Saturday, September 30, 2017

2017 Football Game 5 - North Kitsap 42, Sequim 0

(Poulsbo) - Senior running back Dax Solis accounted for 278 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns Friday night as the North Kitsap Vikings shutout the Sequim Wolves 42-0 on Homecoming night.

Solis rushed 24 times for 204 hashes with two scores and caught a pass for a 74-yard touchdown.

The Vikings improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Olympic League 2A Division play, awaiting next week's showdown in Bremerton with the unbeaten Knights.

Sequim fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in league play after facing the top two contenders for the league crown in consecutive weeks.

The Wolves kept things close in the first half and opened the contest with a time consuming, 14-play drive to the North Kitsap 2.

On 4th-and-goal, quarterback Riley Cowan's pass to Gavin Velarde in the right corner of the end zone was batted down by Blake Wetzsteon, giving the hosts the ball at their own 2 with 8:02 left in the opening quarter.

The teams exchanged 3-and-out possessions before North's offensive machine started to warm up on a 9-play march that culminated with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Blackmore to Tyler Sloman with less than a second remaining in the first quarter.

Tainui Elkington made the first of his six successful PATs to give North Kitsap a 7-0 lead.

Sequim was 10 plays into another drive before being forced to punt and the Vikings took over on their own 7 with 8:01 left before the Homecoming halftime.

Penalties backed North Kitsap into a 2nd-and-21 at its own 8 before an old Sequim nemesis - the Vikings' waggle pass - clicked for 19 yards from Blackmore to Aidan Allsop to get the hosts out of trouble.

Five plays later, the 6-1, 220 pound Solis took a short pass and broke a tackle into the Sequim secondary, galloping like a Clydesdale up the left sideline through defenders for 74 yards and a 14-0 North Kitsap lead with 2:59 to go in the half. 

Blackmore completed 7 of his 12 passes for 174 yards and 3 scores.

The Wolves had another promising drive going in the final minute of the half, reaching the North 34, before a Cowan pass to Velarde was tipped and intercepted by Josh Stackhouse.

Cowan completed 16 of his 38 passes for 160 yards with one interception.

Velarde caught 5 passes for 53 yards and had one rush for 30.

North churns for 4 second half touchdowns

In the second half, North focused on the ground game, attempting just 4 passes and racking up 360 rushing yards for the game.

In their opening 11-play drive, Solis ran for 42 yards on six consecutive plays.

North broke the game open on a 4th-and-2 from the Wolves 22, when Blackmore found Allsop alone on the right side for the touchdown that made it 21-0 with 8:04 left in the third.

Allsop had 3 catches for 49 hashes.

Sequim drove into Vikings territory and attempted a 30-yard Byron Rice field goal that was blocked.

Speedy Clayton Williams traversed right end for 54 yards to the Sequim 2 on the fifth play of the next series and Solis scored on the next snap for a 28-0 North lead with 3:27 to go in the third.

Sequim had another field goal blocked on its next drive, this time from 24 yards.

Solis toured right end for 65 yards with 10:41 left in the game to make it 35-0.

North Kitsap reserves scored when Taylor Jackson dove in from the 8 on a fourth-and-goal to boost the advantage to 42-0, triggering the mercy rule with 4:52 remaining.

Other Olympic League Scores:

Bremerton 37, Cedar Park Christian 0
Port Angeles 35, Kingston 14
Olympic 35, North Mason 21

Next Week: Sequim at North Mason 

(Sequim leads series 27-9-1)

(Wolves are 12-5 all-time in Belfair)

The night the losing string ended - 1963

Longtime Sequim fans will remember the Homecoming football game of October 18, 1963 as the night the Wolves broke a 23-game losing streak in their first-ever contest against the North Mason Bulldogs.

Coach Bill Harriman's eleven scored on the first play from scrimmage as the Wolves ripped the Boys from Belfair 33-7, Sequim's first victory since a huge 12-6 upset against fifth-ranked Lakeside in the 1960 season, that broke the Seattle club's 32 game winning streak.

Ron Herman took a Steve Callis pass and went 48 yards for the opening touchdown.  Herman, who was named homecoming king at halftime, went on to score two more touchdowns as the Wolves picked up 411 yards rushing and 155 yards passing against the Bulldogs.

