BREMERTON — If Port Angeles’ two shutout victories weren’t enough evidence, consider Friday night’s showdown with the Bremerton Knights the smoking gun.
Less than a year after putting the finishing touches on its worst decade in school history with an 0-10 season, Port Angeles football is back.
And these Roughriders know how to hit.
Port Angeles out-muscled, out-hit and out-ran the Class 3A Knights for a 27-7 Olympic League win amid a steady downpour at Bremerton Memorial Stadium.
The victory moved Port Angeles to 3-0 and 1-0 in league in head coach Tom Wahl’s first season.
“It’s a challenge to get the kids to believe, and I think they are,” said Wahl, whose Riders are off to their best start since 2003.
“They are slowly getting there and they are acting more like winners, and they are doing the right things.
“I’m proud of the guys. They’ve worked hard all summer, and it’s paying off here.”
Once again, the swarming Rider defense budged but did not break.
On the field for 17 of the game’s first 24 minutes, the unit extended its scoreless streak to 10 quarters before finally giving up a touchdown in the third.
Knights running back Kyle Kennedy ran for more than 200 yards in his third straight game (32 carries, 207 yards), but he had to earn every inch.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior was punished early and often by the Riders, who recovered two Kennedy fumbles, one of which Colin Wheeler returned for a touchdown.
“Our whole concept of this week was to beat [Kennedy] up,” linebacker Cody Sullivan said. “I feel like we did it. We had him getting up slow on a lot of plays. We came out and we hit.”
Sullivan started off the scoring with a 79-yard touchdown run on the Riders’ first possession.
Much like in last week’s game against Forks, the senior scored on a misdirection play, taking a counter down the left sideline and outrunning the Knights secondary all the way into the end zone.
“It was great, great blocking,” said Sullivan, who finished with 109 yards of offense (92 rushing).
“I had a hole a truck could go through. Then I just tried to high-step my last 10 yards and keep my legs moving.”
Port Angeles scored on a similar play two possessions later, with Kenneth Sewell zipping down the sideline for a 61-yard run. That was part of a five-carry, 71-yard night for Sewell.
He then caught a Keenan Walker pass in the end zone for a two-point conversion and a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
“The offense is meant to be a misdirection offense, so that counter is a natural strong misdirection away from flow,” Wahl said.
“It’s supposed to be a powerful play for us, a big gainer. We hit it big a couple of times. That’s what it does.”
Of course, the story of the night ended up being the Port Angeles defense.
Despite giving up 317 yards of offense, the Riders came up big when it mattered the most.
After Wheeler fumbled a punt on Port Angeles’ side of the field early in the first quarter, teammate Rickie Porter responded with a goal line interception on a Knights fourth down at the Rider 5-yard line.
Port Angeles recovered a Kennedy fumble on Bremerton’s next possession.
Four series later, Sullivan forced Kennedy’s second fumble, which Wheeler grabbed and returned 37 yards for a touchdown.
“That was definitely something we practiced,” Sullivan said of forcing fumbles on Kennedy.
“I just came up and [put my] facemask to the ball. I was still tackling him when Colin was scoring.”
Added Wheeler, “It was like I just got handed the ball in the air. I just ran and kept going.”
The Port Angeles defense wasn’t done there, either.
After holding the Knights on their next possession, the Riders blocked a punt.
Troy Martin then picked up the ball and ran 37 yards untouched for a touchdown and 27-0 lead the Riders would take into the half.
This was the third straight game Port Angeles scored on defense.
“We work together [on defense]. It’s cohesiveness,” Martin said. “Everyone does their part, and it comes out right.”
Port Angeles gave up its first touchdown of the year in the third quarter when Kennedy broke free for a 54-yard run up the middle.
That did come with an asterisk, however, since the play before the Riders forced a fumble only to have it taken away by a flag for one of their coaches being out of the sideline box.
Bremerton, which failed to convert on 5-of-6 fourth downs in the game, didn’t score again.
“They were just flying around and hitting people,” said Bremerton coach Nate Gillam, who was missing his top receiver and returner, Sabian Perrigo, for undisclosed reasons.
“They just came to play, and we didn’t.”
Port Angeles finished with 273 yards on offense.
Walker completed 2-of-5 passes for 22 yards and had 36 yards on the ground. Nathan Cristion added 52 yards rushing.
“It’s been a heck of a turnaround [for Port Angeles],” Gillam said. “That’s a team vastly improved over last season.”
Port Angeles will once again be put to the test when it visits Kingston (2-1) and former Rider coach Dan Novick next Friday.
PORT ANGELES 27, BREMERTON 7
Port Angeles 6 21 0 0 — 27
Bremerton 0 0 7 0 — 7
First Quarter
PA–Sullivan 79 run (kick failed)
Second Quarter
PA–Sewell 61 run (Sewell pass from Walker)
PA–Wheeler 37 fumble return (kick failed)
PA–Martin 37 blocked punt return (Haskins kick)
Third Quarter
BR–Kennedy 54 run (Heath kick)
Individual Stats
Rushing– PA: Sullivan 4-92, Sewell 5-71, Cristion 12-52, Walker 12-36. BR: Kennedy 32-207, Lawrence 4-25, Harris 3-15, Shadle 2-10, Noll 1-0, Tomlinson 7-(minus 14).
Passing–PA: Walker 2-5-0, 22: BR: Tomlinson 8-15-1, 99.
Receiving–PA: Sullivan 1-17, Sewell 1-5. BR: Harris 1-34, Jordan 3-32, Shadle 1-19, Kennedy 2-10, Lawrence 1-4.
