SEQUIM — Sequim head coach Erik Wiker wants even more speed out of his Wolves this season.
In one dizzying half of football against the Class 1A Forks Spartans on a pleasant Dungeness Valley Friday evening, his Wolves hit full throttle.
Sequim scored on all five of its first-half possessions, racking up 351 yards in the process, and added a defensive touchdown in the closing moments of the second quarter on the way to a dominating 42-0 win.
“They weren’t ready for our pace at all,” said Sequim senior quarterback Frank Catelli, who witnessed one Forks lineman throwing up on the Wolves’ fifth offensive play.
“It’s kind of like the Oregon Ducks, what they do. They do that no huddle really quick. They are the fastest team in college.
“That’s what we want to be. We want to be the fastest team in Washington.
“We want to be the fastest team [so] that people can’t catch their breath.”
Certainly, few in attendance could Friday night, including the Forks defense during the first half.
Catelli, a backup the past two seasons behind former starter Drew Rickerson, was near flawless in his first start under center as he completed 15-of-21 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns in two quarters of action.
Junior Jack Wiker made good on his first varsity start as well, amassing 136 yards of offense and scoring three touchdowns while splitting time at running back and quarterback.
Meanwhile, the Forks offense was shut out for the third straight year in a season opener against Sequim, this time in Spartan head coach Mark Feasel’s debut.
“I give credit to Sequim. They got a machine there, and they looked really good,” said Feasel, whose team also turned the ball over four times. “Our big thing was coming out and showing we could battle.
“We had some good things happen and just couldn’t finish some of it.”
Indeed, Forks managed 158 yards of offense, and drove into Sequim territory twice in the first half only to come up short.
That included the opening drive of the game, when Forks quarterback Braden Decker ran a fake punt 38 yards to just inside the Wolves’ 35-yard line.
Following a Spartan penalty and short run, Catelli sacked Decker with a jarring hit on a stunt from the middle linebacker spot.
Forks eventually turned the ball over on downs after a failed fourth-and-long conversion, and the Wolves offense began its string of five straight scoring drives.
Sequim reeled off 17 plays of 10 yards or more in the offensive barrage, with each scoring drive lasting less than two minutes.
All told, the Wolves no-huddle shotgun offense had the ball for less than eight minutes of the 24-minute half while committing only one procedural penalty.
“For a first game [of the season], I thought we executed,” said Erik Wiker, now 8-0 in season openers.
“We played as fast or faster than we did last year, which was one of our goals for this season.
“We just thought that would help us have an edge this year, so we changed a couple of things to make us go faster. I’m pretty happy [with the execution].”
Catelli threw touchdown passes of 20, 11 and one yards to three different receivers — Jack Wiker, Michael Ballard and Christian Miles — and spread the ball around to six pass catchers overall with a variety of throws.
Tyler Forshaw was his favorite target, reeling in four catches for 78 yards, while Ballard had four receptions for 54 yards and Miles four for 50.
Jack Wiker ran in Sequim’s two other scores from 7 and 5 yards out, and also gashed the Forks defense for runs of 19, 20 and 12 yards.
“The linemen were opening up, and the receivers were making their crack blocks . . . and it opened up like it was supposed to,” Jack Wiker said.
“It was fun to start finally. It felt real good. I guess I’ve wanted to do it for a long time.”
Ballard triggered the 40-point running clock on the final play of the half, intercepting an errant Decker throw and taking it down the sideline 35 yards into the end zone for a 42-0 lead that was never challenged.
The game was the first of two tough matchups against 2A teams to begin the season for Forks.
Next up on Friday night is a home tilt against 2A powerhouse Port Angeles.
Operating a new Wing-T offense for the first time against Sequim, the Spartans had 110 rushing yards but could never quite finish its scoring opportunities.
They got as close as the Wolves’ 3-yard line on their first drive of the second half, but were stuffed on successive runs.
Decker led the Spartans with 39 yards on five carries, while also completing 4-of-10 passes for 48 yards and one interception.
Senior wide receiver Tyler Penn added 35 yards on five carries, and Shane WhiteEagle was limited to 20 yards on seven carries while battling leg cramps.
“Right now, this is a preseason game. The big thing I’m looking for is great effort and great attitude right now,” Feasel said.
“We’ll get the offense dialed in.
“It’s easy to have character when you’re winning, but when you’re getting hammered on a little bit, that’s a test of your character.
“I was real proud of how those boys stood up to that.”
