And it wasn’t that close, really.
Sequim opened its 2015 prep football season in fine fashion Friday night, dominating on both sides of the ball in a lopsided first half to top non-league foe Chimacum 43-6 at Port Townsend’s Memorial Field.
Gavin Velarde scored three touchdowns — two long runs from scrimmage plus a kick return — and the Wolves’ stout defense held the “host” Cowboys to -6 yards from scrimmage in the first half an 97 yards overall.
“For the most part, we practiced hard and played well,” Sequim coach Erik Wiker said. “There were some mistakes. You’re bound to have some in the first game.”
Aside from a handful of penalties (five), Sequim’s first string offense and defense were clicking on all cylinders against a smaller, depleted Chimacum team. Boasting more than 70 players on their roster, the 2A Wolves had little problem handling the run-first Cowboys squad that had at least a half-dozen of their 27 roster players not suited.
Sequim High senior Nick Faunce got the Wolves rolling early, converting a third down on the opening drive with a 39-yard toss to Ethan Richmond. On play later, Sequim’s Mark Feeney was in from six yards out for a 6-0 Sequim lead.
“His touch is definitely one of his strengths,” Wiker said of Faunce.
After forcing a three-and-out, Velarde made it 13-0 with a 33-yard scamper.
Chimacum’s defense held the Wolves for a pair of possessions leading into the second quarter, but with the Cowboy offense sputtering the Wolves broke through in a big way halfway through the second quarter. Velarde made it 20-0 with a 46-yard run off a fly sweep.
“We’re going wide, middle and deep,” Wiker said. “They (opposing defenses) don’t know where we’re going to go.”
Three plays later, Sequim linebacker Arnold Black tackled Cowboy Logan Shaw in the end zone for a safety. Velarde ran the ensuing Chimacum kick 67 yards for his third score and a 29-0 Wolves lead.
After Nick Tucker picked off a Chimacum pass, Sequim needed just four plays to reach the end zone again. This time it was freshman quarterback Riley Cowan finding Kyler Rollness from 23 yards out for a 36-0 lead.
“We’re going to be on the ball — each play is going to be about four seconds,” Richmond said of his team’s explosive offense. “If we keep up the tempo, we’ll do fine this season.”
Chimacum’s next drive was stopped just two plays in when Richmond picked off a Quinn Dowling pass and raced to the 1-yard line, where Feeney took it in for a 43-0 lead with 3:18 remaining.
In the span of just three minutes and 37 seconds, the Wolves racked up 30 points.
Playing with a running clock thanks to the Olympic League mercy rule, Chimacum managed a nine-play, 76-yard scoring
drive to open the third quarter, aided in part by three Sequim penalties. Noel scored from a yard out for the game’s final score.
Wiker had high praise for his offensive and defensive lines. On one side of the ball, the Wolves ran for 161 first half yards and held Chimacum to -10 rushing yards and -6 yards overall in the same half.
“We executed at a pretty dang high level,” Wiker said.
Velarde led the team with 90 yards and a score on just three carries while Feeney added 39 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.
Sequim’s Faunce, Cowan and backup Johnnie Young combined to finish 7-for-10 for 104 yards passing.
Even with Chimacum’s late drives against the Wolves’ second- and third-string defenders, SHS out-gained the Cowboys 273-97 in total yards.
Sequim linebacker Chris Whitaker showed few ill effects from a broken leg that ended his 2014 season.
He said the Wolves’ advantage Friday night had to do with the Wolves’ intensity.
“We’re yelling, we’re intense (out there),” he said. “We had a lot of energy.”
Sequim 43, at Chimacum 6
First quarter
S — Feeney 6 run (kick failed), 10:02
S — Velarde 33 run (Winfield kick), 7:27
Second quarter
S — Velarde 46 run (Winfield kick), 6:55
S — Black tackle for safety, 6:31
S — Velarde 67 kick return (Winfield kick), 6:31
S — Rollness 23 pass from Cowan (Winfield kick), 4:36
S — Feeney 1 run (Winfield kick), 3:18
Third quarter
C — Noel 1 run (run failed), 4:31
