PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles senior Daniel Cable electrified a large Civic Field crowd from the first whistle, returning the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score, plunging in from nine yards out for another TD and returning an interception 50 yards in a 35-7 win over East Jefferson.
Daniel Cable takes the opening kick to the house for Port Angeles. PA 7, East Jefferson 0 #wafbscores pic.twitter.com/rcAzBsA173
— Michael Carman (@MikeCarmanPDN) September 11, 2021
A 40-yard punt return by Fisler sets PA up 1-G and Cable runs it in from 9. PA 14, EJ 0 4:42 1Q #wafbscores pic.twitter.com/z0pwThqycN
— Michael Carman (@MikeCarmanPDN) September 11, 2021
The Roughriders weren’t perfect the rest of the way, but their defense held firm on three East Jefferson drives inside the Port Angeles 11-yard line, including a fourth-down interception on the goal line by sophomore Cole Johnson.
Cole Johnson with the INT for Port Angeles at their own 5. pic.twitter.com/7fjnjaiH3k
— Michael Carman (@MikeCarmanPDN) September 11, 2021
The victory was the first for new Roughriders head coach Dustin Clark.
“These guys have worked really hard to get that win,” Clark said. “That’s what I told them in the locker room, ‘Thank you’, because these are the guys who get the job done.”
Cable worked his way from left to right through a maze of blockers and defenders on the opening kickoff, eventually finding the right sideline and having just enough gas left in the tank to get by speedy East Jefferson senior Jerome Reaux Jr.
“They blocked well and I told them If we complete our assignments, all 11 of us on the field, we are going to be deadly,” Clark said. Everybody got a block and boom, there goes Daniel. Daniel is a special kid for us and a lot of our guys feed off of him.”
Cable preferred the pick-6, his second of the season, over the other scores.
“I read the quarterback and jumped the route and I knew I was going to score,” Cable said.
East Jefferson had a 32-yard Logan Massie touchdown run called back due to holding down 21-0 in the second quarter and the Rivals struggled to move the ball for most of the first half.
Port Angeles’ fierce pass rush and stout run defense was a big reason the Rivals were stuck in neutral.
“We just really couldn’t pick up the blitz fast enough and enough times to move the ball down the field in the first half and that was killing me as coach,” East Jefferson coach Tony Haddenham said.
Clark was pleased with the defensive performance.
“We put our defensive plan together and let’s let our guys go play,” Clark said. “We told them to read their keys and they did a great job out there.”
The Riders went up 28-0 when sophomore Parker Nickerson connected with classmate Ezra Townsend on a 13-yard TD pass over the middle with less than a minute before halftime.
East Jefferson was much improved in the second half, punching in their only score of the night on a 2-yard rush by quarterback Cash Holmes late in the third quarter.
Port Angeles answered on the next drive, switching things up and letting bruising back Jaziel Livingston wear out East Jefferson.
Livingston finished with a team-high 86 yards on 12 carries, including the final score on a 1-yard run.
“They schemed to take Cable out and we have some other dudes, a big dude in Jaz and some kids who can run and catch it
Clark was happy to see his squad answer back after allowing a score.
“Big time, yeah,” Clark said. “It’s just part of that mindset and culture change we are working on. We are up big and we kind of let off the gas a little bit.”
Cable summed it up well.
“We have to put up 28 in the second half, too, and keep going,” he said.
Haddenham said figuring out assignments and understanding needs versus wants will help his team going forward.
“Assignments and where we should go versus where we want to go,” Haddenham said. “It’s just doing the little things right that will make us better overall. That will help us gel better as a unit.”
Haddenham said Logan Massie was a highlight.
”Logan ran really hard, I do want to see how many yards he got on film,” Haddenham said.
“And Cash Holmes took some hard shots and kept bouncing back.”
Port Angeles is set to visit rival Sequim on Friday.
East Jefferson will host Coupeville on Friday.
Port Angeles 35, East Jefferson 7
EJ 0 0 7 0 — 7
PA 21 7 0 7 — 35
First Quarter
PA — Daniel Cable 85 kickoff return (Josiah Long kick) 11:26
PA — Cable 9 run (Long kick) 4:42
PA — Cable 50 interception return (Long kick) 2:27
Second Quarter
PA — Ezra Townsend 13 pass from Parker Nickerson (Long kick) 52.4
Third Quarter
EJ — Cash Holmes 2 run (Gary Zambor kick)
Fourth Quarter
PA — Jaziel Livingston 1 run (Long kick) 11:20
Individual Statistics
Passing — East Jefferson: Holmes 4-18-40, 2 INT. Port Angeles: Nickerson 5-18-75, TD, 2 INT.
Rushing — East Jefferson: Massie 7-58; Holmes 15-26; Reaux 1-13; Kenney 1-9; Jones 4-5; Harvey 1-0; Hammer 1-0; Wilson 2-(-1); Glanz 1-(-4). Port Angeles: Livingston 12-86, Cable 11-68, Nickerson 6-55.
Receiving — East Jefferson: Martin 1-24, Pennington 2-14, Jones 1-2. Port Angeles: Bradow 2-38, Townsend 2-27, Cable 1-10.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News East Jefferson’s Logan Massie, left, tries to evade the defense of Port Angeles’ Brantyn Fisler, right, and Daniel Cable as East Jefferson’s Cade Martin, rear right, sets up a block on Port Angeles’ Beckett Jarnagin, back, during the second quarter on Friday at Port Angeles Civic Field.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles’ Parker Nickerson, center, slips past East Jefferson’s Lonnie Kenney and Jerome Reaux Jr., right, as Nickerson’s teammate, Brantyn Fisler, left, follows behind on Friday at Port Angeles Civic Field.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles quarterback Josiah Pennington fades back to pass during Friday night’s game against East Jefferson at Port Angeles Civic Field.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles’ Ty Bradow fends off the defensive efforts of East Jefferson’s Lonnie Kenney during Friday Night’s game in Port Angeles.
