SEQUIM — Gavin Velarde scored four touchdowns and had over 350 all-purpose yards as Sequim ended up running away late from a game Port Angeles team 49-9 to win a second straight Rainshadow Rumble rivalry game.
Riley Cowan tossed five touchdown passes, three of them to Velarde, and threw for over 350 yards for the Wolves.
Velarde had TD receptions of 39, 64 and 75 yards, then added an 83-yard punt return late in the game to cap off his evening.
Port Angeles had tried to kick the ball away from Velarde, who now has seven touchdown returns this season. But, finally, he got hold of a punt in the fourth quarter and the Roughriders weren’t able to lay a hand on him.
Velarde added a 36-yard run and also had a pretty, diving 32-yard catch. He ended the game with 238 yards receiving.
All three of Velarde’s long touchdown catches were short screens or passes into the flat. Velarde picked up a picket line of blockers on every play, then used his speed and elusiveness to get past the last line of Riders’ defenders.
“The blocking was the best I’ve had all year. Guys were holding their blocks. It was wonderful. You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Velarde said.
The win kept Sequim (4-1, 6-2) in sole possession of second place in the Olympic 2A League. It was the third straight game with over 40 points for the Wolves, all wins.
Velarde, who has scored nine touchdowns in his past two games, said it felt great for Sequim to make the postseason the Olympic League’s no. 2 seed.
“It’s going to be something I’ve never been a part of before,” he said.
Wolves coach Erik Wiker said this game fit the cliche of being closer than the score indicated. He knew the Riders would be fired up for the big rivalry game and they were down just 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. With a few breaks they could have been down just one or two scores at the half.
Wiker said that especially in Velarde’s punt return, he showed both his elusiveness and his explosiveness. At one point during that run, Velarde slowed down, then Riders defenders weren’t able to react in time to his sudden accelaration.
“He’s a special player,” Wiker said.
Port Angeles coach Bret Curtis said he felt good about how his team played red-hot Sequim tough.
“The score is the score. We felt pretty good about what we did,” Curtis said.
Curtis said the Riders knew full well going into the game Velarde was dangerous.
“We knew he was their big weapon. He hurt us,” he said.
Wiker said that despite the offensive numbers and ultimately lopsided score, he saw a lot of learning that he players need to make, such as better choices on passes into coverage.
It also was the Wolves second game in five days, and he thought it perhaps showed.
“It’s great when you can learn during a win,” he said.
Though the score got out of hand late, the game was actually pretty competitive early, as the winless Riders put up a stiff fight against the Wolves with a couple of stout stands on fourth down and the defense coming up big on another drive to end a Sequim threat with an interception.
The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Riders when they fumbled on their second play from scrimmage deep in their own territory. Sequim’s Michael Larsen recovered the fumble. Velarde fumbled a couple of plays later, but the Wolves caught a break by recovering it.
After the fumble recovery, Cowan hit Kyler Rollness with a two-yard touchdown pass to put Sequim up 7-0.
On Sequim’s next possession, the Riders appeared they were going to hold the Wolves on a fourth-and-five, but an untimely offsides penalty kept the drive alive. Rollness added a 16-yard catch and run, then came Velarde’s first touchdown on a 39-yard run after a pass out to the flat to make it 14-0.
The Riders came right back, however. Quarterback Matthew Warner hit receiver Garrett Edwards with a long pass down the sideline, then Edwards broke a tackle and rumbled 60 yards to score, making it 14-7.
Sequim drove down to the 9-yard-line on its next drive, thanks to a 15-yard middle screen to Tyler Conn and then a Conn 13-yard run. But, on a pass to the goal line, the Riders’ Easton Joslin broke up the play and intercepted Cowan to end the first quarter.
While the Riders turned the Wolves back on that drive, they weren’t able to capitalize with points. They were forced to punt and on the next drive, Velarde quickly scored from 64 yards out on a screen pass to make it 21-7.
On Sequim’s next possesion, the Riders’ defense held on a fourth and eight and had the ball at the 38-yard-line in the final three minutes of the half. Warner hit Rudy Valdez for a 17-yard gain and the Riders converted a fake punt into a first down as Port Angeles threatened in Wolves’ territory.
A pass from Warner into the end zone that could have made it 21-14 just went off Ben Arnold’s fingertips and a second attempt to convert a fourth down failed, giving Sequim the ball at their own 25 with less than a minute left in the half. Port Angeles appeared it would go into the half down just 21-7, but then Cowan hit Velarde with a full head of steam on a short crossing pattern and he was off again for a 75-yard touchdown to end the first half 28-7.
Early in the second half, the Riders defense held on a fourth-down attempt again, and then Port Angeles drove into Wolves’ territory with the help runs from Trevor Shumway and a 9-yard catch by Arnold. However, a fumble recovery by Hayden Gresli ended that threat.
Velarde had a 36-yard run and Cowan hit Payton Glasser on a 7-yard fade pattern in the end zone to make it 35-7 with 4:45 left in the third, essentially putting the game out of reach.
Glasser had a 28-yard catch on the next Wolves’ possession and Tyler Conn scored on a 7-yard run to make it 42-7 near the end of the third quarter.
Port Angeles safety
The Riders were awarded a safety on a penalty in the end zone and Velarde ended the scoring with a spectacular 83-yard punt return. A couple of Port Angeles defenders appeared to have Velarde pinned near the sideline, but he changed speeds, juked and faked them out to get past them and score to make it 49-9.
Warner ended with 137 yards passing, Edwards 75 yards receiving and Shumway 50 yards rushing.
Sequim plays at Kingston on Friday while Port Angeles (0-5, 0-8) hosts Olympic in its season finale.
Sequim 49, Port Angeles 9
Port Angeles 7 0 0 2— 9
Sequim 14 14 14 7— 49
First Quarter
S—Rollness 2 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)
S—Velarde 39 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)
PA—Edwards 60 pass from Warner (Edwards kick)
Second Quarter
S—Velarde 64 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)
S—Velarde 75 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)
Third Quarter
S—Glasser 7 pass from Cowan (Cowan kick)
S—Conn 7 run (Puksta kick)
Fourth Quarter
PA—Team safety
S—Velarde 83 punt return (Puksta kick)
Individual statistics
Rushing—PA: Warner 17-18, Valdez 1-(-2), Shumway 10-50, Drake 1-18, Lausche 1-11; Sequim: Cowan 4-16, Velarde 4-37, Conn 9-40, Beeson 3-(-6).
Passing—PA: Warner 10-21-137, 1 TD; Sequim: Cowan 17-29-351, 5 TD 1 INT.
Receiving—PA: Lausche 1-15, Valdez 2-15, Shumway 1-8, Arnold 2-18, Edwards 3-75, Joslin 1-12; Sequim: Velarde 7-238, Glasser 5-52, Rollness 2-19, Gorr 1-12, Whitehead 1-16, Conn 1-14.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Sequim’s Tyler Conn tries to elude the Port Angeles defense in the first quarter on Friday night in Sequim.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Sequim’s Gavin Velarde spints across field on his way to the end zone in the third quarter.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Sequim’s Gavin Velarde spints across the field on his way to the end zone in the third quarter.