Sequim's defense, led by Robin Lynch, Al Grall, Larry Livingston, Mike Millet, Gary Gizinski, Charlie Robinson and Dave Blake held North Mason to a total of 40 yards rushing.

In the second quarter, a mixup in the backfield produced a score.  Sequim drove 60 yards in eight plays, with Callis going the final 20 yards following a missed handoff.

An interception set up the third Sequim tally in the second quarter with 18 seconds left when Herman crossed the goal line from three yards out.

In the third period, Sequim took to the air and North Mason picked up its only score when Gary Miller passed to Larry Foster on a play that covered 56 yards.

Sequim put together a sustained drive and Herman scored for the third time, this one on a 25-yard pitchout play.

Cliff Echternkamp picked off a North Mason pass to set up the final score in the fourth quarter.

Mike Schade, the big fullback, went off tackle for 80 yards and the touchdown.

Sequim has 27-9-1 record against North Mason

The Wolves played North Mason in 10 consecutive seasons beginning in 1963, winning the first 9 contests before the squads deadlocked in a scoreless tie on the Sequim gridiron in 1972.

The Sequim - North Mason rivalry took a break in the mid-1970s before two more wins by the Wolves in 1977 (6-0) and 1978 (33-0). 

The rivalry resumed after a 15-year hiatus in 1993 and North Mason won 7 of the first 8 games, including 4 straight from 1997 through 2000.

A 19-6 home win by Coach Kevin McNulty's 1996 squad was the lone Sequim victory against the Bulldogs in the 1990s.

Wolves have dominated Bulldogs with 15-2 record since 2001

Sequim won 12 straight contests against North Mason between 2001 and 2011 (the teams met twice in 2006).

The Bulldogs bounced back to take a pair of victories in 2012 and 2013, the latter a 69-46 pounding of the Wolves in Sequim.

Current Sequim Coach Erik Wiker has a 12-2 record against North Mason, winning the last 3 meetings, including a 26-20 overtime decision in 2014.

The Wolves enjoy a 12-5 all-time record against North Mason in Belfair, outscoring the Bulldogs 377-217.

2017 Sequim - North Kitsap Game Statistics

Scoring by Quarters

Seq - 00 00 00 00 - 00
NK -- 07 07 14 14 - 42

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

NK - Tyler Sloman 11 pass from Andrew Blackmore (Tainui Elkington kick) 0.1 

2nd Quarter

NK - Dax Solis 74 pass from Andrew Blackmore (Elkington kick) 2:59

3rd Quarter

NK - Aiden Allsop 22 pass from Andrew Blackmore (Elkington kick) 8:04

NK - Dax Solis 2 run (Elkington kick) 3:27

4th Quarter

NK - Dax Solis 65 run (Elkington kick) 10:41

NK - Taylor Jackson 8 run (Elkington kick) 4:52 

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Seq - Riley Cowan 4-(-12), Gavin Velarde 1-30, Hayden Gresli 10-26, Chris Puksta 1-5.

NK -- Dax Solis 24-204-2TD, Joel Ingram 1-0, Clayton Williams 7-106, Tyler Sloman 2-10, Keenan Kakuda 1-3, Noah North 6-29, Taylor Jackson 2-8-1TD.

Passing

Seq - Riley Cowan 16-38-160-0TD-1INT.

NK -- Andrew Blackmore 7-12-174-3TD-0INT, Dax Solis 0-1-0.

Receiving

Seq - Gavin Velarde 5-53, Nathan Despain 3-17, Kyler Rollness 3-43, Michael Young 2-30, Hayden Gresli 1-2, Chris Puksta 1-7, Ben Cowan 1-8.

NK -- Dax Solis 1-74-1TD, Tyler Sloman 1-11-1, Hunter Wells 2-40, Aiden Allsop 3-49-1TD.

Team Statistics

Rushing

Seq - 16-49

NK -- 43-360-3TD

Passing

Seq - 16-38-160-0TD-1INT

NK -- 7-13-174-3TD-0INT

Total Yards

Seq - 54 plays, 209 yards (3.9 ypp)

NK -- 56 plays, 534 yards (9.5 ypp)

Penalties

Seq - 3-25

NK -- 8-65

Had Intercepted

Seq - 1

NK -- 0

Fumbles

Seq - 0

NK -- 0

Turnovers

Seq - 1

NK -- 0



Saturday, September 23, 2017

2017 Football Game 4 - Bremerton 30, Sequim 22

(Sequim) -- A dominating effort in the trenches was the difference Friday night as the Bremerton Knights churned out 361 rushing yards in a 30-22 victory over the Sequim Wolves.

