It wasn’t always pretty, but the Port Angeles Roughriders took advantage of Sequim turnovers and scored 27 second half points in a 37-10 win Friday night, taking home the Rainshadow Rumble trophy.
Senior quarterback Parker Nickerson threw for 269 yards and two scores and ran for another as the Riders improved to 2-2 on the season, 1-1 in Olympic League play.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors on the team and we were determined to beat Sequim,” Nickerson said.
Port Angeles took advantage of a pair of Sequim fumbles — just before halftime and another to open the fourth quarter, both deep in Rider territory — and scored 27 unanswered second half points.
“We had a lot of penalties in the first half,” Port Angeles coach Dustin Clark said, alluding to eight infractions that cost PA scoring opportunities. “We were not as disciplined as we normally are.”
Those issues got addressed at halftime, he said.
The match-up of Olympic Peninsula rivals was for three quarters shaping up to be a tight-knot back-and-forth affair, with the Wolves (0-2 in Olympic League, 0-3 overall) knotting the score at 10-10 on a 27-yard field goal by Jack Henninger six minutes into the second half, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Port Angeles’ Kason Albough, right, evades the tackle of Sequim’s Zeke Schmadeke to score the Roughriders’ first touchdown in a 37-10 Rainshadow Rumble victory in Sequim on Sept. 22.
The Riders responded with a 63-yard drive of their own, overcoming a pair of penalties and taking a 17-10 lead after Nickerson scrambled into the end zone from 15 yards out.
The Wolves looked to even the score late in the third quarter, but saw a receiver fumble the ball near the end zone. The final call on the field was that the ball was fumbled through the end zone, giving possession to the Roughriders.
Six plays later, Nickerson found Blake Sohlberg streaking down the middle of the field for a 47-yard touchdown and a 24-10 lead.
“That’s a 14-point swing,” Sequim coach Erik Wiker said. “After that, it got pretty tough.”
Port Angeles forced a turnover on downs with the Wolves’ next possession, and Kason Albough scored his second touchdown of the evening to give Port Angeles a 31-10 lead.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Liam Wiker celebrates his first half touchdown with a teammate in the Wolves’ league match-up with rival Port Angeles on Sept. 22.
Tucker Rygaard added a one-yard plunge to cap the scoring with about 1:30 left in the game.
Clark said the Riders have certainly been tested early, facing a pair of top-five 2A teams (Anacortes and North Kitsap) along with a tough Blaine team to start the season.
“It wore on us,” Clark said. “We had to get after it. Tonight was good.”
Wiker said there wasn’t a lot for his players to take away from the game except for the theme of being consistent.
“We need to put two halves together; once we do that, this team can play with most people,” he said.
Wiker added, “Our mistakes were costly [but] we have a young team and they played hard.”
SHS quarterback Lars Wiker was 15-of-25 for 135 yards and ran for 25 more, while younger brother Liam led the team with 53 rushing yards — including the Wolves’ lone touchdown, a 10-yard scamper in the first half.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim quarterback Lars Wiker (10) looks for running room against Port Angeles on Friday night.
Nickerson was 16-for-27 and connected with Sohlberg six times for 130 yards and a score. The Riders out-gained Sequim 442-217 in yardage, helping PA overcome 15 penalties worth 125 yards. Sequim was flagged just three times for 20 yards.
Port Angeles players and fans lingered on the Sequim’s Myron Teterud field at Stáʔčəŋ Stadium, hosting aloft the Rainshadow Rumble trophy.
“It is extra special to win in Sequim,” Nickerson said.
The Wolves follow their rivalry with a Sept. 29 league game at Kingston (1-3), and an Oct. 6 away date at Olympic. Sequim hosts North Mason on Oct. 13.
Port Angeles 37, at Sequim 10
Scoring
1st quarter
PA — Albough 19 pass from Nickerson (Sohlberg kick), 8:33
2nd quarter
PA — Sohlberg 27 field goal, 5:32
Seq — Li. Wiker 10 run (Henninger kick), 2:56
3rd quarter
Seq — Henninger 27 field goal, 5:58
PA — Nickerson 15 run (Sohlberg kick), 1:46
4th quarter
PA — Sohlberg 47 pass from Nickerson (Sohlberg kick), 9:32
PA — Albough 7 run (Sohlberg kick), 5:56
PA — Rygaard 1 run (kick failed), 1:33
Statistics
Passing — PA: Nickerson 16-27, 269 yards, 2 TDs, 2 Ints. Seq: La. Wiker 15-25, 135 yards; Li. Wiker 0-1
Rushing — PA: Nickerson 7-72, TD; Albough 20-43, TD; Hawes 5-32; Jones 5-24; Rygaard 2-2, TD. Seq: Li. Wiker 10-53, TD; La. Wiker 7-25; 41 3-4
Receiving — PA: Sohlberg 6-130, TD; Albough 5-59, TD; Martinez 2-38; Lentz 2-37; Hawes 1-15. Seq: Schmadeke 4-61; Aragon 3-30; 22 2-16; Li. Wiker 5-16; 33 1-12
Penalties — PA 15-125. Seq: 3-20
Third down — PA: 4-9. Seq: 2-8
Fourth down — PA: 3-4. Seq: 2-3
First downs — PA: 16. Seq: 11.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / A meeting of quarterbacks: Sequim’s Lars Wiker gains a first down as he’s tackled by Port Angeles’ Parker Nickerson late in the fourth quarter of PA’s 37-10 Raindshadow Rumble victory in Sequin=m on Sept. 22.
