Week 4: Takeaways from high school football in the Olympia area
Week four of the high school football season is in the books. Here are some things we learned from this week’s games in the Olympia area this week.
YELM WILL CONTEND FOR 3A SSC TITLE
High school football coaches talk about a need for constant improvement.
They use the non-league season to find out what ails their team and try to fix it. They seek to get better throughout the conference season, preparing for a hoped-for playoff run.
Yelm looks like a place where the plan is working.
The Tornados didn’t start out particularly well, losing convincingly to 4A Skyview, 33-13, and 2A power Tumwater, 54-27. But with the start of the 3A South Sound Conference season, Yelm is showing signs it may contend with defending champion Peninsula for the 3A SSC title.
The Tornados build their offense around attacking various zones coach Jason Ronquillo and his staff map on the gridiron. They start out installing plays to control areas closer to the line of scrimmage and build outward.
Judging from last week’s 28-0 shutout of Central Kitsap and Friday night’s 42-18 home rout of Gig Harbor, which came into the game undefeated and receiving votes in the statewide Associated Press 3A poll, the Tornados (2-2, 2-0 in the 3A SSC) are ready to attack downfield.
They scored three times on passes of 17 yards or more and had eight passing plays in double digit yardage on the night.
“We’re starting to open up the playbook. We’re trying to get the ball into places the defense isn’t and the kids executed that well tonight,” said Ronquillo, whose team is 2-0 in 3A South Sound Conference play. Gig Harbor dropped to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in league.
On the first real football weather night of the season, breezy with temperatures in the high 40s throughout, neither team distinguished itself early as three of the first five possessions resulted in turnovers.
Yelm, which recorded its third consecutive win over the Tides, was the first to take advantage.
One play after Cameron DuBose recovered a Tides’ fumble, quarterback Ben Hoffmann kept the ball and sprinted to the left pylon, putting the Tornados up, 6-0, after eight minutes of play.
After forcing a three-and-out on Gig Harbor’s ensuing possession, Yelm struck quickly to score again on its final play of the first quarter. Hoffmann launched a bomb up the right sideline to Sylas Franklin, wide open behind the Tides secondary.
“They were playing aggressive, run-first, defense so I was able to run by them,” Franklin said.
“I thought we came out hot and continued from last week. I’m really proud of the guys,” Ronquillo said. “Our execution was shaky in our first game, got a little better in our second game, even more so last week and this game we were hot.”
Again, Yelm’s defense and special teams put the offense in position to score again quickly. Gig Harbor managed one first down on its next drive but, on fourth down from its own 35, had quarterback Cade Dessert punt quickly out of a shotgun formation and speedy Tornados receiver Auzzie Schaler returned it 46 yards.
Setting up shop at the Tides’ 24, Yelm scored on its sixth consecutive running play, a nine-yard dash by Hoffmann into almost the same spot in the end zone he found on his first touchdown.
After the teams traded third quarter rushing touchdowns, Yelm scored 16 unanswered points to take a 30-point lead midway through the final period, ending Gig Harbor’s hopes. Hoffmann threw touchdown strikes to Schaler and Franklin and the Tornados added two-point conversions to make it 42-12.
“Their defensive backs were really aggressive on our short routes. I could use my eyes to make the DBs go where I wanted them to,” said Hoffmann, who lured those defensive backs into overcommitting, then threw long.
On Franklin’s second touchdown grab of the night, he fought off coverage from Gig Harbor’s Max Lang.
“We both had our hands on it, but I was able to come down with it,” Franklin said.
Yelm’s defense held Gig Harbor below three yards per rushing attempt.
“Our defense was really stout,” said Ronquillo. “Gig Harbor usually has a really strong running game. They took to the air in the second half because they had to. Hats off to our defense for making them do that.”
Carson Amendt led Yelm with 87 hard-earned yards, mostly into the middle of the line, on 19 carries. Anthony Chipres had 74 yards on seven carries.
The Tornados believe the win over a favored opponent can help them build momentum for the rest of the 3A SSC season.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Franklin.
Hoffmann contrasted the Tornados difficult pre-season schedule with their hot league start.
“We played really tough competition our first two games, it feels great to be 2-0 in league. Hopefully we’ll have a nice run to go to the playoffs,” he said.