The Knights improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Olympic League 2A division play, while the Wolves are now 2-2 overall with an 0-1 league mark.

Bremerton snapped the ball 68 times in the contest for 451 hashes and limited the Sequim attack to just 173 yards on 30 plays.

The Knights' Semaj Cook carried the pigskin 27 times for 136 yards and a pair of scores, while fullback Ryan Saylor pounded out 111 hashes on 19 carries.

Bremerton has a non-league home game Friday against Cedar Park Christian of Bothell (2-2), coached by former Bellevue mentor Butch Goncharoff.

Sequim will travel to Poulsbo to face unbeaten North Kitsap (4-0) next week.

Wolves close the gap late

Trailing 30-14 in the fourth quarter, the Wolves hinted at a miracle comeback for the second consecutive game after last week's thrilling 23-22 win against Centralia.

The Wolves took possession at their own 37 with 4:03 to go, after a Bremerton score by Cook increased the Knights' margin to a two-score lead for the first time in the contest.

A 42-yard Riley Cowan pass over the middle to Nathan Despain put the Wolves into Bremerton territory.

Cowan completed 12 of 27 passes for 163 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

He faced relentless Bremerton pressure and was sacked 4 times in the contest.

Three snaps later, mercurial senior Gavin Velarde caught a Cowan fade in the left corner of the end zone to make it 30-20 with 2:36 remaining.

The Wolves went for the two-point conversion, setting up with freshman Taig Wiker at quarterback in a Wildcat type formation with an unbalanced line.

Despain snapped the ball to Wiker, who fired straight ahead to an uncovered Despain in the end zone for the extra markers.

Sequim tried the onside kick down 30-22 with senior Byron Rice's boot deflecting backward from a group of converging players near the 50 and was recovered by the Wolves' Kyler Rollness.

Two plays into the potential game-tying drive, Cowan fired deep up the left sideline, but Bremerton safety Kelo Logova stepped in front of receiver Michael Young for the interception, bringing the ball back to the Knights 37 with 2:24 to go.

Bremerton clinched it after converting a 4th-and-1 from its own 46 with 1:47 left after a hard snap count caused a Sequim defender to jump offside.

Knights lead 3-0 after 1st quarter, but miss 2 FGs

Bremerton spent most of the initial 12 minutes in Sequim territory, but led just 3-0 after James Moran and the Knights special teams unit connected on just one of three first quarter field goal attempts.  

Wolves scored twice in 2nd period

A 7-play, 67-yard drive early in the second period put Sequim ahead with a pretty 29-yard bomb from Cowan to Kyler Rollness, making it 7-3 with 8:04 to go before halftime.

Bremerton was looking to take the lead back before intermission and had churned out 38 yards in 4 ground plays from its own 9.

On a 3rd-and-3 from his own 47, Bremerton QB Max Boekenoogen looked deep into the Sequim secondary for receiver Troy Saunders.

Gavin Velarde stepped in front of Saunders for the interception at his own 37 and angled for the left sideline, cutting back inside to avoid a lineman at the 50, then two more defenders at the Bremerton 45 as he angled for the right hash mark, then outran the field for the 63-yard touchdown.

It was Velarde's third career pick-six, repeating last year's feat for 98 yards against Olympic and 99 yards against Eatonville.

The PAT by Byron Rice boosted the Sequim advantage to 14-3 with 1:25 left in the half.

The Knights closed it to 14-10 with 16 seconds to go, capping off a 9-play, 47-yard march with a 4-yard TD pass from Boekenoogen to Savante Perrigo.

Knights stick to the ground game in 2nd half

Bremerton took the lead after nine rushing plays for 95 yards, the final 29 from Brock Criss for the go-ahead score with 7:41 left in the third period, putting the Knights ahead 17-14.

Semaj Cook scored his two touchdowns in the 4th quarter, from 5 yards with 8:57 left for a 24-14 Knights bulge and from 2 yards with 4:08 remaining that upped it to 30-14.

Next week's Preview: North Kitsap Vikings (4-0)

Wolves have a 3-20-2 record in Poulsbo against NK

Sequim will take the road to Poulsbo Friday for a tough test against the unbeaten North Kitsap Vikings (4-0, 2-0).

