by MICHAEL DASHIELL
Sequim Gazette
Short-handed but hardly short on talent, Sequim’s Wolves hoped to take away an easy win from visiting North Mason on Friday night.
In what turned into a night filled with errors, the Bulldogs seemed determined to give the game away.
Sequim quarterback Jack Wiker had his hand in six touchdowns while North Mason committed 10 turnovers as the Wolves (3-0 in Olympic League play, 5-0 overall) toppled their Bulldogs counterparts 48-20 Friday night.
Sequim was playing without starting quarterback Frank Catelli, serving a one-game suspension after being ejected from a Sept. 23 contest, and with injuries to three others suffered in that same game.
“As a team we have plenty of kids ready to step up to the challenge,” said Sequim linebacker/fullback Josh McElrath.
Certainly one of those who was ready Friday was Wiker, a junior whom the Wolves use as their starting tailback but who often spells Catelli at quarterback.
In his first start, Wiker threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more.
“We expected to do good coming out,” Wiker said. “I was more nervous than usual.”
It didn’t show in a 25-point first quarter and eventually a 35-0 lead in the second quarter.
That’s when North Mason made it a game, gouging the Wolves for big runs, scoring two touchdowns and threatening for a third before time expired.
“Our linemen let up a little bit (but) we bounced back at halftime,” McElrath said.
Tyler Forshaw stymied any thought of a Bulldog comeback with a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the third quarter and Wiker added a running score from 19 yards out that sealed the win.
“As a coach I thought (Jack) played well and executed,” Sequim head coach Erik Wiker said. “As a dad, I’m proud.”
Bucs stop here
Kingston comes to Sequim on Friday, Oct. 7, for the Wolves’ Homecoming match. The Buccaneers (2-1, 3-2) are coming off of a 35-3 home win against Klahowya.
Sequim hasn’t lost to the Buccaneers since their initial showdown in 2007.
Last season, Sequim walloped Kingston 56-28 on the strength of a six-touchdown spurt in just eight plays in the first half.
Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.
