QUILCENE — The Quilcene Rangers locked up a Sea-Tac 1B championship, remaining undefeated by scoring touchdowns on their first six plays en route to a 68-22 cruising over Evergreen Lutheran.
You read that right. Quilcene didn’t score touchdowns on their first six possessions Saturday — they scored on their first six plays.
The Rangers’ yardage total at the end of the Evergreen Lutheran game wasn’t that eye-popping — 347 yards — but here’s the stat that jumps out. Quilcene ran a mere 18 offensive plays in the game, averaging over 19 yards a play.
Nine different players ran the ball for Quilcene as the Rangers gained 225 yards on the ground on just 15 carries. They tacked on another 122 yards passing on three pass plays.
Those six plays: Andy Johnston ran for a 27-yard touchdown, then a 25-yard touchdown. He threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Robert Comstock. Eli Mahan had a 12-yard TD run and Johnston threw a 46-yard touchdown to Olin Reynolds. At the end of the first quarter, it was 38-0. Reynolds finished the onslaught with a 30-yard touchdown run on Quilcene’s first play of the second quarter. Six plays: 46-0.
Johnston led the team with 99 yards passing, 50 yards rushing, two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns. Reynolds had a pair of touchdowns and also scoring TDs were Comstock, Mahan, Brennen Filmer, Bishop Budnek and Dustin Hughes.
Filmer led the team with seven tackles on defense, while Jace Newman had six tackles and Kristian Mack had five tackles and a blocked punt.
Quilcene Coach Trey Beathard said Evergreen Lutheran was a young team and it showed.
Quilcene was able to play six of its eighth-graders on defense in the fourth quarter. He likes how the team, ranked No. 3 in the state by the Tacoma News-Tribune, has come together this year.
“The kids are working hard in practice. We’re a better team than we were at the beginning of the year.”
As Sea-Tac 1B champion, Quilcene (3-0, 6-0) will get a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Rangers are set to play Seattle Lutheran at home at 1 p.m. Saturday, but the Saints were forced to forfeit a game this week for lack of players, so Beathard is hoping the Rangers have a game, otherwise they might have essentially a three-week break between games. If Seattle Lutheran cannot play, the Rangers will try to arrange another final regular-season game, he said.
Beathard also said it’s possible the Rangers could play powerhouse Tacoma Baptist in the first round of the playoffs. The Rangers beat Tacoma Baptist handily earlier this year 66-26, but Beathard pointed out that the Crusaders were missing a couple of players in that game and at least one of them is back.
Quilcene 68, Evergreen Lutheran 22
Evergreen Luth. 0 0 6 16 — 22
Quilcene 38 16 6 8 — 68
First Quarter
Q—Johnston 27 run (Reynolds run)
Q—Johnston 23 run (Comstock pass from Johnston)
Q—Comstock 53 pass from Johnston (Comstock pass from Johnston)
Q—Mahan 12 run (Comstock pass from Johnston)
Q—Reynolds 46 pass from Johnston (XP failed)
Second Quarter
Q—Reynolds 30 run (Z. Budnek pass from Johnston)
Q—Filmer 23 pass from Elkins (Smead run)
Third Quarter
Q—B. Budnek 26 run (XP failed)
Fourth Quarter
Q—Hughes 29 run (Alejo run)
Individual Stats
Rushing—Q: Johnston 2-50, Elkins 3-44, Reynolds 1-30, Mahan 1-12, Smead 1-1, B. Budnek 2-27, Alejo 1-25, Hughes 3-37, Kieffer 1(-1).
Passing—Q: Johnston 2-2-99, 2TDs; Elkins 1-1-23, TD.
Receiving—Q: Comstock 1-53, Filmer 1-23, Reynolds 1-46.
