FORKS — Tom Wahl didn’t care what the scoreboard read at the end of Friday night’s game at Spartan Stadium
After seeing his football team start slowly, then submit an uninspiring finish against the Forks Spartans, the second-year Roughriders coach was not pleased.
A year after turning the program from a doormat into a title contender, simply beating the Spartans 28-14 is no longer good enough for Port Angeles.
“Tonight we won on the scoreboard, and I feel like a loser,” said Wahl, now 11-2 as Riders head coach.
“That bothers me a lot.”
One might have thought the score was reversed following the end of Friday night’s nonleague affair.
The Roughriders out-gained the Spartans 328-212 in total yards and converted two Forks special teams errors into touchdowns to move to 2-0 overall.
Happy Forks
But it was first-year Forks coach Mark Feasel — whose team has now lost 11 straight — who was talking as if his team had won.
“The effort was fantastic,” Feasel said. “They felt they could come in here and play a heck of a game and have a chance at this, just because of how they ended last week and how we came into practice.
“I’m super proud of them.”
Port Angeles senior quarterback Keenen Walker put up 262 yards of offense and had a hand in all four Rider touchdowns in a performance befitting his older brother, former Rider star Stefan Walker.
Yet it was Forks’ final offensive drive — a 10-play, 77-yard scoring march — and late goal line stand that had coach Wahl wanting to dodge questions following the game.
“There were some bright moments in the middle . . . but I would say we started out poorly, and we ended poorly,” Wahl said.
“I can understand a slow start, but then to finish the game like that means that I didn’t feel very much of a sense of accomplishment.”
Indeed, it appeared as if the Class 1A Spartans might very well upset the 2A Riders as the sun set on the West End early Friday night.
Port Angeles ran just three offensive plays the entire first quarter as Forks’ methodical Wing-T attack converted six first downs.
That included four first downs on a 13-play, 55-yard scoring drive on Forks’ first possession that ended with Braden Decker’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Sergio Chase for a 6-0 lead.
After the Riders fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans marched all the way down to the Port Angeles 2-yard line before being turned back on three successive plays.
Given new life, the Riders took the ball 91 yards down the field for a 3-yard Walker touchdown run and 7-6 edge.
Walker ran for 50 of those yards on four rushes, including a 27-yard scamper, and threw for the other 41 on 3-of-4 passing.
“We definitely didn’t play as good as we know we can, but you’ve got to give some credit to Forks,” Walker said. “They came out and they smacked us pretty hard. It was ugly, but we won.”
Walker finished the night with 128 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 12 carries, and 134 yards and one touchdown through the air on 8-of-22 passing.
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound two-way star also delivered several crushing hits at safety position on defense.
His one scoring pass — a 5-yard strike to Riley Hannam — came moments after the Riders stuffed a Forks fake punt attempt at the Spartan 31-yard line with 1:27 left in the second quarter. It gave Port Angeles a 14-6 half-time lead.
“I wanted to call punt, but [the kids] wanted to fake punt it,” Feasel said. “I’m going to respect that, when they want to go and take that chance.
“I’m behind my team all the way. I have a lot of confidence in them, and I want them to get that confidence in themselves.
“I don’t regret standing up for my team and sticking with that at all.”
Port Angeles scored on its second possession of the second half on a 1-yard Walker run, then all but put the game away early in the fourth quarter when Walker ran in another 18-yard score for a 28-6 lead two plays after Forks fumbled a punt in its own territory.
Forks answered with the long scoring drive on its last possession of the game, capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Andrew Weltz to James Salazar.
But by then, the damage had already been done . . . at least on the scoreboard.
A final Spartan goal line stand to end the game — Port Angeles was stuffed on two runs inside the Forks 3-yard line — quelled any positive vibes on the Rider sideline.
“We went out and we got beat up, and that’s why I’m so angry right now,” Wahl said. “I feel like our guys don’t understand when they go into a game, that they are in a fight. They are not getting that.
“I get that, but I’m not getting them to get it.”
Forks running back Shane WhiteEagle ground out 79 yards on 20 rushes to lead his team. Weltz was 5-for-8 with 44 yards, one touchdown and one interception in relief of Decker.
Between the first and fourth quarters, however, Forks managed just two first downs against the Rider defense.
“This is such a game of momentum,” Feasel said.
“When big plays happen against you, it’s hard to pick it back up. We were one pick away from the big play, but we didn’t get it.”
Eli Fiscalini led the Riders with 64 yards on four receptions, while Skyler Gray had one 41-yard catch and an interception.
Dylan Brewer added 47 yards on 12 rushes for the Riders, who totaled 194 yards on the ground.
Still, Wahl left the West End on Friday night hoping his team wouldn’t repeat the same flat performance against Bremerton next Friday in the team’s Olympic League opener at home.
“I want to see their response. I don’t want to hear it,” Wahl said.
Port Angeles 28, Forks 14
Port Angeles 0 14 8 6— 28
Forks 6 0 0 8— 14
First Quarter
F—Chase 13 pass from Decker (run failed)
Second Quarter
PA—Walker 3 run (Haskins kick)
PA—Hannam 5 pass from Walker (Haskins kick)
Third Quarter
PA—Walker 1 run (Walker run)
Fourth Quarter
PA—Walker 18 run (Kick failed)
F—Salazar 24 pass from Weltz (Penn pass from Weltz)
Individual Stats
Rushing— F: WhiteEagle 20-79, Chase 13-36, Penn 4-16, Pederson 3-13, Salazar 2-11, Decker 10-(minus 9). PA: Walker 12-128, Brewer 12-47, Fiscalini 3-7, Braithwaite 1-10, Gray 1-2.
Passing—F: Weltz 5-8-1, 44; Decker 1-4-0, 13. PA: Walker 8-22-0, 134.
Receiving—F: Salazar 1-24, Chase 1-13, Penn 2-11, Pederson 1-8, Dean 1-1. PA: Fiscalini 4-64, Gray 1-43, Hannam 2-18, Brewer 1-9.