Shelton can't slow down Cruell, Foss

Foss High coach Ken Baker swears his senior halfback Julian Cruell gets better and better with each passing week.

Then perhaps Shelton was lucky to encounter Cruell in the season’s second week, but it hardly seemed that way Thursday night at Mount Tahoma Stadium as the Falcons beat the Highclimbers, 21-0, in a Narrows League game.

Cruell, a senior , rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and the Foss defense held Shelton to less than 100 yards of total offense.

“Julian is getting better each game,” Baker said. “That kid works his tail off, and it shows. In practice he’s giving it his all -- all the time.”

Foss (2-0, 2-0) took control of the game late in the first quarter when facing a fourth down and eight from Shelton’s 27 yard line. Quarterback DaVante Peterson dropped the snap – but calmly picked up the ball, rolled to his right and found Jamal Byrd with a 27-yard touchdown strike.

With the Foss defense holding Shelton (1-1, 1-1) to just 29 yards of offense in the first half, the Falcons’ offense took advantage again with 1 minute, 53 seconds in the half, putting together an 11-play, 77-yard drive. Cruell capped it with a 4-yard touchdown run as Foss led 13-0 after a failed extra point. Cruell rushed for 111 yards on 18 carries in the first half.

Coming off a four-touchdown game against Mount Tahoma last week, Shelton halfback Ryan Adams was held to just 52 yards on 20 carries.