Pe Ell-Wilapa Valley wins fourth in a row, secures crossover berth with victory over Forks

Titans rack up over 350 yards of offense in 34-6 win

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley is in control of its own destiny after a 34-6 win over Forks on Friday in Pe Ell.

The Titans (5-2, 2-0 2B Central-West) trailed 6-0 in the first quarter before scoring 34 unanswered points, 22 of those coming in the second quarter.

Senior running back and league-MVP candidate Cody Strozyk got PWV on the scoreboard with a 2-yard run in the first quarter and the Titans took the lead when quarterback Nathan Fluke hit receiver Cody Mican for an 8-yard touchdown early in the second. A Strozyk run for two points put PWV up 14-6.

Later in the quarter, Lucas Lusk capped off a five-plus minute drive with a 1-yard touchdown to make it a 22-6 game.

DYLAN WILHELM | THE CHRONICLE Pe Ell-Willapa Valley running back Cody Strozyk (left) fist bumps Lucas Lusk after a successful two-point conversion during a 34-6 win over Forks on Friday in Pe Ell.

DYLAN WILHELM | THE CHRONICLE Pe Ell-Willapa Valley running back Cody Strozyk (left) fist bumps Lucas Lusk after a successful two-point conversion during a 34-6 win over Forks on Friday in Pe Ell.

On the ensuing kickoff, a Titans squib kick – slowed up by the wet, muddy turf – was captured by PWV Eddie Clements, who raced approximately 35 yards to recover the ball ahead of any Spartans for what may be the longest onside kick recovery in team history.

“We were really just squibbing to make sure they didn’t get a return by their two best athletes back there,” PWV interim head coach Josh Seymour said of the momentum-building play. “Eddie just flew down the field and was able to get on that for us, which was huge. … That was just an awesome play by Eddie. I thought that was probably the play of the game for us.”

The Titans offense made sure they cashed in on Clements’ recovery just as the first-half buzzer sounded when Fluke hit receiver Blaine King with a 30-yard touchdown pass, putting PWV up 29-6 at halftime.

Fluke threw his third touchdown of the game when he connected with Cody Mican for a 39-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to close out the Titans’ fourth win in a row.

With the win, PWV secured a 2B crossover-playoff game berth, but the Titans have their eyes on a bigger prize.

PWV has to big league games left on the schedule, starting with a matchup in Menlo against the team tied with the Titans atop the league – the Napavine Tigers – at 7 p.m. on Friday.

After that, PWV had a meeting with Adna in the regular-season finale on Oct. 31.

If the Titans win out, they will be 2B Central-West League Champions.

Forks 6 0 0 0 – 6

PWV 6 22 0 6 – 34

Scoring

First quarter

Forks – 10 1 run (kick fail)

PWV – Strozyk 2 run (run fail)

Second quarter

PWV – Mican 8 pass from Fluke (Strozyk run)

PWV – Lusk 1 run (Mican pass from Fluke)

PWV – King 30 pass from Fluke (run fail)

Third quarter

None

Fourth quarter

PWV – Mican 39 pass from Fluke (run fail)

Passing: PWV – Fluke 12-22-2-143.

Rushing: PWV – Strozyk 9-85, Lusk 14-57, King 6-41, Mican 2-19.

Receiving: PWV – King 6-78, Mican 2-19, Strozyk 2-5.