HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Sequim shades Port Townsend in rekindling of rivalry

PORT TOWNSEND — Sequim’s passing game showed plenty of promise as the Wolves held off a run-pass option led second-half rally by Port Townsend to edge the Redhawks 27-26 in the season opener for both teams at Memorial Field.

The Wolves led Port Townsend 14-0, 20-8 and 27-14 at various points in the contest, but Port Townsend continued to work itself back into the game, the first for new head coach Alex Heilig, and nip at the Wolves’ heels.

Three second-half turnovers aided the Redhawks rally. Port Townsend brothers Gabe Apker-Montoya and Noa Apker-Montoya each intercepted passes in the third quarter.

Noa Apker-Montoya’s returned his 20 yards to midfield to give his team good field position while trailing Sequim 27-14 in the third quarter.

Redhawks senior quarterback Berkley Hill kept the next drive alive on third-and-10 by sprinting, spinning and taking a hard shot on a 14-yard rush to earn an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and put Port Townsend inside the Sequim 20-yard line.

Detrius Kelsall later scored from 2-yards out to cut the Wolves’ lead to 27-20.

On the ensuing possession, Sequim’s drive ended deep in Redhawks’ territory when Port Townsend forced a Keeshawn Whitney fumble.

The Redhawks put together an 11-play, 93-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard TD plunge by Kelsall, to pull within 27-26.

But the snap on the extra-point attempt was high and the Wolves remained in the lead. Port Townsend failed to convert on three of its four extra-point attempts.

The Redhawks then forced a Sequim punt, but the Wolves came through with a fourth-down stop on their own 47-yard line defensively with 3:42 to play.

Sequim’s rushing game stepped up on the final possession, gaining 46 yards and running out the rest of the clock.

“The kids rebounded well [from those two turnovers],” Wolves head coach Erik Wiker said.

“They played tough, got the ball back and got vital first downs to run out the clock.”

Resilient performance

Heilig hated to see his short-handed (Port Townsend dressed less than 20 players and played even fewer) team on the short end of the scoreboard, but was enthused by their play.

“Going into the first game you know some things about your team, have a feeling about them, so it was nice to see how it truly pans out,” he said.

“You try to put them in bad situations in practice and see how they react, but there’s nothing like a real game. I was really impressed with our team to go down 14-0 and fight back, 20-8 and fight back, and 27-14 and to keep battling.

“Our resiliency, our resolve and how hard we battled. At no point did anybody take a play off or quit. We fought til the end.”

Cowan in command

Sequim’s sophomore quarterback Riley Cowan showcased pinpoint accuracy and touch in the early going to put Port Townsend in a hole.

Cowan completed 9 of his first 10 passes for 125 yards on the team’s first two drives, including a well-placed 20-yard crossing route touchdown pass to Kyler Rollness and a 7-yard TD toss to Payton Glasser, as the Wolves built an early 14-0 lead with 3:22 to play in the first quarter.

“The poise was there for a lot of the game,” Wolves coach Erik Wiker said of his quarterback.

Cowan started the game by hitting 15 of his first 16 passes, and finished the night completing 23 of 30 attempts for 275 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

“I think our passing game and our return game were our strengths going into the game and I think they proved to be our strengths [during the game],” Wiker said.

Cowan’s favorite target was junior playmaker Gavin Velarde who hauled in 12 passes for 154 yards, including a 24-yard crossing route for a score.

“He’s pretty special,” Wiker said.

“It’s energy and effort, and he’s just not willing to be taken down. And that’s all attitude.

He makes us coaches go ‘Whoa, oh no, don’t go across the field’ and then ‘Oh yeah, sweet [all on the same play].’ ”

Glasser, a junior playing his first high school football game, had three receptions for 29 yards.

Two of those grabs went for touchdowns, the first off a deflection in the end zone, in which the 6’3 basketball player outbodied the 6’1 Hill for the ball.

The play had a little hoops touch to it, looking like a well-executed box out for a rebound.

“That’s what somebody said to me,” Glasser said.

“I got to use my height a little on that one.

The second came on a diving, 20-yard grab in the back of the end zone.

“The hitch-and-go that was a nicely placed ball,” Glasser said.

“Riley can sling it. He just bombs that ball, and it all is due to the o-line, I have mad respect for those guys.”

Hill, listed at 150 pounds, displayed loads of toughness for Port Townsend, rushing 13 times for 82 yards and completing 13 of 23 passes for 128 yards, two TDs and an interception.

“He really stepped us for us,” Heilig said.

“That offense puts a lot in his hands, especially his decision making on those reads. We were really putting it to Sequim there in the second half and it was a good mix of the run and the pass.”

The competition figures to get tougher for Sequim, which hosts traditional Class 1A power Montesano at 7 p.m. Friday. The Bulldogs beat up on 2A Aberdeen 54-20 on Friday.

Port Townsend will host another North Olympic Peninsula rivalry game at 7 p.m. Thursday against Port Angeles.

Sequim 27, Port Townsend 26

Sequim 14 6 7 0— 27

Port Townsend 8 6 6 6— 26

First Quarter

S—Rollness 20 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)

S—Glasser 7 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)

PT—Blankenship 3 pass from Hill (Blankenship )

Second Quarter

S—Glasser 19 pass from Cowan (kick failed)

PT—Kelsall 5 pass from Hill (kick blocked)

Third Quarter

S—Velarde 24 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)

PT—Kelsall 2 run (run failed)

Fourth Quarter

PT—Kelsall 1 run (attempt failed)

Individual Stats

Rushing—S: Whitney 8-45, Conn 8-40, Velarde 3-16, Gresli 1-4. PT: Hill 13-82, Kelsall 23-74, Boucher 3-7, Blankenship 1-1.

Passing—S: Cowan 23-30-275, 4 TDs, 2 INTs. PT: Hill 13-23-128, 2 TDs, INT.

Receiving—S: Velarde 12-154, Rollness 6-83, Glasser 3-29, Gorr 2-9. PT: Boucher 3-32, Kelsall 3-30, Winegar 2-18, Blankenship 4-15, Crawford 1-14.

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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.