Hoquiam notched the first big win of the Evergreen 2A/1A League schedule on Friday night, sending fourth-ranked Tenino to its first loss of the season at Tenino.
The difference came on a defensive stand in the fourth quarter that allowed the Grizzlies to run down the clock and ice the game with one final touchdown against the reigning Evergreen 1A champions.
“We wore them down; their offense is formidable, lots of deception,” HHS head coach Rick Moore said. “It took all of the wind out of their sails. We were in much better condition.”
Moore cited the work of Hoquiam volunteer coach Dana LeDuc, who is known as one of the first strength and conditioning coaches with his work collegiately (University of Texas, University of Miami) and in the pros (Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams).
LeDuc has been working with the Grizzlies over the past couple of seasons and he orchestrates one of the best football camps in the Northwest at Olympic Stadium over the summer.
On the defensive side, the Grizzlies gave up a few big plays, including a third-and-23 conversion deep in Beaver territory, but held the hosts on downs with just over 5 minutes left to play. Tenino finished with 399 yards of offense, including 321 yards on the ground.
Michael Harris’ 1-yard touchdown run, which followed a big Tyler White run, with 3:16 left sealed the win.
Jerod Steen and Artie Johnson each registered an interception, with Steen adding three pass-defensed credits, for Hoquiam’s defense.
Moore also cited offensive coordinator Jeremy McMillian and assistant coach Ed Dawson for their work with the team this week.
McMillian’s work could be seen in the performances of senior running back White and sophomore quarterback Gregory Dick.
White returned to the fold with 167 yards rushing on 27 carries and three rushing touchdowns. Dick threw for 186 yards on an efficient 6-for-7 attempts and one touchdown, a 54-yard screen pass and run by White.
White also ran for three 2-point conversions for the Grizzlies, who were shaky on special teams.
Freshman kicker Naz Mazariegos had two of his point-after kicks blocked by the Beavers and didn’t get another chance after that.
Other game notes from Friday
Eatonville 35, Aberdeen 6: Credit Aberdeen defensive back Tyler Ames with a key play that prevented this Evergreen 2A/1A opener from getting out of hand early.
Having just scored to lead 14-0 late in the first quarter, Eatonville promptly recovered a Bobcat fumble on the ensuing kickoff, taking possession on the Aberdeen 36-yard-line. Ames, however, intercepted a Jacob McCormick pass on the next play.
Due largely to Carter Harris’ 38-yard run on the first play of the possession, the Bobcats had the opportunity to reverse the momentum at this stage when they drove to the Eatonville 7-yard line. Harris, however, was taken down for a 5-yard loss on fourth down. Bobcat coach Kevin Ridout said his team was able to make some defensive adjustments to at least slow down the speedy Cruisers in the second half. Barely 100 yards of Eatonville’s 327 yards of total offense came in the final two quarters.
Raymond 42, Rainier 0: Maybe we should have seen this coming, if you looked at Raymond’s history with current and former Class 1A teams.
Rainier dropped down from the 1A ranks this season into the Pacific 2B League and, based on its performance in the Evergreen 1A last year, was a dark horse contender in the league.
However, the Gulls owned a 27-21 road win over 1A Tenino (the same team that won the Evergreen 1A title) last season at Tenino. Raymond also suffered a last-minute loss to 1A Charles Wright Academy the next week.
Led by Elliott Murdock, Raymond ran for 312 yards overall and took advantage of the Mountaineers’ leading rusher (Nic Henry, ankle) and quarterback (McKoy Bichler, head) out for the game or significant time on Friday.
Raymond also forced eight fumbles, but only scooped up three of them, against Rainier.
Raymond hits the road to Oyehut to take on rival North Beach in a pivotal league matchup. Speaking of North Beach …
North Beach 58, Seton Catholic 14: The Hyaks took notice of the Gulls’ performance against the Mountaineers after they worked their offensive magic against the Cougars.
Six scoring plays of 20 yards or more powered North Beach’s offense on the night — Skyler Wells 23-yd TD run; Alex McAra 34-yd TD pass to Steven Fry; Cameron Keller 78-yd TD run; McAra 26-yd TD pass to Gabe Hernandez; Wells 46-yd TD run; Gonzalez 31-yd TD run.
Keller and Wells each ran for more than 100 yards for the Hyaks, who finished with 376 yards rushing. Keller led all rushers with 123 yards on six carries and Wells added 109 yards on five carries.
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