiam plays at Fort Vancouver at 5 p.m. Friday.

Hoquiam 0 0 0 0 – 0

Aberdeen 6 18 12 0 – 36

Scoring

First quarter

A – Hale 9 run (kick blocked), 2:22

Second quarter

A – Watkins 5 run (Springer to Schroeder), 7:32

A – Watkins 1 run (Brown kick), 3:56

A – Brown 37 FG, 1:12

Third quarter

A – Watkins 1 run (kick blocked), 8:57

A – Watkins 7 run (run fail), 5:19

Rushing: Hoquiam – Standstipher 8-13, Jump 15-(-18). Aberdeen – Watkins 15-110, Springer 10-67, Hale 6-55, Hammonds 1-22, Schroeder 2-3, Martin 2-(-9).

Passing: Hoquiam – 18-31-0-162; Bozich 0-1-1-0. Aberdeen – Springer 7-15-1-88.

Receiving: Hoquiam – Standstipher 10-69, Javonni Koth 5-24, Aden Bennett-Bryson 3-72, Tage Dayton 1-(-7).

Aberdeen – Walsh 3-34, Schroeder 2-41, Hammonds 1-13, Watkins 1-0.