The prep football season got underway with teams across the Twin Harbors competing in season-opening games on Friday and Saturday.
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La Center 35, Montesano 7
Little went right for Montesano in a rare season-opening 35-7 loss to the La Center Wildcats on Friday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.
Driving deep into La Center territory in a scoreless game, the Bulldogs (0-1 overall) fell behind when Wildcats senior linebacker Wyatt Eiesland intercepted a Tyson Perry pass and returned it 89 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter.
“We drove down and got in the red zone and then threw a pass that got deflected and went 89 yards (to score) on an interception,” Montesano head coach Terry Jensen said of the impactful play. “If we score that drive, momentum would have been different. I’m not saying we would have won, I think they were a better team than we are right now.”
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano receiver Mason Rasmussen (18) reaches for a pass during a 35-7 loss on Friday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.
The Wildcats would score the next 28 points, with Eiesland – who plays quarterback on offense – running twice for a score and throwing a 37-yard touchdown pass to senior Houston Coyle.
A 21-yard touchdown run by running back Isaac Chromey put La Center up 35-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Montesano scored its lone touchdown of the game when Perry broke loose for a 54-yard run with 6:36 left to play.
“They just controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half,” Jensen said. “They are a really good football team and we did not play Monte football tonight, and that falls on me. We have to find ways to give our kids a better chance of succeeding.”
Montesano was outgained 368-226 in total yards, with La Center rushing for 239 yards in the contest.
Bulldogs junior running back Terek Gunter was a bright spot for Monte, rushing for 125 yards on just seven carries.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano running back Terek Gunter (12) carries the ball during a 35-7 loss to La Center on Friday at Montesano High School.
“They just grinded us down in the second half,” Jensen said. “They were bigger than we were and probably faster than we were and they executed better. We didn’t have enough plays where we had all 11 guys on the same page and it kind of showed. We have to do better as coaches and get them prepared for next week because it doesn’t get any easier.”
Monte travels south to take on 2A class Ridgefield at 7 p.m. on Friday.
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La Center 7 7 14 7 – 35
Montesano 0 0 0 7 – 7
Scoring
First quarter
La Center – Eiesland 89 interception return (4 kick), 2:20
Second quarter
LC – Eiesland 3 run (14 kick), 1:24
Third quarter
LC – Eiesland 4 run (14 kick), 6:16
LC – Coyle 37 pass from Eiesland (14 kick), 1:43
Fourth quarter
LC – Chromey 21 run (14 kick), 8:31
Montesano – Perry 54 run (80 kick), 6:36
Passing leaders: LC – Eiesland 11-16-0-129. M – Perry 9-16-2-68.
Rushing leaders: LC – Chromey 18-135; Eiesland 15-57; K. Emerson 2-23; Rembisz 3-10; G. Emerson 2-8; Whited 2-7; Coyle 1-2. M – Gunter 7-125; Crites 3-19; Perry 5-9; Phyala 2-5.
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Elma 34, Centralia 20
Elma’s speed proved to be a key asset in a 34-20 win over Centralia on Friday at Davis Field in Elma.
The Eagles (1-0) got out to a 6-0 first-quarter lead when junior quarterback Isaac McGaffey hit senior receiver Ethan Camus for a 4-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
The two would connect twice more in the first half for touchdowns of 15 and 10 yards to take a 20-7 lead into halftime.
An 8-yard touchdown run by Bo Muller put Elma up 27-7 in the third quarter and – after a 46-yard Centralia touchdown on a long pass play – the Eagles took a 34-13 lead into the final period when Kolby Rademacher scored on a run from 23-yards out.
Elma overcame 14 penalties for 109 yards by utilizing a balanced offense that produced 143 rushing yards while McGaffey went 12-of-17 passing for 137 yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles defense held Centralia to 184 yards of offense – 105 of those on the ground – and forced three turnovers with Camus and Donavan Galloway each intercepting a Terrell Sanders pass in the game.
“Our speed was good out there and there was a lot of good things happening,” Elma head coach Larry Raynes said. “We had too many dumb penalties that kind of really hurt us, we could have had an even better day, so we need to cut that out. … We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit and could have done a better job keeping them off the scoreboard if we did not do some of those dumb things.”
Elma held its Senior Night in the opener as the uncertainty of where the Eagles will play its remaining three homes games still looms depending on if and when the field grandstand project begins construction.
“Our seniors went out and played their guts out,” Raynes said. “You could tell at the end of the game they were exhausted, but they were very excited about going out there and getting a win in the first game.”
Elma will play at Stevenson High School at 7 p.m. on Friday.
