PORT TOWNSEND — On the first play from scrimmage, Port Townsend’s Wesley Wheeler took a handoff, blasted through the line, broke toward the left sideline and gained 49 yards.
Two plays later, Ezra Easley ran into the end zone from 5 yards out.
That’s pretty much how it went Friday at Memorial Field.
The Redhawks kept running, and Port Angeles never really stopped them, and Port Townsend racked up 365 yards on the ground (436 total) en route to a 49-0 win.
“The line blocked . . . awesome,” Wheeler said.
“If I was just a little bit quicker, I could have got that touchdown on that first play. I mean, there was no one in sight. The O-line just blasted the D-line on that. And the other running backs were getting to the linebackers and just sealing the edge.
“We were just all over.”
The Redhawks were inspired to beat the Roughriders after opening 2014 with a 14-13 loss at Port Angeles. But no Port Townsend player was as motivated as Wheeler, who moved from Port Angeles to Port Townsend his freshman year.
“I played middle school ball with these guys. They know me,” Wheeler, now a senior, said of the Port Angeles players.
“It’s an emotional thing, but it was fun.”
Lightning briefly slowed Port Townsend, but it was only a delay.
The second game of a doubleheader — Sequim defeated Chimacum 43-6 in the opener — was scheduled to start at 8 p.m., but the game’s officials saw lightning and pulled the players off the field.
By rule, the kickoff had to wait for 30 more minutes.
Once the game did start, Port Townsend struck quickly and had a 7-0 lead before the game was two minutes old.
Then, after forcing a three-and-out on Port Angeles’ first offensive possession, Wheeler opened the Redhawks’ second drive with a 42-yard run that moved the ball to the Riders’ 16-yard line.
On the next play, Detrius Kelsall ran it in for the first of his four first-half touchdowns.
Another Port Angeles three-and-out led to another Port Townsend touchdown. This time, Kelsall scored from 14 yards out. The Redhawks’ lead after one quarter was 21-0.
“We just needed to come out a lot faster than we did, and we got hit up pretty big, hit from all angles,” first-year Port Angeles head coach Bret Curtis said.
“Call it growing pains or whatever you want to call it, we just didn’t come out of the gate very well. That was probably the No. 1 thing.
“That’s a good team. I mean, Port Townsend, they’ve got a good team, that’s all there is to it. And they executed real well.”
On the first play of the second quarter, Port Townsend quarterback David Sua hooked up with Wheeler for a 29-yard pass play.
Kelsall followed with a 15-yard run, and then jogged in from the 1 for his third TD on the next play.
“Our offensive linemen, they were just firing out, making big holes for us,” Kelsall said.
His fourth score came on the next drive when he intercepted Port Angeles quarterback Ryan Rodocker and returned it 40 yards for a score, extending the lead to 35-0.
“I think we just came out with intensity,” Kelsall said. “And we were underdogs, so we were more fired up.”
Kelsall was injured on Port Townsend’s next drive and missed the remainder of the game. He said he expects to return for Thursday’s game against Bellevue Christian.
After setting up so many scores, Wheeler finally got his with a 21-yard run that made it 42-0.
Port Angeles finally picked up its first — and only — first down of the game on its next drive.
Rodocker turned nothing into something by eluding the blitz, rolling to his left and finding Joe Danz for a 55-yard gain.
A few plays later, Rodocker lofted a dime to Danz that looked like a TD, but Danz was ruled out of bounds.
Danz — who is Wheeler’s cousin — also intercepted Sua in the third quarter.
The second half was mercifully sped up with a running clock due to the 40-point differential.
Wheeler completed the scoring with a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Wheeler carried 11 times for 147 yards and two TDs.
“I was very motivated. I got after it this week. I stayed after practice and ran hills and took the weight room very seriously,” Wheeler said.
“And I’m going to start using that tactic every week now. Last year and all my other years playing, I wouldn’t go through the motions, but now I know the level of intensity I’ve got to practice at.”
Easley ran seven times for 66 yards, Kelsall finished with five carries for 61 yards and Kyle Blankenship gained 41 yards on eight carries.
Sua, last year’s Olympic League 1A Offensive MVP, found the downside of his move from running back to quarterback: when everyone else is doing so well, it reduces his playmaking opportunities — though he was quick to point out his 25-yard run in the first quarter.
“I’m so excited about this victory, because I thought it was going to be the hardest matchup of our season, but I was very happy with the success that happened,” Sua said.
“Our linemen were on point.”
Curtis said the Riders’ inexperience with the new coaching staff and schemes was evident, and that it wasn’t completely unexpected.
What was unexpected was how badly the game went for Port Angeles, despite knowing how good Port Townsend could play.
“It was a shocker. It was a shocker for all of us. We didn’t expect for it to be that one-sided and to get beat like that,” Curtis said.
“My message [to the players] is that everybody in the coaching staff, everybody in the stadium that’s played organized football, has been through that, unless they’re lying to you.
“You can’t think of it in permanent terms. It’s one game.”
Curtis said the coaching staff shares the blame for the loss.
“There’s some things we need to take a look at as coaches to get the guys in better spots, and some things we can tighten up scheme-wise,” he said.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
