A close game snowballed quickly out of control for Aberdeen in a 55-0 loss to Tumwater on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

Looking to see how it stacked up against one of the 2A class’ top programs, the Bobcats (4-2 overall, 2-1 2A Evergreen) showed flashes of promise throughout the first half.

Tumwater (6-0, 3-0) scored on its first possession of the game when quarterback Ethan Kastner hit receiver David Malroy on an 18-yard pass down the middle for a touchdown.

Aberdeen responded on the ensuing possession by driving into Tumwater territory, advancing to the T-Birds 26 when sophomore Micah Schroeder broke loose on a 26-yard run.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen running back Micah Schroeder (6) runs for a first down during a 55-0 loss to Tumwater on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

But the Bobcats drive stalled out at the Tumwater 30 after quarterback Grady Springer missed Schroeder on a fourth-down slant pass, giving the ball back over to the T-Birds.

Aberdeen’s defense stepped up to hold Tumwater to a three and out, highlighted by a clutch third-d0wn combo sack by Patrick Walsh and Nolan Cook.

In the second quarter, Tumwater’s offense benefited from an Aberdeen illegal substitution penalty and two key first-down runs to earn a 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Mathias Rodriguez scored to take a 14-0 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the first half.

Aberdeen’s defense kept Tumwater off the scoreboard until late in the half, when a conversion on 3rd-and-15 gave the T-Birds a first down at the Bobcats 33. On the next play, Logan Cole broke free for a touchdown to give Tumwater a 20-0 lead.

Aberdeen penetrated into Tumwater territory on its next drive, highlighted by a 22-yard Springer pass to Walsh. But facing a 2nd-and-3 from the 39, two incompletions followed by a run for no gain gave the ball back to Tumwater with just over a minute left in the second quarter.

Two plays later, Kastner hit tight end Jacob Dillon for a 34-yard touchdown and a 27-0 lead with 54 seconds on the clock.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen linebacker Nolan Cook, right, tackles Tumwater running back Peyton Davis behind the line of scrimmage during a 55-0 loss on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

“We gave up two cheap ones in the second quarter,” Aberdeen head coach Todd Bridge said. “Going into halftime, our guys were deflated and we had two guys we had to pull out of duty. We were just a triage unit after that.”

As close as Aberdeen kept the game for the majority of the first two quarters, Tumwater ended any hopes of a second-half comeback early in the second half, and it didn’t need an offensive play to do so.

Dillon returned the second-half kickoff 55 yards for a backbreaking touchdown and – after an Aberdeen possession failed to pick up a first down – Malroy returned a Schroeder punt 35 yards for a score, staking Tumwater to a commanding 41-0 lead and putting the game out of reach of Aberdeen.

“Didn’t even take an offensive snap and they scored two touchdowns, and now it’s a running clock,” Bridge said. “Our special teams was Swiss cheese after halftime.”

A 49-yard touchdown run from Clark in the third quarter followed by a Jaylin Nixon 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth completed the 55-0 Aberdeen loss.

While they had flashes of success, the consistency wasn’t there for the Bobcats, which managed less than 100 yards of offense in the game. The Bobcats rushed for 41 yards – including negative-5 yards in the second half – while throwing for 45 yards as a team.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen running back Aidan Watkins, top, attempts to hurdle Tumwater lineman Kade Contreras during a 55-0 loss on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

Tumwater passed for just 69 yards as a team, but that’s only because the T-Birds didn’t have to with 269 yards on the ground and two special-teams touchdowns.

While the Bobcats were a longshot to upset the Thunderbirds – the state’s No. 1 team in the latest Associated Press poll – Aberdeen was hoping for a better performance that what it saw for Friday’s homecoming game.

“When you’ve got guys that are getting dinged up, the issue becomes a triage unit,” he said of his team dealing with injuries on Friday, leading to two lineman leaving the playing field and four replacements on special teams.

Aberdeen currently sits a half game behind Rochester and W.F. West for second place in the league standings – the two teams the Bobcats will be facing over the next two weeks – a critical stretch of games according to Bridge.

“These next two games are huge on our schedule,” he said. “We’ve got to get some kids physically back out there. But emotionally, physically and spiritually, get back up on your horse. The sun is coming up tomorrow. … We can get beat in these next two games really easily. … We have about an hour to worry about (the loss) and then we got to get going. We’ve got to flush it.”

Aberdeen takes on Rochester at 7 p.m. Friday at Rochester High School.

Tumwater 7 20 21 7 – 55

Aberdeen 0 0 0 0 – 0

Scoring

First quarter

T – Malroy 18 pass from Kastner (Stevens kick), 7:55

Second quarter

T – Rodriguez 1 run (Stevens kick), 9:51

T – Cole 33 run (Stevens kick), 3:58

T – Dillon 34 pass from Kastner (Stevens kick), 0:54

Third quarter

T – Clark 55 kick return (Stevens kick), 11:49

T – Malroy 35 punt return (Stevens kick), 10:48

T – Clark 49 run (Stevens kick), 1:44

Fourth quarter

T – Nixon 9 run (Stevens kick), 8:55

Passing leaders: T – Kastner 4-5-0-69. A – Springer 3-10-1-32, Bowers 2-6-0-13.

Rushing leaders: T – Clark 9-88, Cole 5-86, Mixon 5-56, Rodriguez 3-20, Thompson 3-13, Kastner 2-(-8). A – Schroeder 3-30, Bowers 3-10, Hale 4-8, Watkins 10-2, Springer 8-(-12).

Receiving leaders: T – Dillon 1-34, Thompson 1-18, Nixon 1-16, Malroy 1-1. A – Wakins 2-17, Walsh 1-22, Hammonds 1-3, Springer 1-0.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen quarterback Jakob Bowers (12) throws a pass during a 55-0 loss to the Tumwater Thunderbirds on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.