Pine, Bears run over Abes

There would be no South Kitsap slump.

Running back Jordan Pine and Olympia’s offensive line made sure of that.

Pine ran for 265 yards on 23 carries and five touchdowns as the visiting Bears beat resilient Lincoln, 40-20, in a Narrows League contest Friday.

“I just follow the holes and go where the play takes me,” Pine said. “I key off the offensive line, they’re doing the heavy work.”

Olympia was undefeated before suffering a 10-6 loss to No. 9 South Kitsap last week. The Bears lost on a fake punt that still stings, knowing that the fluke play might have ruined their shot at a fifth consecutive league title.

“The loss to South Kitsap was disappointing,” Pine said. “But it made us come back harder.”

Olympia (4-1 overall, 3-1 league) won by a healthy margin, but not before Lincoln (2-3, 2-3) gave the Bears a scare. The Abes scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter, pulling to 34-20.

“We made some plays, but we’re so young and we hurt ourselves with turnovers,” Abes coach Mike Merrill said. “I like that our defense never quit, never gave up. Even when we were down 21-0, they didn’t give up.”

Lincoln put eight defenders in the box to try to corral Pine. It worked sometimes, but Pine broke the game open when he charged up the middle and cut to the outside for a 92-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

“We talked all week how we would take our lumps on some plays because we knew Lincoln would put everybody on the line of scrimmage,” Bears coach Bill Beattie said. “All it took was a crease here or there and, bam! We would break one.”

Pine ran wild in the first half, breaking loose for TD runs of 21, 48 and 21 yards, staking Olympia to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior started at wingback in about half the team’s games last fall. He has emerged as perhaps the Narrows League’s most dangerous running back this season.

“He’s little faster than people give him credit for,” Beattie said. “He makes such quick decisions in the hole and in traffic.”

On the first drive of the game, Lincoln drove inside Olympia’s 30-yard line but the possession stalled and the Abes turned the ball over on downs. Lincoln then forced a three-and-out and took over at its own 44.

Defensive back Numia Magalei intercepted quarterback Quintin Brown on first down, giving the Bears the ball at midfield. Pine carried the ball on five of the next eight plays, scoring on a 21-yard dash up the middle for a 7-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Lincoln’s Jr Habb picked off Jared Mercer and took possession at the Bears’ 42. But the Abes gave the ball right back on a fumble, and Pine scampered 48 yards around the left end for a touchdown on the next play.

Lincoln finally got its offense moving late in the first half. Running back Jordan Russell caught a screen pass, broke one tackle and slipped through a pair of arm tackles on his way to a 43-yard TD, pulling the Abes to 21-7.

Both teams had a defensive touchdown. Bears defensive tackle Jeff Waldner returned a fumble 28 yards, and Abes linebacker Vaega Gatia ran back an interception 24 yards for a TD.

Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271

doug.pacey@thenewstribune.com

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