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Centralia 0 7 6 7 — 20
Elma 6 14 14 0 — 34
Scoring
First quarter
Elma – Camus 4 pass from McGaffey (conversion fail)
Second quarter
E – Camus 15 pass from McGaffey (Wood kick)
Centralia – Sanders 1 run (Miles kick)
E – Camus 10 pass from McGaffey (Wood kick)
Third quarter
E – Muller 8 run (Wood kick)
C – Galloway 46 pass from Sanders (conversion fail)
E – Rademacher 23 run (Wood kick)
Fourth quarter
C – Sayers 8 pass from Sanders (Miles kick)
Passing leaders: C – Sanders 5-10-2-79. E – McGaffey 12-17-3-137.
Rushing leaders: C – Rooklidge 16-86; Galloway 4-28; Sanders; 7-9; Cando 1-0. E – Muller 14-83; Rademacher 1-23; Carter 5-16; Brookins 1-15; McGaffey 6-6.
Receiving leaders: C – Galloway 145. E – Brookins 6-63; Camus 5-49; Carter 1-25.
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PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam running back Kingston Case (middle) carries the ball during a 16-13 loss to Columbia (White Salmon) on Friday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.
Columbia (White Salmon) 16, Hoquiam 13
Hoquiam’s late bid to win the game fell short as the Grizzlies their opener 16-13 to Columbia (White Salmon) on Friday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.
The Grizzlies (1-0) took an early lead when a bad snap sailed over the CWS punter and was recovered by Hoquiam junior defensive lineman Jerry Jeremiah for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
In the second quarter, a punt down near the Hoquiam goal line was ruled down at the 1-yard line. Hoquiam running back Kingston Case was stopped in the end zone on the very next play for a safety, cutting the Grizzlies’ lead to 6-2.
With less than a minute left in the first half and the Bruins driving into Grizzlies territory, Hoquiam defensive end Lincoln Niemi leapt to make a one-handed interception to preserve a 6-2 lead at the break.
In the third quarter, Bruins running back Wongani Schlegel scored on a 10-yard run to give CWS its first lead of the game at 9-6.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam defensive lineman Jerry Jeremiah (57) recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown during a 16-13 loss to Columbia (White Salmon) on Friday at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam.
After Grizzlies defensive lineman A.J. Young recovered a fumble, Hoquiam would regain the lead with a 9-play, 47-yard drive that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Niemi from quarterback Joey Bozich for a 13-9 advantage with 8:23 to play.
But just four plays later, Schlegel would break free for a 50-yard scoring run to put CWS back on top 16-13.
Led by the hard-nosed running of junior half back Kingston Case, Hoquiam drove down to the Bruins’ 28-yard line, but a Bozich pass was intercepted by CWS defensive back Bryce Wang.
The Bruins offense was able to pick up two first downs on ensuing drive, eating up the final 3:25 of game time in the process to hand Hoquiam the loss.
Case ran for 112 yards on 27 carries as Hoquiam totalled 246 yards of offense.
Bozich was 15-for-27 passing for 132 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. His favorite target was Niemi, who caught seven passes for 44 yards with a touchdown.
Linebacker Winston Kaikaka led the Grizzlies defense with eight tackles while Ryan Pullar and Jeremiah had six tackles apiece.
The Grizzlies play at King’s Way Christian at 6 p.m. on Friday.
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CWS 0 2 7 7 – 16
Hoquiam 6 0 0 7 – 13
Scoring
First quarter
Hoquiam – Jeremiah fumble recovery (conversion fail)
Second quarter
CWS – safety
Third quarter
CWS – Schlegel 10 run (Stelma kick), 8:19
Fourth quarter
H – Niemi 12 pass from Bozich (Byron kick), 8:23
CWS – Schlegel 50 run (Stelma kick), 6:22
Passing leaders: H – Bozich 15-27-2-132.
Rushing leaders: H – Case 27-112; Kaikaka 3-3; Bozich 1-(-3).
Receiving leaders: H – Niemi 7-44; Case 2-29; Kaikaka 2-24; Byron 3-22; Dayton 1-13.
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Raymond-South Bend 27, Mossyrock 22
Raymond-South Bend jumped out to an early led then held on for a 27-22 season-opening win over Mossyrock on Friday at South Bend High School.
The Ravens (1-0) scored 20 straight points in the first quarter on an 8-yard pass from senior quarterback Chris Quintana to receiver Isaac Schlueter followed by two Quintana scoring runs.
