FORKS — Forks’ defense doggedly held on in the second half and kept the Spartans in their senior night football game with Aberdeen.
Ultimately, though, a lack of offensive execution by Forks — including four interceptions by Bobcats freshman Kylan Touch — and a big first half by Aberdeen tailback Austin Floch were too much to overcome and resulted in a 28-6 defeat Friday at Spartans Stadium.
“The thing that is tough about senior night is the emotions hit the kids right before the game when they are introduced and hit the field,” Spartans coach Mark Feasel said.
“There’s a sense of melancholy that comes with it and you can come out flat, and we definitely came out flat.”
Touch put his mark on the game early, intercepting Spartans senior quarterback Javier Contreras on a deep crossing route on the contest’s opening drive.
On Aberdeen’s first offensive play, Floch bounced outside and rolled 56 yards down the left sideline to paydirt and a 7-0 lead 2:20 into the game.
Forks’ next drive gained 40 yards on 11 plays and chewed up five minutes of clock, but ended on a Contreras incompletion at the Aberdeen 41-yard line.
Floch wasted no time, taking his third carry of the game 59 yards, this time cutting to his right and finding the sideline for his second score and a 14-0 Bobcats lead with 3:47 to play in the first quarter.
Forks’ Miguel Morales, normally an up man blocking for the Spartans’ kick returners, caught a short Aberdeen kickoff and lived up to his “Night Train” nickname on a 71-yard return.
Morales, all 5-foot-9, 245-pounds of him, caught the kick at the Spartans’ 18-yard line and slowly built up speed to the corner and chugged down the sideline, rolling past the Bobcats until being knocked out of bounds at the Aberdeen 11-yard line.
“Normally that ball should go to Dimitri [Sampson] but it came right to me and I just turned upfield with it,” Morales said.
The Spartans’ longest play from scrimmage of the night thrilled Feasel.
“That was a great play by Miguel,” Feasel said.
“Boy, Dimitri had a couple of great blocks on that play, a senior leading a senior and destroying some people.”
Forks came away empty handed, however, turning the ball over on downs after a fumbled snap on fourth-and-7.
The Bobcats took advantage, grinding out a 17-play, 83-yard drive spanning 6:34 of the first and second quarters.
Floch and highly touted linebacker recruit Joel Dublanko, who played out of position at quarterback due to an injury, were a one-two punch on the drive, accounting for all 83 yards.
Floch, who is looking at playing for Division III schools like Willamette or Pacific Lutheran in college, took it across for his third TD, this one a 1-yard rush on third-and-goal with 6:37 left in the first half.
He ended the half with 18 carries for 180 yards for Aberdeen.
“His quickness and speed just tore us up,” Feasel said.
“He’s the best back we’ve faced all season, just dynamic. He’ll get my vote for [Evergreen League] Offensive MVP.”
Illness kept weakside linebacker Kenny Gale from playing and scraping inside on defense against the zone read, and on offense where Gale sets the edge on outside run plays from his wingback position.
“We only found out he wasn’t going to play about an hour before the game, so that threw a big curve at us,” Feasel said.
Forks had good field position on its last drive of the half, with a shot at cutting into the lead starting at its own 40-yard line.
But Touch was there to snag his second interception, this time on a trick play after direct snap to Morales in the backfield.
Forks’ halftime adjustments worked defensively, bottling up Floch to a tune of just 5 yards on seven second-half carries.
“Our goal was to shut out them out in the second half and earn back a little pride,” Feasel said.
“We did that defensively but we would just stall out on offense.”
Contreras picked off an ill-advised Dublanko pass at the Spartans’ 46-yard line halfway through the third quarter, but he gave it back three plays later on Touch’s third pick of the game.
Forks held on defense again, and after Aberdeen’s poor snap on a punt led to a turnover on downs at the Bobcats’ 35-yard line, the Spartans had another drive start in Aberdeen territory.
But Forks’ offense stalled again with another turnover on downs.
Contreras later tossed his third interception of the game, with Touch getting his mitts on the ball and returning it 10 yards to the Spartans’ 26-yard line.
Aberdeen’s third-string quarterback Braden Castleberry-Taylor went 20 yards undisturbed on zone-read keeper for the Bobcats’ final score to make it 28-0 with six minutes to play.
Contreras found running back Dimitri Sampson for an 18-yard pass play, tight end Reece Moody for 13 yards and connected on two straight 20-yard pass completions to Keishaun Ramsey to set up Forks’ score, a 1-yard plunge by Morales with 1:58 to play.
After the game, with the stands emptied and fans heading for home, Sampson was the last Spartan left on the field.
“I’m proud to play with my brothers,” Sampson said of his fellow seniors.
“I’ve played with them since we were really little, 8 years old up to now . . . I want to keep this [memory].”
The Spartans (1-5, 2-6) will wrap their season against ninth-ranked Evergreen League champion Eatonville (5-0, 8-0) at Stewart Field in Aberdeen at 4 p.m. Saturday.
It will be the last game for Forks seniors Contreras, Morales, Sampson, Kody Hansen and Jack Kell.
“They’ve just been fantastic for us, even bigger than I thought they would be before the season,” Feasel said.
“Our big three aren’t big talkers. Vocally Miguel took over that role, but physically he and Meat Head [Sampson] and Javier have been so big for us.”
Aberdeen 28, Forks 6
Aberdeen 14 7 0 7— 28
Forks 0 0 0 6— 6
First Quarter
A—Floch 59 run (Valdes kick) 9:40
A—Floch 56 run (Valdes kick) 3:47
Second Quarter
A—Floch 1 run (Valdes kick) 6:37
Fourth Quarter
A—Castleberry-Taylor 20 run (Valdes kick) 6:00
F—Morales 1 run (Silva kick no good)
Individual Stats
Rushing— F: Morales 10-33, Sampson 9-29, Contreras 5-24, Palmer 1-0. A: Floch 28-185, Dublanko 13-48, Thomas 1-(-6).
Passing—F: Contreras 6-20-3, 80; Morales 0-1-1; Sampson 0-1-0. A: Dublanko 3-9-1, 30.
Receiving—F: Ramsey 2-40, Sampson 1-18, Moody 1-13, Palmer 1-6, Morales 1-3. A: Castleberry-Taylor 1-18, Devine 1-7, Floch 1-5.
