MENLO – Power football, just like Pe Ell-Willapa Valley likes it, proved to be the dominant force at Crogstad Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Titans rumbled for 389 yards and never allowed Friday Harbor’s rushing attack to gain any traction en route to a 46-0 state 2B football opening- round victory.

PWV led 34-0 at the half and initiated the 40-point mercy rule running clock 3 1/2 minutes into the second half when Ryan Shepherd’s interception catch was returned for a touchdown.

Next weekend in the state 2B quarterfinals, PWV (9-2 overall) will take on top-ranked Kalama in a state quarterfinal scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Kalama.

“We pounded the football, took advantage of our young talent and played power football,” PWV head coach Josh Fluke said. “Of course, we tried to throw the ball, but we weren’t too successful, so we’ll work on that this week. We will have to against (Kalama).”

The Titans never trailed, hitting the ground running against a Wolverines squad that couldn’t stop them from dominating on their home turf. Max Smith led all rushers with 140 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.

Smith started the scoring with a 30-yard sprint down the left side, breaking tackles en route to the end zone 2 ½ minutes into the contest. Smith took a pitch from quarterback Matt Pearson in the final moments of the first half for a 24-yard touchdown run that broke more tackles along the way.

Pearson converted his only pass of the game midway through the first quarter when he found Shepherd while rolling away from pressure for a 34-yard touchdown play. Pearson was so sure of the score, he began celebrating as the ball was still in the air to the wide-open Shephard, who ran into the end zone untouched.

PWV scored on its first four drives – Smith’s run, Pearson to Shepherd, then a 5-yard scoring plunge from Tyson Nissell and Peter Hamilton’s 24-yard touchdown run – for a 27-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Defensively, the Titans had the Wolverines well-scouted and well-contained. For the contest, Friday Harbor (5-5) ran for 77 yards on 37 carries and finished with just 101 yards of offense overall. Five turnovers also didn’t help the visitor’s cause.

Smith, while leading the offense in rushing, led the PWV defense with 12 tackles, including six solo tackles. Carter Pearson added nine tackles and Shepherd and Nissell had eight tackles each. Shepherd, Smith and Cub Bair each had an interception as well.

“Our job all week was to stop their rushing attack and we did that,” Fluke said. “We also prepared for their passing game, just in case they would try to break that out, but all week it was stop the run, stop the run in their Power-I. That’s all we did this week, just gap responsibility.”

The Titans’ lone turnover lost came when Matt Pearson was intercepted by the Wolverines’ Wade Swirtz late in the first half. Smith ended the first-half scoring with his 24-yard scoring run at 34-0. Carson Cox was 2-for-5 on PAT kicks on the day.

On Friday Harbor’s first drive of the second half, it attempted to convert a long fourth-down play. However, Shephard picked off quarterback Jaden Jones and returned it 45 yards for a pick-six touchdown at 40-0.

Hamilton ended the scoring midway through the fourth quarter with a 47-yard touchdown run up the middle at 46-0. Hamilton finished with 115 yards rushing on 11 attempts and two scores. Matt Pearson ran for 52 yards on four carries and Nissell went 41 yards on nine attempts and one score.

“We try to share the wealth, so teams can’t key on just one guy,” Fluke said. “If you focus on Nissell, you have Hamilton and Smith, who both had a big day. There will be a lot of film study this week. Kalama is a tough team and they played in a helluva good game (on Friday against Adna). They like to pass and they’ll be stacked across the board.”