ABERDEEN — Up until Saturday night, everything seemed to go right for the Hoquiam Grizzlies football team this season.

Led by league MVP Payton Quintanilla, the Grizzlies won the 1A Evergreen League with a sparkling undefeated record and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2015.

But all that ended on Saturday at the hands of the Lynden Christian Lyncs, and it was essentially over sooner than the Grizzlies and their fans had hoped.

The Lyncs capitalized on two Hoquiam turnovers in the first quarter and scored 42 points in the first half to rout the Grizzlies 45-6 in a 1A State Football Quarterfinal playoff game on Saturday at Stewart Field.

It was a nightmarish opening half for Hoquiam, which was hosting the Lyncs at Stewart Field due to a WIAA rule that states that all state football quarterfinal games must be played on a turf field.

Lynden Christian (10-2 overall) opened the game with a 10-play, 60-yard drive capped by Levi Korthuis’ 8-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Trajan Schouten to give the Lyncs an early 7-0 lead.

Lynden Christian running back Levi Corthuis runs for a first down during the first half of a 1A State Football Quarterfinal playoff game against Hoquiam on Saturday at Stewart Field. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

On Hoquiam’s ensuing possession, running back Matt Brown had the ball ripped from his grasp on a third-down play. The fumble was recovered by LC defensive lineman Zach Sipma, giving the Lyncs’ offense a golden opportunity deep inside Hoquiam territory. And the Lyncs made the Grizzlies pay, capitalizing on the turnover when Schouten hit receiver Jaden Apol from 3-yards out to go up 14-0.

Disaster struck again for Hoquiam on its next possession when Quintanilla fumbled the snap and the Lyncs defense recovered at the Grizzlies’ 34-yard line. Seven plays later, LC running back Easton Stremler punched it in on a 2-yard run to give the Lyncs a 21-0 lead with 16 seconds left in the first quarter.

“We were aware of how good they were and how good we were going to have to be,” Lyncs head coach Dan Kaemingk said. “To convert on (the turnovers) was demoralizing for (Hoquiam) and they look up in the first quarter and we’re up 21-0 and frankly, they haven’t been put in that spot before.”

Lynden Christian quarterback Trajan Schouten, left, throws in the face of pressure from Hoquiam’s Matt Brown (29) during Saturday’s 1A State Football Quarterfinal game at Stewart Field in Aberdeen. Schouten threw for 217 yards and four touchdowns. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Down by three scores, Hoquiam (10-1) was unable to get much generated on offense in the second quarter. The Grizzlies first possession of the frame stalled out after picking up its first first down of the game.

After receiving the subsequent Hoquiam punt, the Lyncs offense went back to work. Schouten stretched the field horizontally, picking up several first downs with quick passes to the flats and slants to the middle of the field. One of those tosses went to receiver Jackson Corkill for a 22-yard TD reception that gave the Lyncs a 28-0 cushion with just over 10 minutes left until halftime.

Surprisingly, Hoquiam’s best hope for a comeback, never returned to the game from that point on. Following Corkill’s score, the Hoquiam offense was led by starting receiver and backup quarterback Jackson Folkers, who replaced Quintanilla after the senior QB was removed from the game after a right ankle injury he suffered in practice on Thursday was re-aggravated during Saturday’s contest.

“It happened late in the week at practice. You try to do what you can to get him on the field and he tried to gut it out,” Hoquiam head coach Jeremy McMillan said of Quintanilla’s bum wheel. “We had a feeling we weren’t going to have him today and we were just going to try him at one side of the ball.”

Hoquiam quarterback Payton Quintanilla, left, throws while protected by Antonio Garcia during the first quarter of the Grizzlies playoff loss on Saturday. Quintanilla, the reigning 1A Evergreen League MVP, left the game in the second quarter after a right ankle injury suffered late in the week was reaggravated. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

The change was noticed by a Lynden Christian sideline that understood Hoquiam’s best chance for a comeback attempt was relegated to the bench.

“Let’s be honest, their quarterback is a stud,” Kaemingk said of Quintanilla. “And him not being able to play makes a difference.”

