One month into the season, North Olympic Peninsula football teams are winning.
The area’s nine teams have a combined 21-15 record. Five of the teams have winning records and two others are 2-2.
Three things learned last week in high school football:
■ Karma settles the score.
Port Angeles had some bad luck in 2012 and 2013. Turnovers, ill-timed penalties and freak injuries were contributing factors in the Roughriders winning only two games combined in those two seasons.
In Port Angeles’ third win of this season, though, karma seems to have repaid in full its debt to the Riders in their 38-34 win over Bremerton.
Port Angeles’ Sam Burton caught a fourth-quarter touchdown after what seemed like a sure interception was deflected right to him in the end zone.
Later in the fourth quarter, a snap went over quarterback Ryan Rodocker’s head and was tipped and caught by running back Nathan Angevine, who, as luck would have it, has extensive experience at quarterback, having served as the starter last year and at the beginning of this season.
Angevine knew the play, so without missing a beat he threw the ball to the end zone where it was caught by Kellen Landry for a 34-yard touchdown pass.
Port Angeles is now 3-1 (1-1 in Olympic League) going into this week’s matchup with Olympic (1-0, 2-2).
Then again, the Riders might be looking for a little more from karma after they lost six fumbles in their 44-6 loss to the Trojans last year.
■ Velarde is dangerous.
Get used to hearing about Sequim freshman Gavin Velarde.
Velarde was one of the lone bright spots in the Wolves’ tough 33-13 loss to eighth-ranked North Kitsap on Friday.
He showed poise on the opening kick, slipping on the soaked turf, but not falling, before splitting the Vikings’ kick coverage for a 96-yard return for a touchdown.
On the play, Velarde zoomed down the right hash to midfield before changing course and cutting all the way across the field to outrun North Kitsap’s would-be tacklers in a race to the pylon.
Later, with the game well in hand, Velarde took another kick to the house, this time going straight up the right sideline 92 yards to paydirt.
This return, complete with multiple stutter steps and shoulder shuffles in order to deke the last North Kitsap defender, brought to mind a former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders.
The week before against Kingston, Velarde had two huge 19-yard runs, both coming on third-down plays, to help keep Sequim drives alive. He ended up with 56 yards on six carries and 91 return yards in that win.
Sequim coach Erik Wiker has called Velarde his team’s version of Percy Harvin, so keep watch for more electrifying plays.
■ Olympic League 1A is up for grabs.
Coming into the season, it appeared the Olympic League’s 1A Division would be decided by the season’s two Port Townsend-Klahowya games.
So the Redhawks looked like the front-runners after beating the Eagles fairly convincingly earlier this month.
Coupeville had something to say about that Friday, taking advantage of Port Townsend’s sloppy play to win 29-21.
One week later after Port Townsend’s big win, the Wolves — not the Redhawks, not the Eagles — are in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 divisional record.
It looks like Olympic League 1A is set for a wild finish.
Following its Quimper Quarrel rivalry game with Chimacum on Friday afternoon, Port Townsend gets a shot at a rematch with Coupeville next week.
Klahowya gets their shot at the Wolves this week, and then has a rematch at home with the Redhawks on Oct. 17.
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“Three things learned in high school football last week” appears each week in the PDN.
Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