TUMWATER AGAIN SUCCEEDS AGAINST OREGON FOE
A year ago, Tumwater scored an easy 57-13 home victory over McNary of Keizer, Ore. This season’s interstate match-up appeared it might be more difficult as the T-Birds went on the road to meet Clackamas, ranked ninth among Oregon’s 6A schools, on the Cavaliers’ homecoming night.
The score was closer, but the result the same. Tumwater, top-ranked among Washington 2A schools, rallied from a small early deficit to pull away 35-19. The victory wrapped up the T-Birds’ non-league schedule at 4-0, with the opposition two 3A schools and two 4A-like schools (Oregon’s 6A is the largest of six classifications as is Washington’s 4A).
Clackamas quarterback Austin Atkeson threw the first of three touchdown passes to give the Cavs an early 6-0 lead, but T-Bird senior QB Cody Whalen quickly responded, lofting a pass to midfield that junior Turner Allen hauled in and took to the end zone for a 73-yard score.
Jack Jones 49-yard touchdown run with four minutes left in the opening period gave Tumwater a cushion at 14-6 and they stayed in front the rest of the night.
Austin Terry caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Whalen, who also scored a rushing touchdown. Dylan Paine ran in from eight yards out to finish Tumwater’s scoring.
The T-Birds, deprived of the 2A Evergreen Conference title for the first time since 2009 last fall, set about trying to win it back next week when they host Rochester in their league opener.
WF WEST MATCHES TUMWATER’S 4-0 MARK, BEATING WASHOUGAL
The Bearcats got strong performances from their senior leaders to thump visiting Washougal, 23-7.
Quarterback Josiah Johnson completed 15 of 25 passes for 185 yards while running back Jayden Camoza totaled 106 yards on 23 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.
Leandre Grimes grabbed a one-handed touchdown pass from Johnson to finish the scoring. He totaled five receptions for 68 yards while Cade Haller made three grabs for 74 yards.
WF West risks its perfect mark next week at home in its 2A EvCo opener against Black Hills.
The injury-riddled Wolves were pounded on the eastern edge of the state, 42-6 by Pullman. In Friday’s other game involving a local 2A EvCo school, Rochester lost to Evergreen of Vancouver, 49-7.
River Ridge lost at 2A SPSL foe Orting, 42-24.
CAPITAL RALLIES PAST RAMS TO RETAIN SHARE OF 3A SSC LEAD
The Cougars scored the game’s final two touchdowns as Capital and North Thurston, both adherents of the run-first triple option offense, took to the air surprisingly often.
Capital quarterback Tristan Redman finished with a career-high 330 yards passing, completing 15 of 25.
The Cougars scored first, on a 45-yard Redman pass to Grady Lindekugel, who would finish with eight catches for 188 yards. North Thurston quickly equalized, on a 29-yard pass from Keeton Maggard to Nathan Hulett.
Hulett then kicked a 23-yard field goal to send the Rams into the locker room at halftime with a 10-7 lead. Capital’s Connor Potkonjak matched it with a 30-yarder right after the break.
Andy Ros got the lead back for North Thurston (2-2, 0-2 in 3A SSC) with a one-yard run. Troy Collard then caught a 19-yard Capital touchdown pass from Redman, but when the extra point missed and Maggard found Hulett for another touchdown, the Rams were in the driver’s seat, 23-16.
Two fourth quarter touchdowns turned the tide, giving Capital (2-2) a share of the 3A South Sound Conference lead with Peninsula and Yelm. Redman threw scoring passes first to Lindekugel and then to Collard.
In other 3A SSC games, Peninsula blasted Shelton 55-0 at Roy Anderson Field in Purdy and Timberline dropped an odd 5-0 defensive struggle at Central Kitsap. The first half was scoreless, but the Cougars managed a third-quarter safety and a fourth-quarter field goal.
BEAVERS PREVAIL IN BATTLE OF BLACK TURF
Tenino (2-2) posted gaudy offensive numbers both passing and rushing to down their Beaver Stadium tenants, 2B Northwest Christian, 56-28.
Quarterback Aiden Wright completed 10-of-24 passes for 228 yards and rushed for 163 more on 11 carries. Tight end Paxton Russell caught four passes, including four for touchdowns.
Gavin Watson led the 1A Beavers in rushing with 177 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries while Shawn Nicholson was again in triple digits, with 101 yards on 10 carries.
In other games involving local small schools, Rainier routed Toutle Lake, 48-14, while Elma lost its second straight after a 2-0 start, falling to Castle Rock, 52-14.