In the second half, Mossyrock (0-1) would cut the Ravens’ lead to 20-16 when quarterback Easton Kolb scored on a 10-yard run and completed a pass to Eathan Johnson for the 2-point conversion.
Quintana gave RSB a little breathing room with a 25-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
Kolb responded with a 64-yard touchdown with just over six minutes left to make it a 27-22 game, but the RSB defense held on the rest of the way to preserve the win.
RSB was led by Quintana, who rushed for 134 yards on 22 carries.
Ravens running back Chris Banker had seven carries for 85 yards in the game.
RSB hosts Rainier at 7 p.m. Friday.
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Mossyrock 8 0 8 6 – 22
RSB 20 0 0 7 – 27
Scoring
First quarter
RSB – Schlueter 8 pass from Quintana (kick fail), 9:55
RSB – Quintana 47 run (Mora kick), 7:13
RSB – Quintana 2 run (Mora kick), 3:48
Mossyrock – Greisen 1 run (Solis pass from Kolb), 0:21
Second quarter
None
Third quarter
M – Kolb 10 run (Johnson pass from Kolb), 5:38
Fourth quarter
RSB – Quintana 25 run (Mora kick), 9:10
M – Kolb 64 run (conversion fail), 6:17
Passing leaders: M – Kolb 9-16-145.
Rushing leaders: M – 12-111. RSB – Quintana 22-134; Banker 7-85.
Receiving leaders: M — Johnson 4-108.
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Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 40, Winlock 8
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley looked the part of a top-10 2B class team with a 40-8 victory over Winlock in the season-opener on Friday in Pe Ell.
PWV (1-0) did all of its scoring in the first half paced by running backs Cody Strozyk and Lucas Lusk.
Lusk, a sophomore, scored two touchdowns in the first quarter on runs of two and 15 yards as well as scoring on two 2-point conversion runs in the game.
Strozyk, a senior, had a pair of touchdown runs in the second quarter – on 12 and 11-yard carries – and ran in three 2-point conversions in the second quarter.
PWV quarterback Nathan Fluke hit receiver Blaine King for a 70-yard touchdown for a 40-0 lead with 1:14 left in the first half.
The Titans had 16 first downs and 484 yards on offense, 380 via the running game.
Strozyk led the way with 83 yards on eight carries as three Titans rushed for 50 yards or more in the game.
Hunter Harris and Kannyon Clements led the PWV defense with six tackles apiece.
”I think we need to get in better shape, but we performed pretty well,” PWV head coach Nate Smith said. “There’s obviously a lot to work on our first game, but overall I thought we played well for our first game.”
The Titans take on fellow 2B power Onalaska at 7 p.m. Friday at Onalaska High School.
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Winlock 0 0 0 8 – 8
PWV 16 24 0 0 – 40
Scoring
First quarter
PWV – Lusk 2 run (Strozyk run), 4:52
PWV – Lusk 15 run (Strozyk run), 0:15
Second quarter
PWV – Strozyk 12 run (Lusk run), 8:33
PWV – Strozyk 11 run (Strozyk run), 4:48
PWV – King 70 pass from Fluke (Lusk run), 1:14
Third quarter
None
Fourth quarter
W – Carter 40 run (conversion good), 5:24
Passing leaders: PWV – Fluke 4-9-1-104.
Rushing leaders: PWV – Strozyk 8-83; L. Lusk 8-65; King 5-50; Mican 2-22; E. Clements 3-42.
Receiving leaders: PWV – King 2-73; Mason 2-14.
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Ocosta 52, Oakville 38
Ronin Rutzer and Kayden Turner rushed for over 100 yards apiece as the Wildcats won their season-opener 52-38 in an 8-man game over Oakville on Friday in Westport.
Tied at 8-8 entering the second quarter, Ocosta scored 22 points in each of the second and third frames to take a 52-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
Rutzer, a sophomore running back, carried the ball 14 times for 183 yards and scored four touchdowns while Turner, a senior quarterback, had 122 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.
Turner went 3-for-7 passing for 90 yards and a touchdown, including a 63-yard scoring pass to junior receiver Ben Tackett.
Oakville junior quarterback Gio Rodas went 11-for-21 for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior receiver Daniel Rodas caught 10 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns for the Acorns (0-1).
Ocosta hosts Sound Christian in a league matchup at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
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Oakville 8 16 14 0 – 38
Ocosta 8 22 22 0 – 52
Passing leaders: Ocosta – Turner 3-7-0-90.
Rushing leaders: O – Rutzer 14-183; Turner 12-122; Tackett 7-56; Sevilla Ceja 2-2.
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Other scores
North Beach 78, Evergreen Lutheran 34