The Vikings have a 11-36-2 overall advantage in the series that began with a 7-0 Poulsbo victory in 1931.

North Kitsap has defeated the Wolves six consecutive times, including 42-7 last fall in Sequim.

The last Sequim victory in the series was 42-21 in 2010, the first meeting of the teams since 1990.

Sequim has won just three times in Poulsbo in 25 meetings against North Kitsap.

The teams tied at 0-0 in 1940 and 6-6 in 1953.

First Sequim win in Poulsbo - 1950

Coach Bill Schade's squad took the first win at Poulsbo in 1950, 14-12.

Sequim went ahead in the first quarter 7-6 after Wolves quarterback Jim McNally threw to fullback Sam Kilbe for a 50-yard touchdown pass.

Sequim recovered a midfield fumble and scored again in the third quarter when Fahler Dunlap went over the goal line from the 5.

Dunlap had another TD of 90 yards called back via penalty.

The Vikings scored again in the final period but did not convert. 

Coach Barry Wheeler's Wolves won twice in Poulsbo

1978

The legendary 1978 Sequim football squad improved to 6-0 with a 14-10 win over North in Poulsbo.

The Wolves controlled the ball for 9 of the final 12 minutes to spoil the NK homecoming celebration.

Senior tailback Tony Shea, the first 1000 yard rusher in Sequim history, ran for 175 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns.

North Kitsap took a 10-7 lead in the third quarter after recovering a blocked Mike Sherry punt at the Wolves 29, scoring on a 4-yard run by quarterback Mike Moore.

Sequim's stellar offensive line and the backfield of quarterback Mike Russell, fullback Sherry and tailback Shea started from their own 25 and took just nine plays to march for the winning score.

Sherry blasted for 30 yards on three carries in the drive and Russell tacked on 10 more on another jaunt.

Shea got another 17 before running around right end, bouncing off a Viking defender and rolling into the end zone.

Blaise Kaminski kicked the conversion and Sequim led 14-10.

In the first 8 minutes of the final period, North Kitsap had the ball for just six plays.

The Wolves took over with 4:56 left and kept possession for nearly 4 minutes before giving it back at 1:07.

Matt Young blasted NK QB Moore for a 12-yard loss as the clock expired.

Sequim rushed 54 times for 287 yards and won the game with no passing yards.

1980

In 1980, Ray Owens blasted the North Kitsap fullback on a 4th-and-goal inside the 1-yard-line with nine seconds remaining to seal a 13-7 victory for Sequim in Poulsbo.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Barry Wheeler's team.

North Kitsap took over on their own 30 and moved towards the goal line via four 15-yard penalties on Sequim during the drive, obtaining a first-and-goal at the Wolves 4.

Tailback Dave Gillis punched through the North defense for 104 yards in 23 carries and a touchdown.

Fullback Mark Irwin hammered for 87 hashes in 19 rushes and a score.

The Sequim defense slammed the door on the Vikings offense, which gained 44 yards in 29 tries against the visitors.

Gillis scored via trickery in the first quarter when Sequim faced a fourth-and-eight from the North 47.

Gillis took the snap from punt formation and roared right into the interior of the line, slicing his way for the touchdown.

Richard Angelo set up the Wolves second TD in the second quarter with a 50-yard pass interception return to the Vikings 12.

Irwin scored from the 3 and Dale McBride kicked the PAT for a 13-7 halftime lead.

1984 - The longest game in Sequim history

The Wolves bowed to the Vikings 14-6 in a battle for second place in the Olympic League.

The two teams had to return to the Poulsbo gridiron Monday after Friday's game was called off with 6:27 to play in the second quarter because of a power failure in Poulsbo with the Vikings leading 7-6.

The two teams slugged it out in the trenches Monday night.

North scored late in the third quarter with quarterback Rich Hecker setting up the score with a 32-yard pass to Mike Giesch down to the Sequim 10.

The duo connected again for the touchdown from 6 yards.

Hecker hit 12 of 26 passes for 186 yards.

NK rushed for 89 yards.

Sequim's John Nolan was 12 for 30 for 93 yards, but had 4 interceptions.

Ernie Chudej rushed for 37 yards on eight carries and caught 3 passes for 34 yards.

Willie Smith caught 5 passes for 22 yards.

Sequim finished 3-2 in league play and in third place under first-year coach Rich Sweeney.