Following a three-and-out for the Hoquiam offense under Folkers, who had only Friday’s practice to get some first-team reps at quarterback, Lynden Christian made it 35-0 on a 2-yard run from Korthuis.

On the final play of the first half, Korthuis caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Schouten to give the Lyncs a commanding 42-0 lead and ensure there would be a running clock in the second half.

“Offensively, we were really good and we really executed well,” Kaemingk said. “We came off a week where we played a team that played the exact same defense and I think that really benefited us to give us a week’s look at that. So knowing a little bit better what we were up against certainly helped.”

McMillan echoed that sentiment.

“We figured they wouldn’t be able to run against us. Most teams have had a difficult time running against us but they executed well (in the passing game),” he said.

LC scored a field goal in the third quarter to make it 45-0 before Brown scored on a short TD run on the game’s final play to prevent the shutout at 45-6.

Schouten went 17-for-27 for 229 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target was Apol, who caught six passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Korthuis ran the ball 14 times for a team-best 69 yards for a Lyncs offense that racked up 364 total yards in the game.

Quintanilla went 4-for-7 for 29 yards before leaving the game. Folkers was serviceable in his absence, completing 13-of-27 passes for 105 yards.

Hoquiam linebacker Ben Estes led the Grizzlies with seven tackles on the evening.

The Grizzlies managed just 148 yards of total offense, a season-low.

After the gut-wrenching, season-ending loss McMillan addressed his team and reflected on the incredible season it had.

Hoquiam head coach Jeremey McMillan addresses his team after a loss to Lynden Christian on Saturday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

“Without a doubt I’m proud of the kids. I wanted the scoreboard to come out a little bit different but that’s how it goes sometimes. I told them not to let this one game define everything because we did everything right up until this point. Injuries happen and we all know we wouldn’t be here without that kid (Quintanilla). It never comes down to one kid but it sure makes a difference.

“Besides going through the regular season 9-0 and winning the first round of the state playoffs, the kids won a lot of other things. The hours they spent in the community doing community service, the hours in the weight room. The leadership on this team is the best I’ve had. There are a lot of W’s that didn’t come on the scoreboard. This is a good group of kids and the future is bright. We lost 12 seniors but we had a bunch of young guys that contributed and I can’t wait to get it going again next year.”

Lynden Christian 21 21 3 0 — 45

Hoquiam 0 0 0 6 — 6

Lynden Christian receiver Zach Sipma is tackled by Hoquiam’s Levi Sudderth (4) and Matt Brown (29) during the Lyncs’ 45-6 victory in a state quarterfinal playoff game on Saturday at Stewart Field. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Hoquiam lineman Zack Underwood removes his helmet, gloves and cleats and leaves them at midfield, signifying the senior’s last prep football game after the Grizzlies’ 45-6 loss to Lynden Christian in a 1A State Football Quarterfinal playoff game Saturday at Stewart Field. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Lynden Christian’s Jalen Apol is carried by a friend after the Lyncs defeated Hoquiam 45-6 on Saturday to advance to the 1A State Football Semifinals. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Hoquiam Grizzlies fans and student body cheer on the Grizzlies during the 1A State Football Quarterfinal game against Lynden Christian on on Saturday. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Cameron Bumstead follows his blockers downfield after catching a screen pass from Jackson Folkers in the third quarter of the1A State Football Quarterfinal game against Lynden Christian on Saturday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Hoquiam’s Larry Leonard tackles Lynden Christian’s Sam Faber the 1A State Football Quarterfinal game on Saturday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Hoquiam’s Cameron Bumstead (41) makes an open field tackle on Lynden Christian’s Jalen Apol in the first quarter of the 1A State Quarterfinal game on Saturday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Payton Quintanilla, left, tearfully addresses his team with Matt Brown at his side following Hoquiam’s loss Lynden Christian in the 1A State Quarterfinal game on Saturday. Quintanilla aggravated an ankle injury in the second quarter and didn’t play the remainder of the game. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)