BREAKING NEWS: Centralia quarterback Forrest Ahrens threw a “hail Mary” pass from 25 yards out to a diving Dominick Courcy, who pulled in the pass with .04 seconds left on the clock, giving Centralia a wild 21-14 win over Sequim in the first round of the State 2A Football Playoffs.
Details in Sunday’s editions of the Peninsula Daily News.
Friday’s feature:
SEQUIM — There’s little mystery to the Sequim High School football team’s offense.
Other than the occasional play-action pass, or a reverse from a wide receiver, the Wolves tend to do a whole lot of one thing: shove the ball down the other team’s throat.
And yet, few teams have been able to stop it in head coach Erik Wiker’s tenure at Sequim.
In four of his five years, Sequim has had a running back rush for more than 1,000 yards, including junior runner Travis Decker (1,063) this fall.
They’ve averaged 30.1 points and 266.8 rushing yards per game during that time, compiling a record of 43-11, with four league titles and, as of tonight, three straight trips to the Class 2A state playoffs.
The common denominator: a consistently efficient offensive line.
The Big Dawgs, as Wiker dubbed his linemen after taking over in 2004, almost always get to eat.
“Every coach wants to make an OK player good, a good player great and a great player awesome,” Wiker said. “I think the o-line, because I think I’m a better o-line coach than I’m a head coach, that’s where we do very well at.”
That’s because it’s what he knows best, having been an offensive lineman himself as a player.
In fact, the Anchorage, Alaska, native made it all the way to the Division I level as a tackle, playing for John L. Smith at the University of Idaho.
So it comes as no surprise that the one piece of the Sequim football team that bears Wiker’s fingerprints the most is the offensive line.
He personally coaches technique, assignments and drill work. And, standing back 20 yards behind every play on the sidelines, he’s the one keeping tabs on the front five during the course of each game.
“Everywhere I’ve been I’ve done o-line [and] d-line,” he said. “I would just probably say it’s because it’s what I did [as a player]. Some of the coaches that have come and gone believed in a whole different philosophy because that’s what they played.
“I felt that [offensive line] is an unsung hero part. And I did my best to make the kids feel they are part of a special unit.”
This year’s group, anchored by second-year starting left tackle Thomas Gallagher (6-foot-6, 295 pounds), is becoming just that.
With the starting unit tipping the scales at an average of 275 pounds — Gallagher, Jake Dethlefsen (6-1, 205) and Roman Turner (6-1, 285), Ryan Woods (5-10, 220) and Andrew Dahl (6-1, 290)/Vinnie Cadden (6-4, 355) — the Big Dawgs certainly live up to their name.
This fall they’ve paved the way for a Sequim rushing attack that’s averaged 250 rushing yards and 30.3 points per game.
The high water mark, of course, came in a school record 74-0 blowout of Kingston. The Wolves have scored 21 points or more in all but two games this season with their only blemish a 19-0 loss to 1A playoff contender Forks, coming during the first week of the season.
“Every single day we go over our same bread-and-butter plays,” Gallagher said. “We just do the same exact thing every day. It doesn’t matter what defense we have [to face], we’re going to do the same thing, and it works.”
Wiker said the repetition is part of the reason his unit executes so well. And with four of the five starters only juniors, including Gallagher, Dethlefsen, Turner and Woods, things look to only get better in the near future.
“This group is way better than we were last year,” Wiker said. “They understand the game better. They have seen 50s and 60s and 40s [defensive formations] and everything you can throw at them. It will probably be the best o-line I’ve ever coached [by the end of next year].
“This year it’s coming close to it.”
The offensive line will get a chance to bolster its case tonight when the Wolves (8-2 overall) take on Evergreen League champion Centralia (8-2) in the opening round of the state playoffs at Tumwater High School at 7 p.m. tonight.
It’s the same place where last year’s team fell just short of earning the school’s first win in the state playoffs in a heartbreaking 22-20 loss to Tumwater. Gallagher, Dethlefsen and Turner, all of whom started as sophomores, were all a big part of that team.
“I think it’s redemption,” Gallagher said of tonight’s return to Tumwater. “It would have been nicer if we could have played Tumwater [again], but Centralia was in the state championship two years ago. This is the perfect chance to make a name for ourselves.”
Gallagher already has gained a little notoriety as a first-team All-Olympic League tackle last year. He even has a few colleges showing interest in him, according to Wiker.
With Gallagher lining up next to Dethlefsen at left guard, the Wolves’ left side has proven to be the cornerstone of the offense.
There’s even a bit of a rivalry between the two sides of the line, according to Turner.
“I’m pulling the more neutral position now, but before I always thought the right side was a lot cooler than the left side,” Turner said. “The harder you play the more plays you get run on your side. I guess it’s just a pride thing.”
Gallagher and Dethlefsen certainly both take pride in what they do on the left side.
“I guess you could say there is a stronger side, but we don’t pay attention to it,” Gallagher said. “We think our line can beat anybody else out there. There’s not really a whole bunch of competition between the right and left side . . . although me and Jake do try to dominate everybody we see.”
Added Dethlefsen, “A lot of people call us a couple, because we pretty much stick to that side and keep it going. We have our feuds and our special moments I guess you could say.”
Bonding is actually a point of emphasis for Wiker, especially for the hogs up front.
Just as he had done when he played for Idaho, Wiker has each of his linemen get together for a Big Dawg feed every Wednesday night after practice.
The linemen eat pizza and get a chance to talk about something other than football.
Things like that have led to a level of brotherhood, according to Gallagher, that makes the line even better.
“The nicest thing about our line is we trust each other,” Gallagher said. “That’s why we make such big holes, because we take care of our job and our job only, and trust our other teammates to do their job. The players believe that the way we do things works.”
Why wouldn’t they? After five years of success under Wiker, they have all the proof they need.