2017 Game Statistics - Bremerton 30, Sequim 22

Scoring by Quarters:


Brem - 03 07 07 13 -- 30
Seq  -- 00 14 00 08 -- 22

Scoring Summary:

1st quarter:

Brem - James Moran 25 yd Field Goal 7:16

2nd Quarter:

Seq -  Kyler Rollness 29 yd Pass from Riley Cowan. (Byron Rice kick) 8:04

Seq -  Gavin Velarde 63 yd pass interception return (Rice kick) 1:25

Brem - Savante Perrigo 4 yd pass from Max Boekenoogen (Moran kick) :11

3rd Quarter:

Brem - Brock Criss 29 yd run (Moran kick) 7:41 

4th Quarter:

Brem - Semaj Cook 5 yd run (Moran kick) 8:57

Brem - Semaj Cook 2 yd run (kick failed) 4:08

Seq  - Gavin Velarde 6 yd pass from Riley Cowan (Nate Despain pass from Taig Wiker) 2:38

Individual Statistics:

Rushing:

Brem - Semaj Cook 27-136-2TD, Max Boekenoogen 2-14, Ryan Saylor 19-111, Rasheed Joiner 9-53, Brock Criss 4-47-1TD.

Seq - Riley Cowan 10-(-5), Kyler Rollness 1-(-8), Gavin Velarde 2-6, Tyler Conn 3-3, Hayden Gresli 2-14.

Passing:

Brem - Max Boekenoogen 7-18-90-1TD-1INT

Seq  - Riley Cowan 12-27-163-2TD-2INT

Receiving:

Brem - Troy Saunders 2-33, Ryan Saylor 1-9, Savante Perrigo 3-21-1, Brock Criss 1-27.

Seq  - Gavin Velarde 5-66-1TD, Nathan Despain 1-42, Kyler Rollness 2-33-1, Taig Wiker 1-8, Michael Young 1-16, Tyler Conn 1-0, Hayden Gresli 1-(-2).

Team Statistics:

Rushing:

Brem - 61 rushes, 361 yards, 3TDs

Seq  - 18 rushes, 10 yards

Passing:

Brem - 7-18, 90 yds, 1TD, 1INT

Seq  - 12-27, 163 yds, 2TD, 2INT

Total Yards:

Brem - 68 plays, 451 yards (6.6 ypp)

Seq  - 45 plays, 173 yards (3.8 ypp)

Penalties:

Brem - 7-65

Seq  - 9-90

Had Intercepted:

Brem - 1

Seq  - 2

Fumbles:

Brem - 0

Seq  - 0

Turnovers:

Brem - 1

Seq  - 2



Saturday, September 16, 2017

2017 Football Game 2 - Sequim 23, Centralia 22

(Sequim) - Quarterback Riley Cowan hit Jarrett Allen with a pair of touchdown passes in the final 3 minutes as the Wolves rallied to defeat the Centralia Tigers 23-22 in a non-league football game.

The final TD that tied the game at 22, came with 49 seconds left after Cowan scrambled right and found Allen dragging left to right through the end zone.   The ball was tipped by a Tiger defender, but dropped into the hands of Allen, who was lying on the turf.


Centralia led just 7-3 late in the second quarter, but the Tigers took control in the final minute with a 57-yard touchdown pass, then a 14-yard TD run, taking a 22-3 advantage into the halftime locker room.

Sequim started the comeback in the third period when Cowan teamed up with Kyler Rollness on a 16-yard TD strike that narrowed the gap to 22-9 after a blocked PAT.

Sequim's defense came through after halftime, putting together a series of defensive stops, despite being singed for more than 400 yards by the visitors.

The Wolves pulled within 22-16 after Cowan and Allen connected from 12 yards, needing their biggest defensive effort to continue the comeback.

Sequim got the stop at the Wolves 40, stuffing Dylan Purkey on a 4th-and-2 and taking over with a minute and a half left.

On the first play, Cowan looked deep for his junior classmate Kyler Rollness, who had 11 catches for 167 yards, and the duo connected for 39 yards to the Tigers 21, setting up Allen's circus grab three plays later.

After Byron Rice kicked the game-winning conversion, Sequim managed to contain the visitors' last march that was stymied by a pair of holding penalties.

The Wolves (1-1) are at home Friday for an Olympic League 2A opener against the unbeaten Bremerton Knights (3-0)