Black Hills shows it belongs after beating Pullman and 3 other takeways from Week 4
Black Hills (4-0) is set on carving out a name for themselves this season. The Wolves lie in the shadow of local powerhouse Tumwater, but they may soon join the T-Birds as a ranked team.
Saturday’s 37-13 win over the visiting No. 9 Pullman Greyhounds was a test for the Wolves, and they passed with flying colors.
“I think all year we’ve kind of had some doubters,” senior quarterback Ethan Loveless said. “A lot of people haven’t believed in us, and this week we’re starting to make people believe.
“We have a big senior class. We have the hardest work we’ve ever done in the offseason, so we’re ready to go.”
They did it on the backs of their defense and the legs of Taylor Simmons.
The Wolves have a new defensive coordinator in J.D. Johnson, the former Capital coach. He’s implemented his signature 3-3 scheme and its proving effective.
Black Hills have forced 17 turnovers and are allowing 18.2 points per game. Against Greyhounds, they had six turnovers.
Also a major contributing factor to the fast start senior running back Taylor Simmons. He ran for 121 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against Pullman pushing his season total to 421 yards and six TDs on 63 carries.
Tumwater looks tough
It’s no secret Tumwater is one of the top teams around. But what the second-ranked T-Birds did on Friday, rolling the McNary (Oregon) Celtics 57-13, surprised coach Bill Beattie.
“We saw (McNary) on tape and thought we were going to be in for a dog fight, but the kids came to play tonight,” Beattie said after his team improved to 4-0.
The Celtics are no slouch either — they’re a program that has won two state titles and currently rosters two college prospects. But they simply could not stop the T-Birds’ wing-T offense as senior Dylan Loftis and sophomore Dylan Paine ran rampant.
Paine had a 90-yard rushing touchdown on the second play. He finished with 219 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries.
Loftis also surpassed 200 yards, ending with 226 and four TDs on just 10 carries. And he ripped off a 93-yard run for score.
At one point in the second quarter, the T-Birds had a staggering 339 rushing yards on only nine carries. That’s 37.6 yards per carry.
Paine has 637 yards and nine TDs on 67 carries. Loftis has 455 yards and seven TDs on 41 carries.
Campau can pass, too
Respect Hunter Campau’s mobility but don’t forget the Timberline quarterback can pass, too.
Campau shredded the Gig Harbor Tides’ defense for four touchdowns and 149 yards on 14 of 18 passing as the Blazers (3-1) won 41-13 to open up 3A SSC play on Friday. He spread the ball around, completing passes to six different receivers — including three for touchdowns to senior Izaiah Jerenz and another score to J.J. Graham.
He continues to do damage on the ground, recording 201 yards on 22 carries.
“Everyone knows Hunter can run, but we’ve worked on some things and he’s starting to be really good in the passing game, too,” Timberline coach Nick Mullen said.
It was Campau’s second consecutive game with at least 140 passing yards and 150 rushing yards, an indicator of his true dual-threat potential.
Next up for Campau and the Blazers is a crucial conference game against Peninsula (3-1), a team that has outscored its opponents 130-20 over the past three games.
River Ridge RB on a roll
Senior Kieran Hunkin is proving that he can be a two-way standout for River Ridge, which evened its record at 2-2 after shutting out Highline, 49-0.
Hunkin had four touchdowns and 89 rushing yards on 15 carries. It’s his second game of the season with three or more scores. He’s also the team’s leading rusher with 416 yards and eight TDs on 62 carries.
On defense, he’s been terrorizing opposing passers. Hunkin has four interceptions on the season. He’s only four interceptions shy of the program record.