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After the Bears’ 52-14 victory over Stadium on Friday night at Ingersoll Stadium, ahead on the schedule are much-anticipated matchups with Gig Harbor and Bellarmine over the next two weeks to decide which team will be the 4A Narrows League champion.
Olympia, Gig Harbor and Bellarmine remain unbeaten in league play going into the final three weeks of the regular season. Gig Harbor defeated Central Kitsap, 20-17, on Friday night, and Bellarmine beat South Kitsap, 27-3.
“It’s going to come down to the next three weeks now,” Olympia coach Bill Beattie said. “That will pretty much decides who goes on.”
The Bears (5-1 overall, 4-0 league) have been on a roll since dropping the Spaghetti Bowl game to Capital, 49-28. Since Sept. 10, Olympia has reeled off four straight victories, averaging 36.2 points a game.
It was an impressive outing Friday for the Bears’ offense, defense and special teams. Seven players scored touchdowns, including two on special teams. The first came from Anthony Parks, who took the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to give Olympia a 7-0 lead 20 seconds into the game, and the second came when Bentley Tran recovered a blocked punt by Joel Anthony for a touchdown with 4:38 left in the third quarter.
Parks set a school record for the longest kickoff return, breaking the old record of 94 yards set in 2002 by Desmond Davis.
Parks also had a 50-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter and could have scored if he hadn’t stepped out of bounds just shy of the 35-yard line. He finished with 66 yards rushing to go with his 150 on kickoff returns.
“We picked it up in all areas this week,” Beattie said. “It was a good week of practice for us, and it was a great homecoming win.”
Trevor Houser, Tyler Spice and Gabe Padukiewicz combined to complete 11 of 22 passes for 184 yards, and Olympia compiled 389 yards of offense.
Stadium (2-4, 1-3) trailed 17-0 late in the second quarter before Tyler Hillis returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown.
Spice’s halfback pass to Dylan Reed for a 13-yard TD with 29.8 seconds left in the first half gave the Bears a 24-7 lead.
Olympia scored four touchdowns in the second half, with the final one coming when Aaron “Bubba” Johnson scooping up a fumble and returning it for a 44-yard score that made it 52-7 and brought on a running clock because of the 45-point mercy rule.
Olympia hits the road next week to face Gig Harbor, then plays host to Bellarmine on Oct. 22.
“Now the season begins for us again,” Beattie said.
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473 mwochnick@theolympian.com
