Local teams fared fine on the road as we review the first weekend of high school football on the Harbor.
~~~
PREP FOOTBALL
Elma 41, Centralia 28
Elma had nearly 400 yards of total offense in a 41-28 season-opening win over Centralia on Friday at Tigers Stadium in Centralia.
The Eagles (1-0 overall) struck first when receiver Troy Rupe hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Isaac McGaffey late in the first quarter.
Tied at seven in the second quarter, Elma took a 13-7 halftime lead on a 2-yard run by McGaffey.
DYLAN WILHELM | THE CHRONICLE Elma’s Troy Rupe (11) is congratulated by his teammate Colt Landstrom (9) after scoring a touchdown during a win over Centralia on Friday in at Tigers Stadium in Centralia.
Elma junior Colt Landstrom provided some electricity when he took the second-half kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and a 20-7 lead.
Centralia (0-1) would score two touchdowns sandwiched around a McGaffey 1-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Muir as Elma held a 28-21 lead into the final quarter of play.
The Eagles padded the lead with an 8-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a 33-yard pass from McGaffey to wideout Dayton Brookins for a 35-21 lead early in the fourth quarter.
With just over a minute to go, Elma running back Kolby Rademacher burst in from 4-yards out for a 41-21 lead.
Centralia added a garbage-time touchdown to round out the final score 41-28.
”It was a good team win,” Elma head coach Larry Raynes said. “We had a lot of young guys step up and play good. Centralia is a lot better than they were last year and they were moving the ball, running it. We kind of bowed our necks at the right time there in the second half and got a stop.”
Elma had 380 yards of total offense and were led by McGaffey, who completed 13-of-16 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
Landstrom caught four passes for 99 yards with Brookins tallying 80 yards on three catches.
DYLAN WILHELM | THE CHRONICLE Elma’s Colt Landstrom (9) carries the football in a win over Centralia on Friday in at Tigers Stadium in Centralia.
The Eagles rushed for 114 yards, led McGaffey with 55 yards on seven carries.
“It’s an absolute confidence builder,” Raynes said of the win. “It makes kids more bought in to get that first win of the year. We can get to work and keep getting better everyday.”
Elma hosts Stevenson at 7 p.m. Friday at Davis Field.
Elma 7 6 15 13 – 41
Centralia 0 7 14 7 – 28
Scoring
First quarter
Elma – Rupe 19 pass from McGaffey (Vargo kick), 1:46
Second quarter
Centralia – Nguyen 3 run (Frias kick), 6:25
E – McGaffey 2 run (kick fail), 0:02
Third quarter
E – Landstrom 85 kickoff return (Vargo kick), 11:45
C – Coronel 25 run (Frias kick), 9:03
E – Muir 1 pass from McGaffey (McGaffey run), 7:19
C – Tukes 1 run (Frias kick), 2:22
Fourth quarter
E – D. Brookins (33 pass from McGaffey (Vargo kick), 11:45
E – K. Rademacher 4 run (kick fail), 1:11
C – Tukes 23 run (Frias kick)
Passing: Elma – McGaffey 13-16-1-266. Centralia – Frias 4-8-1-39.
Rushing: E – McGaffey 7-55; K. Rademacher 10-39; D. Brookins 2-13; Landstrom 2-9; C. Rademacher 2-3; Rupe 1-(-5). C – Tukes 27-150; Coronel 3-44; Nguyen 2-11; Frias 14-(-10).
Receiving: E – Landstrom 4-99; D. Brookins 3-80; C. Rademacher 2-37; Rupe 2-27; K. Rademacher 1-22; Muir 1-1. C – Sharp 2-21; Volavola 2-18.
~~~
Aberdeen 27, Olympic 25
Aberdeen mustered plenty of resiliency en route to a 27-25 comeback win over Olympic on Friday in Bremerton.
The Bobcats (1-0) scored on its opening possession when quarterback Mason Hill threw a strike on a slant route to receiver Sam Schreiber for a 7-0 lead.
It appeared as though Aberdeen came up with the ball when Gabe Matthews’ subsequent kickoff ricocheted off an Olympic players’ leg, only to be whistled dead and called for a re-kick by the officials.
But the Bobcats defense held the Trojans and their returning league-MVP in running back Chace Webster, stuffing a fourth-down conversion attempt.
Aberdeen turned a turnover-on-downs into points with a little razzle-dazzle when running back Gabe Matthews hit receiver Riley Wixson on a halfback pass for a 13-0 lead.
“Coach Macoy Gronseth saw their corners biting on fly sweeps and we just so happened to have installed this play earlier in the week as Gabe is our third-string QB, but primarily runs routes at flanker,” Aberdeen head coach Todd Bridge said of the play. “Great call and it generated enormous energy on our sideline.”
But the Trojans scored on an Aberdeen blown coverage on the next possession followed by a Bobcats fumble that turned into a touchdown with less than a minute to go in the first half, staking Aberdeen to a 13-12 halftime lead.
