PORT TOWNSEND — Miguel Morales was everywhere on the field for the Forks Spartans in a 27-8 victory against Chimacum.
The hulking 5-foot-9, 245-pound fullback carried the Spartans’ offense in the first half, rushing 10 times for 111 yards and three first-half touchdowns Friday night at Memorial Field.
He carried Cowboys players with him too, with defenders bouncing off as he kept his legs churning upfield.
“Chimacum did a really good job of trying to take away our outside rush game, but then that forces the issue up the middle,” Forks coach Mark Feasel said.
“He played the best game he’s ever played tonight.”
Morales also made tone-setting plays on defense all game, including two sacks and another tackle for loss.
He even punted and kicked off for Forks.
No word, however, on whether he drove the team’s bus home afterward.
“It was all right,” the understated Morales said of his big game. “There’s always room for improvement.
“We have a young line and they are doing a really good job. They opened some big holes tonight, and they can only improve from here.”
The Spartans start a freshman, two sophomores and a junior on their offensive line.
Forks kicked things off with a 7-play, 50-yard series on its opening drive, with Morales gashing the interior of the Cowboys’ defense for 36 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown run.
Chimacum turned the ball over on downs at midfield, giving the Spartans another short field.
Forks took advantage five plays later, with Morales bolting in from 17 yards out to put the Spartans up 14-0.
Chimacum had a chance to turn a botched snap on a Forks punt into points, but Cowboys running back Drew Yackulic fumbled at the Forks 7-yard line early in the second quarter.
The Cowboys forced a punt to midfield and moved downfield, largely due to a 20-yard screen pass from quarterback Quinn Dowling to running back Victor Hitt.
Chimacum’s chances stalled inside the 10-yard line when Morales sacked Dowling for a 6-yard loss on fourth down.
“That sequence near the goal line is on me,” Cowboys coach Mike Dowling said.
“I made some bad decisions down there and it could have been a two-score game to start the second half.”
It turned into a three-score game as the Spartans ended the half with a 12-play, 78-yard scoring drive that wiped the final 6:03 off the clock in the second quarter.
Facing fourth-and-17 from the Cowboys’ 21-yard line with 19 seconds before half, Forks quarterback Javier Contreras connected on a 20-yard route to the sideline to Reece Moody.
Morales rushed up the middle and was stopped at the goal on the next play, but bounced to his right and jammed his way across for his third touchdown and a 20-0 halftime lead as the horn sounded.
He finished with 13 carries for 146 yards and the three scores.
The Spartans put the game out of reach late in the third quarter when Contreras launched a deep ball to Moody in single coverage.
Moody made a graceful turn to haul in the well-slotted pass, getting his feet down along the sideline, and then bolting past the Chimacum defender for a 70-yard touchdown reception.
Chimacum picked up a safety and scored its touchdown on a 1-yard rush by fullback Trevon Noel in the fourth quarter.
“There was improvement tonight, some areas where we put together a few positives but then had a let down,” Dowling said.
“That comes with our lack of experience but we’ll keep after it and improve.”
Forks forced five turnovers on defense, including three second-half interceptions from three different Cowboys passers by Javier Contreras.
“His play in the secondary really showed you why he was first-team all-league last year,” Feasel said.
Cole Baysinger had the other Spartans interception in the first half.
“It was by far our best play on defense this year,” Morales said of his team’s performance.
“Better than anything we have shown in practice or last week’s game.”
Forks (1-1) hosts Montesano (0-2) in its Evergreen 1A League opener.
Chimacum (0-2) visits Coupeville (1-1) in its Olympic League debut.
Forks 27, Chimacum 8
Forks 14 6 7 0— 27
Chimacum 0 0 0 8— 8
First Quarter
F—Morales 7 run (Silva kick) 7:42
F—Morales 17 run (Silva kick) 2:03
Second Quarter
F—Morales 1 rush (Kick no good) :00
Third Quarter
F—Moody 70 pass from J. Contreras (Silva Kick good) 2:51
Fourth Quarter
C—Safety (team) 9:34
C—Noel 1 run (Pass no good)
Individual Stats
Rushing— F: Morales 13-146, Sampson 17-66, Carlson 3-23, M. Contreras 2-8, Baysinger 1-0, J. Contreras 10-(-3), Gale 1 (-6). C: Dowling 4-52, Yackulic 7-27, Noel 7-18, Porter 1-(-9).
Passing—F: J. Contreras 3-8-0, 95, Baysinger 0-1-1. C: Dowling 3-7-2, 73, Porter 0-1-1, Yackulic 0-2-1.
Receiving—F: Moody 2-90, Whiting 1-5. C: Naylor 1-48, Hitt 1-20, Pennington 1-5.
