JOYCE — Clallam Bay used the football field to full advantage in beating up on Crescent for the second time this season.
The Bruins’ speed bested the Loggers’ brawn in a 56-20 Northwest Football League victory Saturday.
Clallam Bay previously beat Crescent 34-14 in a nonleague season opener.
Vast expanses of space exist in 8-man football, especially in Washington, which is one of just three states to use a regulation-sized field.
Freshman running back Clayton Willis exploited that space to the tune of 13 carries for 149 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught a 21-yard TD reception late in the Bruins’ win.
“Just getting outside, making sure we hit our blocks and working the ball outside,” Willis said when asked what went well offensively.
Willis totaled 147 of his running yards and all four rush TDs in the first half, as the Bruins ran up a 42-6 halftime advantage.
“That’s what we’ve preached to him is to use his speed rather than to cut back into plays,” Clallam Bay head coach Cal Ritter said.
“If Clayton can get around to the outside, there’s not too many people who can catch him.
“That’s what you need to do — 8-man football is a get-to-the-outside game.
“He had a great, great game, both offensively and defensively.”
The Bruins outrushed the Loggers 271 to 64, with 41 Crescent rushing yards lost to quarterback sacks.
Clallam Bay also outgained Crescent 357 to 224 overall.
The difference came along the line of scrimmage. The Bruins held their blocks offensively and, while on defense, shed the Loggers’ attempts at clearing space.
And one of Clallam Bay’s key players, Sam Signor, nearly missed the game.
“We came in full-strength,” Ritter said.
“We had one kid miss the bus but he made it here on time. That was a crucial guy, Sam Signor, so it was a good thing he was here. He played well.”
Signor lined up along the offensive line for the first time in his career.
“We had to move him up because we were having some offensive line issues,” Ritter said.
“And that’s what I told the fellas. I pulled the three linemen aside and told them that this is where it is going to be won — in the trenches.
“And Ryan McCoy, Justin Messinger and Sam Signor all did a really great job controlling the line of scrimmage. And Crescent — they are some big kids.”
The Loggers added more heft to their line in the first half, opting to move quarterback Neil Peppad onto the line and starting normal wide receiver KC Spencer at QB.
“Just try something a little bit, put all the big guys on the line to try and control the ball and run the clock,” Crescent coach Brian Shimko said.
The plan worked at the outset of the game when the Loggers took the opening kick and put together an eight-play, 60-yard drive that was capped by a 24-yard TD run from Jakob Baillargeon.
“We marched the ball down the field and scored, but we just couldn’t keep the intensity up, couldn’t keep it going,” Shimko said.
“Clallam Bay stays focused. They stay ready to fight. We are a young team that hasn’t learned how to play with that consistency.”
Clallam Bay answered with a quick scoring drive.
Kyle Keys rushed 43 yards up the right sideline to set the Bruins up in the red zone. A play later, Willis broke through some tackles for a 14-yard TD.
Clallam Bay QB Alan Greene later added a 9-yard TD on a scramble to make it 12-6, and Willis left a trail of Loggers in his wake on a 43-yard TD run, and the Bruins ended the first quarter up 20-6.
“Our whole team stayed in it mentally today,” Willis said.
“After that first [Crescent] drive, we had to change our mindset and how we were going to work together, and to tackle as a team.”
The Bruins then recovered a squib kick in Crescent territory, and Greene found Keys on a screen pass for a 19-yard score.
Willis added two more TDs, going untouched on a 31-yard run and breaking in from 11 yards out as Clallam Bay pushed its lead to 42-6 at halftime.
Keys caught his second TD pass of the game, a 50-yarder, to trigger the running clock in the first minute of the second half.
Keys caught two passes for 69 yards and two TDs, ran for 54 yards on five carries and intercepted a pass by KC Spencer in the first half.
Keys took the pick 92 yards for an apparent score, only to have a block in the back penalty erase the TD and move the ball back to the Crescent 43-yard line.
Crescent switched back to Peppard at QB in the second half and he found some success in the passing game.
Peppard hit eighth-grader Eric Emery on a 10-yard crossing route for a TD, and McCabe Story took a direct snap and found Spencer all alone for a 35-yard TD pass in the third quarter.
“I liked how we swarmed to the ball defensively,” Ritter said.
“I think our tackling this game was superb.
“Last time we played Crescent, they ran up the middle on us quite bit, so we moved some things around and we did much better.
“We allowed a few deep balls, but overall I was really impressed with the guys and their tackling.”
Clallam Bay (1-1, 2-3) hosts Tulalip Heritage on Friday.
Crescent (0-3, 2-5) hosts No. 2 Neah Bay (2-0-5-0) on Saturday.
Clallam Bay 56, Crescent 20
Clallam Bay 20 22 6 8— 56
Crescent 6 0 14 0— 20
First Quarter
C—Baillargeon 24 run (run failed)
CB—Willis 14 run (pass failed)
CB—Greene 9 run (run failed)
CB—Willis 43 run (Greene run)
Second Quarter
CB—Keys 19 pass from Greene (Willis run)
CB—Willis 31 run (Greene run)
CB—Willis 11 run (run failed)
Third Quarter
CB—Keys 50 pass from Greene (Willis run)
C—Emery 10 pass from Peppard (Story pass from Peppard)
C—Spencer 35 pass from Story (pass failed)
Fourth Quarter
CB—Willis 21 pass from Greene (run failed)
Individual Stats
Rushing—CB: Willis 13-149, Greene 13-64, Keys 5-54, Cummings 1-4, Tinoco 3-(-2). C: Baillargeon 6-52, Emery 7-39, Buchanan 4-13, Story 3-1, Spencer 2-(-10), Peppard 4-(-31).
Passing—CB: Greene 4-9-1, 86. C: Peppard 6-11-0, 70; Spencer 4-8-2, 55; Story 1-1-0, 35.
Receiving—CB: Keys 2-69, Willis 2-17. C: Spencer 3-94, Story 2-49, Emery 3-17, Buchanan 2-0.
