BREMERTON — The Port Angeles football team’s defense is pitching a shutout two games into the 2010 season.
One year removed from the program’s first 0-10 campaign, the Roughriders began this fall with back-to-back shutout victories against Class 3A Chief Sealth (41-0) and 1A Forks (34-0).
It’s been quite the turnaround for a unit that surrendered an average of 38.5 points per game in 2009.
“Obviously, we’re playing good defense,” Rider defensive coordinator Vic Reykdal said. “It’s kind of like a guy with a no-hitter going. You kind of almost feel like you’d just rather give up one so you can get that over with.
“The true honesty is that we’re not going to shut everybody out all year long. But right now it feels good. It really does.
“And the kids have bought into the system and we’re playing really sound. We’re tackling well and we’re keeping things pretty simple.”
The defense will certainly be put to the test when the Riders (2-0 overall and the only undefeated team in the Olympic League) visit 3A Bremerton (1-1) tonight at 7 at Bremerton Memorial Stadium.
Reykdal has been switching between a 4-3 and 4-4 defensive front during the first two games of the season, but will likely show more of a 4-4 tonight against Bremerton’s ground-oriented attack.
The Knights are coming off a 55-33 comeback win over 3A Decatur of the South Puget Sound League, fueled by bruising running back/linebacker Kyle Kennedy.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior ran for 231 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
It was the second straight 200-plus-yard game for Kennedy, who has 446 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 54 carries this season.
If the Riders are to begin the year 3-0 for the first time since 2003, they will likely have to find a way to contain him and wide receiver/kick returner Sabian Perrigo.
“We’ve got to stop Kennedy. There is no question about that,” first-year Port Angeles head coach Tom Wahl said.
“They seem to have some pretty good special teams, too. We’re very conscious of their ability there. And defensively, they seem to be fairly solid.”
Kennedy wasn’t able to participate in last year’s game against Port Angeles because of an incident at school.
He ended up penning an inspirational letter to his teammates, which was read after the Knights were down 7-0 at halftime.
Bremerton went on to win 32-14, ending a 45-game losing streak in league and a 15-game skid against the Riders.
Perrigo had touchdown receptions of 26 and 29 yards as well as a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Riders now get the chance to return the favor, and start off their Olympic League schedule on the right note.
After last Friday’s 34-0 win over Forks — a game marred by 18 Port Angeles penalties — Wahl and his staff did everything they could during practice this week to make sure the Riders weren’t complacent.
“It wasn’t a lovefest this week,” Wahl said. “We’ve had to get on them more this week to try and get them to be intense and realize that champions, winning programs, don’t rest on their laurels. They keep getting better every week.
“This week probably would have been the most times I felt like I had to give them some tough love and let them know they weren’t stepping up like they need to [in practice].
“So we’ll see what happens [tonight].”
Klahowya at Sequim
SEQUIM — The Wolves, coming off their worst loss in five years, get a bit of a break with the winless Eagles visiting tonight for an Olympic League game at 7.
Klahowya has lost 15 straight games dating back to the 2008 season. That includes last Thursday’s 67-14 nonleague loss to the 1A Chimacum Cowboys.
Sequim, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 54-16 defeat at the hands of 1A power Meridian. It was the Wolves’ largest losing margin since they lost 51-0 to Bainbridge on Sept. 23, 2005.
Port Townsend at Vashon Island
VASHON ISLAND — The Redskins will be looking for their first win of the season when they take on the Pirates in a Nisqually League matchup tonight at 7.
The young and inexperienced Redskins (0-1 in league, 0-2 overall) have scored one touchdown each in losses to Coupeville and Charles Wright.
Vashon is coming off a 43-0 win over independent Lakeside.
Forks at Hoquiam
HOQUIAM — It doesn’t get any easier for the Spartans tonight.
After playing a pair of 2A teams to begin the season, Forks (0-2) will take on a former 2A in Hoquiam (1-1) that beat Kalama 22-21 last Friday.
It is both teams’ first SWL-Evergreen Division game.
Neah Bay 2, Crescent 0 (forfeit)
NEAH BAY — The Loggers were forced to forfeit tonight’s Northwest Football League tilt after not being able to field a team.
Injuries and ineligibility issues kept the Loggers (1-1 in league and overall) from getting a large enough roster together to take on the Red Devils (2-0, 2-1).
Chimacum at Cascade Christian
PUYALLUP — Talk about polar opposites.
One week after steamrolling the struggling 2A Klahowya 67-14, the Cowboys take on arguably the best 1A team in the state in their first Nisqually League game of the year.
The Cougars were ranked No. 2 in 1A by The News Tribune this week. They have reached the 1A championship game the past two seasons.
Chimacum (1-1) is looking to match last fall’s 2-1 start.
Evergreen Luth. at Quilcene
QUILCENE — The Rangers’ first varsity home football game since 2008 comes against a team that has had struggles of its own the past few years.
The Eagles, Northwest Football League foes, have won just one game each of the past three seasons.
The Rangers are coming off their first varsity win — a 50-0 mercy rule triumph over Highland Christian — since 2007.
