QUILCENE — The supply of laundry detergent in the greater Quilcene area might dip to dangerously low levels in the wake of the Rangers’ mud-soaked 34-6 homecoming and senior day football triumph over Seattle Lutheran.
Some powerful cleaning action will be needed to remove the accumulated muck and mire from the teams’ uniforms after Saturday’s game was played in pelting rain on an already saturated field.
In a day and time where more and more natural grass fields are converted to artificial turf, Saturday’s game was pure throwback, mud bowl-style football, complete with plenty of accompanying stumbles, bumbles and fumbles.
“This was the first game I’ve ever played in where it poured like this,” Quilcene junior A.J. Prater said.
“It was a blast.”
The contest, pitting a Saints team lacking athletes against a Rangers team boasting many, appeared on paper as a likely blowout.
Eventually, that came to pass, but three quarters of spills, spins and splashes were necessary for Quilcene to completely seal the victory.
Things started well for the Rangers, with Quilcene’s senior feature back Colten Pol acting in his typical workhorse fashion, carrying the ball six consecutive times for 26 yards to move the Rangers up to the Seattle Lutheran 27-yard line.
With the Saints selling out to stop Pol, Quilcene quarterback Eli Harrison faked a toss sweep to Pol, drawing in the Seattle Lutheran defenders before tucking the ball away and cruising 27 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
The play was well executed but costly for Quilcene in the long run. Pol’s right foot planted awkwardly on the mushy surface and he fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain.
Suddenly the day of celebration had taken a somber turn.
Pol was eventually escorted to an ambulance and returned to the game with what his family and coaches believe is a high-ankle sprain.
“That’s just the kind of kid, Colten is,” Rangers coach Byron Wilson said. “He’s a loud, expressive guy. He was able to put weight on it, and if everything turns out OK, we have two weeks to rest him [before a playoff matchup].”
With Pol sidelined, Quilcene needed someone to step up. Enter junior Prater, with some help from a hard-blocking offensive line.
Prater ran with determination all game, finishing with 14 carries for 128 yards and three touchdowns.
“I knew if he was going out I was going to have to step my game up,” Prater said.
“I tried my hardest, and the line, they blocked great today.”
His first score, a 3-yard rush off the right side of the line, came after a series of well-blocked running plays by the Rangers.
“I thought that drive in particular the kids really followed their blocks and got after it,” Wilson said.
The Saints had some success moving the ball all game long, particularly with the passing of quarterback Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht to 6-foot-4 tight end Josh Meyer.
But strong plays on third and fourth downs from the Quilcene defense kept Seattle Lutheran away from the Rangers’ red zone until the fourth quarter.
“They caught some balls on us that we shouldn’t have given up, and with the rain and mud it was hard to break down and get tackles sometimes,” Wilson said.
“It’s harder to play defense than offense on a field like this because on offense you know where you are going and on defense you are reacting.”
Wilson had praise for senior Brandon Bessey’s defensive line play.
Bessey was a constant presence in the Seattle Lutheran backfield — on one play he nearly took the handoff directly from Dowding-Albrecht but instead settled for a 2-yard sack.
He added another sack, coming off the edge untouched to blast Dowding-Albrecht for a 10-yard loss.
“Really good game from him,” Wilson said.
Zach Collins and Prater also had strong games for the Rangers’ defense.
With less than a minute left in the first half, Quilcene’s offense got the ball and quickly advanced downfield, with Harrison gunning a 23-yard slant pass to Bessey to set the Rangers up inside the Saints’ 10-yard line.
Harrison then lofted a pass to Triston Williams for a touchdown, but the score was called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield penalty with 15.4 seconds left in the half.
Quilcene couldn’t score after the penalty and led 14-0 at halftime.
The Rangers stuck to the run in the third quarter with steady doses of Prater, Williams and Harrison on keepers.
They scored quickly to open the third quarter, with Prater rolling to the left sideline for a 25-yard score just 1:21 into the second half.
He followed that on the next drive with a 32-yard rumble down to the Seattle Lutheran 4-yard line, with a 4-yard score coming on the next play.
Williams closed out Quilcene’s scoring, taking a wildcat direct snap and running 18 yards for a score.
“We lost our No. 1 running back and still picked it up in the running game,” Wilson said.
“Bessey and Nate Weller were strong for us up front.”
Quilcene’s players were free to enjoy their homecoming dance and a short break before they resume practice for a postseason matchup with the Division 4’s third-place team.
That team is unknown since Division 4 teams all play independently and the selection processes has yet to be determined.
The Rangers (3-1, 6-2) will host that Quad-District game, either on Friday, Nov. 7 or Saturday, Nov. 8, and will likely look to play at a nearby artificial turf field, according to Wilson
Quilcene 34, Seattle Lutheran 6
Seattle Lutheran 0 0 0 6—6
Quilcene 6 8 20 0— 34
First Quarter
Q—Harrison 27 run (run failed)
Second Quarter
Q—Prater 3 run (Prater run)
Third Quarter
Q—Prater 25 run (run failed)
Q—Prater 4 run (run failed)
Q—Williams 18 run (Prater run)
Fourth Quarter
SL—Meyer 2 pass from Dowding-Albrecht (pass failed)
Individual Stats
Rushing—Q: Prater 14-128, Williams 8-65, Harrison 6-51, Bessey 2-8, Anderson 2-5.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