“As I entered the locker room at halftime, the boys were devastated and emotionally drained,” Bridge said. “The conversation revolved around all the things we’ve done right, not just tonight, but all summer long. We started in June and tonight was day 96. Dig deep and find something inside each of you because this is exactly the kind of game we need.”
Olympic took the lead with a score on the opening possession of the third quarter, with the Bobcats defense stuffing a two-point conversion to keep the score at 18-13.
Aberdeen put an end to the Trojans point streak when senior running back Micah Schroeder punched in a 14-yard run followed by a two-point run from Wixson to put the Cats up 21-18 midway through the third quarter.
Early in the fourth, Olympic regained the lead when Webster scored on a one-yard plunge for a 25-21 lead.
But the Bobcats offense continued to move the ball, scoring with just over five minutes left in the game when Wixson ran it in from 11-yards out for a 27-25 lead.
“Quite honestly, our offense was on point all night,” Bridge said. “We stopped ourselves with two fumbles, but other than that, we ran things quite efficiently and didn’t punt the whole game.”
With the game on the line, the Bobcats defense rose to the occasion. Interceptions by Schroeder and later Schreiber down the stretch sealed the Aberdeen victory.
“That’s when our defense shined,” Bridge said. “We had difficulties putting pressure on the QB because we were far more concerned about keeping Webster in check. That put a lot of pressure on our secondary, who had made some mistakes in the first half, but they were getting better and better as the night wore on and came up with two huge interceptions in those last five minutes.”
Hill led the way for Aberdeen with an efficient 19-of-21 passing for 148 yards , one touchdown and no interceptions.
“If I were to hand out a game ball, I would reluctantly say Mason Hill. His composure is of a different level of maturity,” Bridge said. “The reluctance is stated simply because this was a team win. It was about fighting back from adversity and taking back the momentum of the game while playing on the road, and our coaches deserve a lot of credit as well. All across the board, I recognize what these men have committed themselves to and the devotion they have to our boys growing together. It really was a family victory.”
Aberdeen hosts Steliacoom in a homecoming game at 7 p.m. on Friday at Stewart Field.
Aberdeen 7 6 8 6 – 27
Olympic 0 12 6 7 – 25
Scoring
First quarter
Aberdeen – Schreiber 9 pass from Hill (Matthews kick), 6:07
Second quarter
A – Wixson 39 pass from Matthews (PAT fail), 9:00
Olympic – Mack 34-yard reception (PAT fail), 5:13
O – Webster 1 run (PAT fail), 0:17
Third quarter
O – 36-yard reception (PAT fail), 8:39
A – Schroeder 14 run (Wixson pass from Hill), 5:46
Fourth quarter
O – Webster 1 run (PAT fail), 10:45
A – Wixson 11 run (PAT fail), 5:12
Passing: Aberdeen – Hill 19-21-0-148. Olympic – Moore 13-22-2-189.
Rushing: A – Schroeder 19-83; Wixson 10-52; 2 3-(-3). O – Webster 23-116; Moore 3-12; Bell 2-7.
Receiving: A – Hammonds 4-53; Schreiber 3-21; Wixson 2-42; Schroeder 6-53; Matthews 1-11. O – Webster 5-18; Mack 2-41; Bell 4-64.
~~~
Raymond-South Bend 43, Mossyrock 8
Raymond-South Bend running back Chris Banker scored three touchdowns to lead the Ravens to a 43-8 win over Mossyrock on Friday at Mossyrock High School.
“I was very happy with the way we played,” Ravens head coach Luke Abbott said. “We started out a little bit slow, I guess we were kind of stalling a little bit on the offensive side of the ball. Chris Banker started running the ball pretty well and our offensive line started creating holes for us.”
Trailing 8-0 in the first quarter, RSB (1-0) would take a lead on a safety due to a holding penalty in the end zone followed by a Banker 57-yard scoring run and subsequent Adam Mora point-after kick.
A Banker 33-yard scoring scamper put RSB up 16-8 at halftime.
The Ravens took over at the start of the second half when junior Manny Souza returned the second-half kickoff 74 yards for a score, giving RSB a big boost according to Abbott.
“It was a great momentum-shifter for us to start the second half,” he said. “And we kept the foot on the gas at that point.”
Touchdown runs from Banker and Mora capped off a 21-point frame for RSB to take a 37-8 lead into the fourth quarter.
Ravens junior quarterback Angel Morales, in his first varsity start under center, scored on a 2-yard run to cap off the scoring early in the fourth quarter.
“He did a pretty good job,” Abbott said of Morales. “No fumbles or interceptions, he did everything I asked him to do.”
Banker rushed for 172 yards on 17 carries while Souza had eight rushes for 92 yards.
Sophomore linebacker Caiden De Los Santos led RSB with double-digit tackles and an interception.
“I think our defense did a wonderful job most of the game,” Abbott said. “We bent a little bit, occasionally here and there, but didn’t break.”
The Ravens play at Rainier at 7 p.m. on Friday.
