SEQUIM — Sequim quarterback Drew Rickerson was almost perfect on opening night.
So too, were the rest of the Wolves (1-0 overall).
Sequim debuted its new spread shotgun attack to rave revues on Friday, amassing 431 yards of offense on its way to a 51-0 drubbing of the Forks Spartans (0-1).
Rickerson completed 13-of-14 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Travis Decker ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries.
It was quite the difference from a year ago, when the state-bound Spartans handed Sequim its first shutout defeat, 19-0, in three years. And it was also the perfect lead in to next Friday’s rivalry game against Port Angeles in Sequim.
“It all starts with the [offensive] line,” Rickerson said. “The line did outstanding. I’ve never been that protected in my life. When they block like they did tonight, it’s easy. It’s pitch and catch every time.
“With our offense there’s always an open guy, so as long as the line blocks, it works out perfectly.”
That was certainly the case in the first half.
The Wolves’ experienced front five dominated the line of scrimmage as Rickerson completed all 11 of his first half passes for 111 yards and one score.
Meanwhile, Decker gashed Forks’ interior defense with touchdown runs of 14 and 25 yards in the first quarter alone.
“It was a lot of fun,” Decker said. “I like having big open lanes to run in, and I like having a lot of receivers running routes.”
Forks’ offense managed only four first downs in the game’s first two quarters while turning the ball over twice.
The Spartans finished with only 114 yards of offense in the loss, falling to 1-8 in Week 1 games since 2001.
“We lost [the battle at the line of scrimmage], and that’s where games are won and lost,” Forks head coach Ron Hurn said. “They’ve got a good line and they’ve got some quick guys out there. They ran that offense to precision.
“They are going to surprise some people this year with that offense, because they’ve got the personnel to run it right.”
Sequim didn’t have one negative play the entire first half as it rolled up 214 yards of offense.
The special teams weren’t too shabby either, with senior Alex Gillis returning a punt 51 yards for a touchdown to help give Sequim a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Sequim eventually went up by 45 points with 9:50 left in the third following a Rickerson touchdown pass to Clancy Catelli. That gave fans a chance to see what the new mercy rule looks like (see “Prep Notes” on Page B1) with a running clock.
“That was the product of a lot of hard work,” said Sequim coach Erik Wiker, whose team ran approximately 280 plays during practice this week. “A lot of hard work in the spring, a lot of hard work at camp, a lot of hard work in the fall.
“Doing all those plays . . . that’s what got that [production]. If we just showed up, it wouldn’t have happened that way.”
Eight receivers caught balls for the Wolves, with John Textor leading the way with five receptions for 58 yards. Catelli had four catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Tyler Forshaw had two grabs for 76 yards and a score in mop up duty.
Even backup quarterbacks Joey Hall (2-of-2, 29 yards and a touchdown) and Frank Catelli (3-of-5, 102 yards and a touchdown) were impressive.
“We made a statement that we are going to take what you give us,” Wiker said. “That’s what we want to do.
“The pass game was on fire so we were probably pass heavy. It was working, so we stayed with it.”
Not much worked for the Forks Spartans, however.
If it wasn’t for freshman Shane Whiteeagle’s 43 rushing yards on eight carries, the Spartans would have finished well below 100 yards of offense. And the defense, which had been Forks’ backbone in recent years, was only able to stop Sequim from scoring on two of its drives.
“When you don’t see that kind of offense, that’s the kind of things that happen,” Hurn said. “We’re not as bad as what the score indicates. We got some guys that played hard, and we’ve got some guys that we’ve got to get a little bit more effort out of.”
Forks hosts Chimacum (1-0) next Friday at 7 p.m. in its first home game of the season.
“This is just one game, and we’ve got a lot more,” Hurn said. “We’re going to improve from where we’re at now.”
Forks 19, Sequim 0
Forks 0 0 0 0 — 0
Sequim 16 22 13 0 — 51
First Quarter
S–Decker 14 run (Textor pass from Catteli)
S–Decker 25 run (Rickerson run)
Second Quarter
S– Gillis 51 punt return (Textor pass from Rickerson)
S– C. Catelli 10 pass from Hall (Rickerson run)
S– Gillis 27 pass from Rickerson (Conversion no good)
Third Quarter
S–C. Catelli 12 pass from Rickerson (F. Catelli kick)
S–Forshaw 43 pass from F. Catelli (Kick no good)
Individual Stats
Rushing–F: Ayala 6-6, Hernandez 6-20, Santman 5-(7), Castellano 3-5, Whiteeagle 8-43. SE: Decker 8-108, F. Catelli 6-41, Yamamoto 1-4, Hall 1-4, Rickerson 1-0, Stilts 2-(4).
Passing–F: Santman 4-7-0, 35; Castellano 1-3-1, 12. SE: Rickerson 13-14-0, 147; Hall 2-2-0, 29; F. Catelli 3-5-0, 102.
Receiving–F: Hurn 1-17, Jacobson 2-21, Noles 1-4, Whiteeagle 1-5. SE: Goss 2-13, C. Catelli 4-57, Textor 5-58, Gillis 1-27, Hall 1-7, Oliver 1-9, Yamamoto 1-5, Forshaw 2-76, Bigger 1-26.