For a team on a rebuild, a win over a ranked opponent could be the highlight of the season and foreshadow what is to come.

Unfortunately for the Hoquiam Grizzlies, inconsistency of offense and an inability to slow down Tenino’s vaunted running game led to a 50-14 loss on Friday in Hoquiam.

Hoquiam (3-3 overall, 1-1 1A Evergreen) showed flashes of success but inconsistent play led to multiple drives stalling out, particularly on third and fourth downs.

After the two teams traded punts over the bulk of the first quarter, No. 8 Tenino (5-1, 2-1) got on the scoreboard in just two plays, taking the lead when Randi Marti broke free untouched on a run off left-tackle for a 45-yard touchdown with less than a minute left in the first quarter.

It wouldn’t be the last big run the Beavers would break in the contest.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam defenders Owen McNeill (3) and Zander Jump (10) tackle Tenino quarterback Cody Strawn during the Grizzlies’ 50-14 loss on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022 at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.

On Tenino’s next possession, the Beavers needed just three plays to hit paydirt, making it a 14-0 game early in the second quarter on a Dylan Spicer touchdown run off left tackle for 45 yards.

Hoquiam followed with its best drive of the game, driving to the Beavers 21-yard line in seven plays, but negative runs on third and fourth down ended the drive and gave the ball back to Tenino.

The Beavers used its punishing, three-back running scheme to drive to the Hoquiam 22. Marti scored on a run straight through the middle of the Hoquiam defense for a 22-0 lead with just over two minutes left in the first half.

Hoquiam responded with its best drive of the game, moving the ball to the Tenino 24-yard line in six plays.

On third down at the 24-yard line, quarterback Zander Jump pitched the ball to running back Jake Templer on what appeared to be a sweep, but Templer pulled up and threw a deep pass to wide receiver Owen McNeill, who made the catch for a touchdown and trim the deficit to 22-7 just before the end of the first half.

But that was as close as the Grizzlies would get as Tenino’s run game proved too much for the Hoquiam defense to handle in the second half.

Spicer scored touchdowns on runs of 10 and five yards in the third quarter to go up 38-7 and put the Beavers up 44-7 on a 4-yard touchdown at the 8:41 mark of the fourth.

Tenino quarterback Cody Strawn scored on a 25-yard rollout for the 50-7 lead with 1:38 to go in the game.

Hoquiam’s offense struggled to get going in the second half.

The Grizzlies first offensive possession of the third quarter ended on a failed fourth-down attempt on a four-play drive followed by a two-play drive that ended in a lost fumble.

Hoquiam scored late in the game when Jump hit receiver Gevin Wonderly, who was wide open down the seam, for a 57-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left in the game, closing out the score at 50-14.

“Tenino is a fantastic team and they are going to go pretty far this year,” Hoquiam head coach Jeremy McMillan said. “Their offense is a juggernaut. I know it’s pretty one-dimensional, but if you got the dudes, you can get away with it. We just don’t have the big bodies to plug those holes.”

McMillan added he felt like his team was keeping close with the Beavers in the beginning of the game and made some key plays, such as a 4th-and-short conversion on a fake punt, direct-snap run from Anthony Burtenshaw.

“I felt like in the beginning of the game we were good, we took some chances,” he said. “The ball bounces our way and it’s a different game. But in the second half, (Tenino) got stronger and that tells you a lot about a team. … We did a lot of really good things. It just takes a spark to get that fire going. It just seems like tonight we couldn’t get a couple of rocks together at all.”

The Grizzlies are now 1-1 in league and have a matchup against Montesano at 7 p.m. on Friday at Olympic Stadium.

The following week, the Grizzlies have a non-league matchup against 2A Centralia then head to Eatonville to take on the Cruisers to close out the regular season.

Tenino 8 14 16 12 — 50

Hoquiam 7 0 0 7 — 14