SEQUIM — It wasn’t always pretty, but the Port Angeles Roughriders took advantage of Sequim turnovers and scored 27 second-half points in a 37-10 win Friday night, taking home the Rainshadow Rumble trophy.
Senior quarterback Parker Nickerson threw for 265 yards and two scores and ran for another as the Riders improved to 2-2 on the season, 1-1 in Olympic League play.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors on the team and we were determined to beat Sequim,” Nickerson said.
Port Angeles took advantage of a pair of Sequim fumbles — just before halftime and another to open the fourth quarter, both deep in Rider territory — and scored 27 unanswered second- half points.
“We had a lot of penalties in the first half,” Port Angeles coach Dustin Clark said, eluding to eight infractions that cost PA scoring opportunities. “We were not as disciplined as we normally are.”
Those issues got addressed at halftime, he said.
The matchup of Olympic Peninsula rivals was for three quarters shaping up to be a tight-knit back-and-forth affair, with the Wolves (0-2 in Olympic League, 0-3 overall) knotting the score at 10-10 on a 27-yard field goal by Jack Henninger six minutes into the second half, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
The Riders responded with a 63-yard drive of their own, overcoming a pair of penalties and taking a 17-10 lead after Nickerson scrambled into the end zone from 15 yards out.
The Wolves looked to even the score late in the third quarter, but saw a receiver fumble the ball near the end zone. The final call on the field was that the ball was fumbled through the end zone, giving possession to the Roughriders.
Six plays later, Nickerson found Blake Sohlberg streaking down the middle of the field for a 47-yard touchdown and a 24-10 lead.
“That’s a 14-point swing,” Sequim coach Erik Wiker said. “After that, it got pretty tough.”
Port Angeles forced a turnover on downs with the Wolves’ next possession, and Kason Albaugh scored his second touchdown of the evening to give Port Angeles a 31-10 lead.
Tucker Rygaard added a 1-yard plunge to cap the scoring with about 1:30 left in the game.
Clark said the Riders have certainly been tested early, facing a pair of top-five 2A teams (Anacortes and North Kitsap) along with a tough Blaine team to start the season.
“It wore on us,” Clark said. “We had to get after it. Tonight was good.”
Wiker said there wasn’t a lot for his players to take away from the game except for the theme of being consistent.
“We need to put two halves together; once we do that, this team can play with most people,” he said.
Wiker added, “Our mistakes were costly, [but] we have a young team and they played hard.”
Sequim quarterback Lars Wiker was 15-of-25 for 135 yards and ran for 25 more, while younger brother Liam led the team with 53 rushing yards — including the Wolves’ lone touchdown, a 10-yard scamper in the first half.
Nickerson was 15-for-24 for 265 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He connected with Sohlberg five times for 121 yards and a score. Albaugh ran 15 times for 67 yards.
The Riders outgained Sequim 442-217 in yardage, helping Port Angeles overcome 15 penalties worth 125 yards. Sequim was flagged just three times for 20 yards.
Port Angeles players and fans lingered on the Sequim’s Myron Teterud field at Stáʔčəŋ Stadium, hosting aloft the Rainshadow Rumble trophy.
“It is extra special to win in Sequim,” Nickerson said. With the win, Nickerson and other Roughrider veterans got a measure of revenge for Sequim’s dramatic come-from-behind last-second 36-32 victory last year at Civic Field.
Port Angeles (1-1, 2-2) hosts Olympic (1-2, 2-2) at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Civic Field, while Sequim (0-2, 0-3) travels to Kingston (0-2, 1-3).
Port Angeles 37, at Sequim 10
PA 7 3 7 20 — 37
Sequim 0 7 3 0 — 10
Scoring
First quarter
PA — Albaugh 19 pass from Nickerson (Sohlberg kick), 8:33
Second quarter
PA — Sohlberg 27 field goal, 5:32
Seq — Li. Wiker 10 run (Henninger kick), 2:56
Third quarter
Seq — Henninger 27 field goal, 5:58
PA — Nickerson 15 run (Sohlberg kick), 1:46
Fourth quarter
PA — Sohlberg 47 pass from Nickerson (Sohlberg kick), 9:32
PA — Albaugh 7 run (Sohlberg kick), 5:56
PA — Rygaard 1 run (kick failed), 1:33
Individual statistics
Passing — PA: Nickerson 15-24, 265 yards, 2 TDs, 2 Ints. Seq: La. Wiker 15-25, 135 yards; Li. Wiker 0-1
Rushing — PA: Nickerson 7-72, TD; Albaugh 15-67, TD; Hawes 5-37; Jones 2-19; Rygaard 2-2, TD. Seq: Li. Wiker 10-53, TD; La. Wiker 7-25; 41 3-4
Receiving — PA: Sohlberg 5-121, TD; Albaugh 5-69, TD; Point 2-35; Townsend 2-30; Hawes 1-10. Seq: Schmadeke 4-61; Aragon 3-30; 22 2-16; Li. Wiker 5-16; 33 1-12
Penalties — PA 15-125. Seq: 3-20
Sequim’s Lars Wiker (10) runs against Port Angeles on Friday night. In on the play is the Roughriders’ Jordan Shumway (55). Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group