RSB 9 7 21 6 – 43
Mossyrock 8 0 0 0 – 8
Scoring
First quarter
Mossyrock – Solis 46 run (pass good), 10:04
RSB – Safety, 5:45
RSB – Banker 57 run (Mora kick), 5:31
Second quarter
RSB – Banker 33 run (Mora kick), 11:44
Third quarter
RSB – Souza 74 kickoff return (Mora kick), 11:47
RSB – Banker 3 run (Mora kick), 7:02
RSB – Mora 15 run (Mora kick), 2:54
Fourth quarter
RSB – A. Morales 2 run (kick blocked), 10:23
Rushing: RSB – Banker 16-172; Souza 8-92.
~~~
Hoquiam 54, Columbia (White Salmon) 14
Hoquiam opened its season with a commanding 54-14 victory over Columbia (White Salmon) on Friday at Columbia High School.
The Grizzlies (1-0) took a quarter to find their footing before scoring 47 unanswered points to earn the victory.
Hoquiam traded scores with the Bruins (0-1) throughout the first quarter, taking a 14-13 lead on senior running back Kingston Case’s second rushing touchdown of the period.
An interception by Hoquiam freshman Moses Deshazier followed by a 40-yard completion from freshman quarterback K.J. McCoy to Case led to a 15-yard scoring run by Case, his third of the game.
After a CWS punt, junior tight end Lincoln Niemi scored on a 20-yard pass from McCoy to put Hoquiam up 27-14 in the second quarter.
Case then gave the Grizzlies offense the ball with a strip fumble recovery on defense and capped the subsequent drive with a 33-yard run for a 34-14 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, Hoquiam’s special teams continued to play a pivotal role in the game. Senior lineman Ryan Pullar blocked a punt that fellow defender Justice Larson snagged out of the air, returning it 10 yards for a touchdown.
Hoquiam senior linebacker Joey Bozich recovered a fumble on the Bruins’ next drive, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run from Deshazier with just under eight minutes to play in the third quarter.
Later in the frame, Case put the finishing touches on the victory with a 30-yard touchdown run, his fifth touchdown of the game.
“The kids played really well,” Hoquiam offensive coordinator Cameron Parker said. “In all aspects of the game, they played well.”
Case rushed for 161 yards on 13 carries to lead the Grizzlies.
“Kingston had a great game on both sides of the ball,” Parker said.
In his first varsity start, McCoy completed 8-of-11 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown without an interception.
“K.J. did phenomenal. He played well above his age,” Parker said of his 14-year-old starter. “He had a few things he learned from and things he’ll clean up going forward. But he came out and took care of business. He didn’t try to do too much and just did exactly what we asked of him.”
Ethan Byron caught three passes for 90 yards to lead the Grizzlies.
Hoquiam hosts King’s Way Christian in a home opener at 7 p.m. on Friday at Olympic Stadium.
Hoquiam 13 21 20 0 – 54
CWS 14 0 0 0 – 14
Scoring
First quarter
Columbia (White Salmon) – 15-yard pass (kick good), 8:39
Hoquiam – Case 17 run (kick fail), 7:16
CWS – 20-yard pass (kick good), 5:27
H – Case 4 run (kick good), 1:53
Second quarter
H – Case 15 run (kick good), 7:11
H – Niemi 20 pass from McCoy (kick good), 5:47
H – Case 33 run (kick good), 2:37
Third quarter
H – Larson 10 punt block recovery (kick good), 9:07
H – Deshazier 5 run (kick good), 7:42
H – Case 30 run (kick good), 4:34
Fourth quarter
None
Passing: Hoquiam – McCoy 8-11-0-165.
Rushing: H – Case 13-161; Turpin 4-26; Deshazier 3-20.
Receiving: H – Byron 3-90; Case 3-65; Niemi 1-20; Larson 1-10.
~~~
Oakville 48, Ocosta 26
Ocosta trailed from start to finish en route to a 48-26 defeat to Oakville on Friday in Westport.
The Wildcats (0-1) trailed 16-0 before running back Ben Tackett got Ocosta on the board with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Ocosta senior quarterback Ronin Rutzer hit junior receiver Dayshawn Carter with a 10-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Rutzer added two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 67-yarder, and finished with 204 yards on 18 carries.
Rutzer also led the defense with nine solo and six assisted tackles while Tackett added seven solo and five assisted tackles to the stat sheet.
Ocosta hosts Winlock in an 8-man contest at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Oakville 16 0 16 16 – 48
Ocosta 0 6 6 14 – 26
Passing: Oakville – Rodas 7-11-0-100. Ocosta – R. Rutzer 2-9-2-17.
Rushing: Oakville – Koser 8-110; Rodas 12-108; Kimbrel 9-65, Rhoades 1-1. Ocosta – R. Rutzer 18-204; Tackett 6-30; Beck 7-8; L. Rutzer 6-(-14).
Receiving: Oakville – Rhoades 3-42; Eichelberger 2-47; Kimbrel 1-8; Koser 1-3. Ocosta – Tackett 1-9; Carter 1-8.
~~~
Other games
Wahkiakum 56, Taholah 8
North Beach 30, Northwest Christian (Lacey) 24
