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And just as he had all game, senior Griffin Boudia came up with the play.
Boudia’s fumble recovery in the final minute of regulation forced overtime, and the Bears went on to beat Tumwater, 27-21, at Ingersoll Stadium in the season opener for both teams.
“They kept playing hard and hard, and Tumwater kept bringing it and bringing it,” Olympia coach Bill Beattie said. “Our kids hung in there. The last time we played overtime was against Tumwater, and it’s nice to be on the other end of it this time.”
The teams hadn’t met since 2007, when Tumwater scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in overtime for a 21-14 win. After winning Friday, Olympia leads the all-time series, 11-10.
In overtime of this one, Tumwater lost 3 yards on its offensive possession, which ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-13. Olympia started at the 25-yard line and used a seven-play drive, capped by quarterback Trevor Houser’s 1-yard run for the game-winning score.
During the drive, running back Spenser Killman carried the ball four times for 16 yards. He finished with 31 carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns – on runs of 5 yards and 26 yards in the first half to give Olympia a 14-7 lead at the break.
Olympia’s defense stopped Tumwater (0-1) on its final two offensive series in regulation to force overtime. The Thunderbirds were knocking on the door to take the lead in the final minute, but on first-and-goal from the 3, Boudia recovered a fumble with 35.5 seconds left, and the game went into overtime.
Boudia, at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, had two fumble recoveries, sacked Tumwater quarterback Daniel Hinkle and made a tackle on Ronnie Hastie behind the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-5 play inside the 10 that allowed Olympia to take over on downs.
Tumwater tied at 21 apiece with 8:03 left in the fourth on Christian Bush’s 53-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion by Bush. A Warner-to-Bush connection for 31 yards on a screen pass with 1:22 left sparked Tumwater’s final drive in regulation.
Olympia got more effective as the game progressed, outgaining Tumwater by a nearly 4-to-1 margin. Olympia’s defense forced turnovers that led to both of its first-half touchdowns and a 14-7 halftime lead. Warner had two touchdowns, including an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the opening seconds of the game.
The Bears’ no-huddle offense caused Tumwater problems and kept the T-Birds off-balance. The defense held Tumwater to only two first downs and 45 yards of total offense in the first half.
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473
mwochnick@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/prepssportsblog
