JOYCE — Crescent’s football team continues to roll thanks to what coach Darrell Yount is calling the “Bo-Derek Show.”
The Loggers remain perfect on the year, 3-0, after steamrolling Evergreen Lutheran 58-38 on a warm and sunny Saturday thanks to the combined effort of Crescent’s Big Three: Beau Bamer, Derek Findley and Eric Larson.
Larson rolled for 276 yards rushing and six touchdowns, Bamer threw for 163 yards, ran for 38 more and three scores (201 total offense), and Findley dashed and slashed his way to 160 receiving yard,s 58 more on the ground and three scores (218 combined).
Crescent came out flying in the first quarter on the winged feet of Larson, one of the top 1B sprinters in the state.
The talented ultra-fast senior ripped off scoring runs of 3, 26 and 45 yards in that quarter alone to get the Loggers rolling as they took a commanding 24-6 first-quarter lead.
The Loggers then followed that up by zooming on scoring runs of 45 and 66 yards in the second quarter to stake Crescent to a 36-20 halftime lead.
A re-energized Evergreen team came out of the locker room and quickly scored to cut the Crescent lead to 36-26 but that is the closest the Eagles would get.
The Loggers, with senior quarterback Bamer the triggerman, proceeded to light up the scoreboard with 22 straight points, one on a dazzling 53-yard hook-up with Findley, to put this one out of reach at 58-26.
Evergreen was able to punch in two touchdowns late during mop-up time for the final 58-38 score.
“This was just too much Eric Larson for Evergreen to handle,” Yount said.
“Here’s a young man who has put in all the hard work for three years to learn his craft and is just now really seeing the benefit.
“Two games in succession of over 275 yards kind of boggles the mind a bit. But its really no secret when you watch him run.”
Larson hits the hole hard, makes quick decisive reads and reacts to what the defense presents, Yount added.
“He’s very quick and extremely fast, so is a threat to break it on every touch.”
The most impressive thing about Larson’s running, though, is yards after contact, according to Yount. Those yards he gets after defenders have wrapped him up.
“He keeps his legs churning and just pounds out extra yards, and every now and again, he comes squirting out of a mess and takes it the distance,” Yount said.
“He’s fun to watch.”
But teams can’t just key on Larson.
“When Beau and Derek get rolling, as they tend to do, almost 250 yards between them vs. Evergreen, we become a 1-2-3 punch.
“In boxing they call that a knockout. Beau calls it the ‘Bo-Derek Show.’
“All three are just great kids. Humble to a fault who all realize that this has just been three games and that we have a whole load of work in front of us.”
Defensively, the Loggers were led by Findley’s 16 tackles (seven solo), and 14 apiece by Kyle Hutto and big Gene Peppard.
“Our defense has been a concern all season,” Yount said.
“But we’ve kind of had this bend-but-don’t-break mantra going on. Really, it’s simply been the result of having a lot of young, inexperienced kids to this point.”
Crescent had only 13 players suited up for the game and two of those were eighth graders.
Finally, this coming week the Loggers will be at their full roster size of 21 for the first time as they go on the road against Rainier Christian.
That game is set for Friday night at Kentlake High School in Kent.
“They will present quite a challenge,” Yount said. “They gave us fits last year at our place and we expect the same kind of team this time around.”
Crescent 58,
Evergreen Lutheran 38
Evergreen 6 14 6 12— 38
Crescent 24 12 8 14— 58
First Quarter
C—Larson 3 run (Findley run)
C—Larson 26 run (Baker pass from Bamer)
E—65 run (run failed)
C—Larson 45 run (Bamer run)
Second Quarter
C—Larson 66 run (pass failed)
E—1 run (run good)
C—Larson 15 run (run failed)
E—10 pass (run good)
Third Quarter
E—3 run (run failed)
C—Findley 53 pass from Bamer (Larson run)
Fourth Quarter
C—Findley 12 pass from Bamer (pass failed)
C—Larson 40 run (Bamer run)
E—2 run (pass failed)
E—4 run (pass failed)
Individual Stats
Rushing— C: Larson 16-276, Findley 8-58, Bamer 5-28.
Passing—C: Bamer 6-9-0.
Receiving—C: Findley 5-160.
Chimacum 48, Bellevue Christ. 14
CLYDE HILL — The Cowboys picked up their first victory of the year by running over Bellevue Christian thanks to three rushing touchdowns by Mel Thornton and two by Trevor Hare.
Chimacum, 1-0 in the Nisqually League and 1-2 overall, ran for 381 total yards in the game.
Thornton led the way with 223 yards on 17 carries for an amazing 13.12 yards per touch.
Hare also broke the century mark with 117 yards on 13 touches for 9 yards per carry.
The Cowboys exploded for 27 points in the second quarter to run away with the win after Bellevue had a 14-7 lead at the end of the first period.
Chimacum led 34-14 at halftime and never looked back.
Thornton scored on a 6-yard run in the first and added scoring runs of 16 and 22 yards in the second.
Hare ran one in from 2 yards out and Derek Ajax had a 1-yard score in the second quarter.
Hare added another score in the third, on a 1-yard scamper, while Drew Yakulic returned a punt 25 yards in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring.
Yakulic led on defense with 11 tackles, nine solo, and he had two picks with 83 interception return yards.
The Cowboys had five sacks in the game with Hare and Daryl Settlemire collecting two each, and Trevon Noel getting one.
Noel and Settlemire also caused a fumble, recovered by Gregg Shold.
The Cowboys next host Cedar Park Christian (2-0) of Bothell on Saturday at Memorial Field starting at 7 p.m.
The Eagles have opened strong, blanking Granite Falls 29-0 and beating South Whidbey 35-21.
Chimacum 48,
Bellevue Christian 14
Chimacum 7 27 7 7— 48
Bellevue 14 0 0 0— 14
First Quarter
C—Thornton 6 run (Morris kick)
Second Quarter
C—Thornton 16 run (Morris kick)
C—Hare 2 run (kick failed)
C—Thornton 22 run (Hare run)
C—Ajax 1 run (Morris kick)
Third Quarter
C—Hare 1 run (Morris kick)
Fourth Quarter
C—Yakulic 25 punt return (Morris kick)
Individual Stats
Rushing— C: Thornton 17-223, Hare 13-117, Ajax 12-39, Yakulic 1-3, Morris 2-(-1).
Passing—C: Morris 2-3-1, 24 yards; Thornton 1-1-0, (-3) yards.
Receiving—C: Yakulic 1-26, Hare 1-1.