But they got a bit of a reprieve Friday night on the road – and in dramatic fashion.
Trailing big early and by a touchdown late, the Highclimbers rallied for 10 points in the final three minutes to stun Black Hills, 31-28, in a non-league game at Tumwater Stadium.
Shelton won it on Shelby Salsbury’s 21-yard field goal with 1.9 seconds to go – after driving 56 yards in 2:16.
“He is a young guy who kicked a million footballs this summer,” Shelton coach Matt Hinkle said. “We had complete confidence in him.”
Quarterback Jared Welander completed four key passes to set up the kick.
“The composure of the offense – I was really impressed by that,” Hinkle said. “And I am happy with the way the kids fought, especially with all the distractions from last week. I am very happy with the way they responded.”
The Wolves looked like they had the game in hand after a long drive of their own – 73 yards – on Cameron Stone’s 5-yard touchdown run, giving Black Hills a 28-21 advantage with 3:24 remaining.
But Ralph Kinne returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a score to tie it at 28 with 3:10 to go.
Tumwater 57, at Yelm 7: That was more like what longtime coach Sid Otton expected from his defending Class 2A state champions after the Thunderbirds lost to Olympia by 27 points last week.
Andrew Brown ran for 101 yards. His 24-yard scoring rumble in the first quarter ended up being the game-winner , breaking a 7-7 tie. He added a 66-yarder touchdown for fourth-ranked Tumwater.
“Offensively, we showed a lot of speed, which is always good to have,” Otton said. “It was one of those weeks we wanted to get that (bad) taste out of our mouths as quickly as we could.”
Yelm tied it at 7 on Nathan Mix’s 30-yard interception return after the Thunderbirds punter attempted a pass after a low snap.
At Chehalis 19, Lindbergh 6: Quarterback Mitch Gueller ran for two scores and passed for another in a non-league triumph at Bearcat Stadium.
No. 8 Chehalis went 80 yards on its opening drive for a touchdown, capped by Gueller’s 11-yard scamper. His 15-yard run in the fourth quarter put the Bearcats up, 19-0.
Centralia 20, at North Kitsap 15: The Tigers needed all of Mason Musselman’s careeer-high 337 rushing yards to escape with a non-league victory at Silverdale Stadium.
Musselman tallied a pair of long scoring touchdowns in the third quarter – 73 and 63 yards - to erase a 13-7 deficit.
At Tenino 51, Northwest Christian 0: Devante Harris ran for three touchdowns and also returned a punt 65 yards for a score for the Beavers.
