Same field, yet a much tougher early-season test.
Sequim sophomore Riley Cowan threw four touchdown passes and the Wolves’ defense made a key fourth quarter stop to preserve a 27-26 win at Port Townsend on Friday night in the 2016 prep season opener.
“I think our offense was our strength,” Sequim head coach Erik Wiker said. “The execution could have been better.”
As they did last fall, Sequim opened their season at PT’s Memorial Stadium. Unlike last season’s matchup with overmatched Chimacum, however, the Wolves (1-0) were in a battle for all 48 minutes against the host Redhawks.
While they took advantage of three Sequim turnovers, the 1A Port Townsend squad — one that hadn’t lost a home game since 2014 — couldn’t find an answer for all-Olympic League first team receiver/kick returner Gavin Velarde. When he wasn’t slipping through multiple tackles on kickoff and punt returns, the Sequim junior was busy snagging 13 passes of 153 yards and a key fourth quarter touchdown that put Sequim up 27-14.
“That was their offseason work,” Wiker said of the Cowan-to-Velarde connection. “Pretty decent execution. (Velarde), when he’s on the field, he’s 100 percent go. He’s pretty special.”
Cowan, an all-Olympic League first-teamer as a freshman last fall, wasn’t perfect after letting loose a pair of interceptions. Regardless, the second-year signal-caller picked apart the Redhawk secondary to the tune of 24 completions (in 31 tries) for 274 yards. Velarde and Kyler Rollness (six catches, 83 yards and a score) were the primary beneficiaries.
“The poise was there,” Wiker said of his sophomore quarterback.
Port Townsend quarterback Berkely Hill nearly matched Cowan in the end. The PT senior was 14-of-24 for 137 yards and two scores, and led the home squad with 87 yards on 14 carries.
After leading a pair of second half drives to trim Sequim’s lead to a single point, Hill had the Redhawks at midfield and was looking to score with 3:45 on the clock. His pass on third-and-5 glanced off Nico Winegar’s hands and the Wolves stopped Detrius Kelsall on a fourth-and-5 running play.
Sequim running backs Keyshawn Whitney and Tyler Conn finished it off from there, breaking through for three first downs that killed the clock.
“We … made a couple of crucial mistakes but the kids rebounded well,” Wiker said. “We have a lot of new guys on defense.”
Conn finished with 51 rushing yards; Whitney added 45.
Making his first appearance for the Wolves — and his first varsity football game — was Payton Glasser, the SHS basketball standout who made an immediate impact. He had first half touchdown receptions of seven and 19 yards, and added an interception of Hill to cut short a Redhawk drive.
“He’s a superb athlete,” Wiker said of Glasser. “He’s going to be an impact player right away.”
Wiker added, smiling, “I think he helped a little.”
Sequim opened the scoring when Cowan found Rollness from 20 yards out on the game’s opening drive. The Wolves made it 14-0 on the next drive when Velarde’s 36-yard catch and scamper set up a Cowan-to-Glasser connection.
Hill and the Redhawks answered before the first quarter whistle, a three-yard toss to Kyle Blankenship that cut the lead to 14-8.
Sequim responded on the next drive, as Cowan found a streaking Glasser who made a one-handed grab for a 19-yard score and 20-8 lead.
After being forced to punt, Port Townsend got a break when Gabe Apker-Montoya picked off a Cowan pass and, seven plays later, Hill found Kelsall from three yards out for a score. In what proved to be a fortuitous special teams play, Velarde blocked the Redhawk point-after, leaving the score at 20-14 Sequim at halftime.
Sequim looked to take control when Cowan’s fourth TD pass made it 27-14, but the Redhawks simply wouldn’t go away. Cowan’s second interception — this one to Noa Apker-Montoya — set up a Kelsall one-yard plunge. When PT’s two-point try failed, Sequim held a 27-20 lead.
Port Townsend recovered a Sequim fumble early in the fourth quarter deep in PT territory and Hill led a 13-play, 96-yard drive capped by another Kelsall one-yard rushing score. Looking to tie the game, however, the point-after snap was high and the conversion aborted, leaving the Wolves up 27-26.
The Redhawks forced Sequim to punt and began their final drive at their own 44-yard-line, but the Wolves’ defense held and Sequim was able to run out the clock.
See photos from the game here.
Coming next week
Sequim takes on traditional 1A powerhouse Montesano in the Wolves’ home opener. The Bulldogs (1-0) drubbed Aberdeen 55-20 in their season opener on Sept. 2. Montesano scored five touchdowns in five first-half drives against Aberdeen.
Scoring
1st quarter
S — Rollness 20 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick), 7:27
S — Glasser 7 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick), 3:22
PT — Blankenship 3 pass from Hill (Blankenship pass from Kelsall), 0:21
2nd quarter
S — Glasser 19 pass from Cowan (kick failed), 10:10
PT — Kelsall 3 pass from Hill (kick blocked), 6:07
3rd quarter
S — Velarde 24 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick), 5:18
PT — Kelsall 1 run (conversion failed), 1:06
4th quarter
PT — Kelsall 1 run (conversion failed), 6:21
Box score
Sequim stats:
First downs: 16
Third down: 2-8
Fourth down: 2-4
Total yards: 382 (274 passing, 108 rushing)
Passing: Cowan 24-31, 274 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: Conn 9-51; Whitney 6-45; Velarde 2-10; Gresli 1-4; Cowan 5-(-2)
Receiving: Velarde 13-153, TD; Rollness 6-83, TD; Glasser 3-29, 2 TDs; Gorr 2-9
Penalties: 8-68
Port Townsend stats:
First downs: 19
Third down: 5-13
Fourth down: 2-4
Total yards: 316 (169 rushing, 137 passing)
Passing: Hill 14-24, 137 yards, 2 TDs, INT
Rushing: Hill 14-87; Kelsall 22-78, 2 TDs; Boucher 2-3; Blankenship 1-1
Receiving: Winegar 3-38; Kelsall 3-34, TD; Boucher 3-33; Crawford 1-18; Blankenship 4-14, TD
Penalties: 2-15
