King’s Way Christian broke open a close game in the second half and went on to top Columbia High, 32-7, in Trico League football Oct. 7 in White Salmon.
The Knights, who led 6-0 at halftime, capitalized on five Bruin turnovers to improve to 3-2 on the season, 1-1 in Trico League play. Columbia is 0-6 overall, 0-3 in the Trico.
“Defensively we did what we wanted,” Bruin Coach Dan Smith said. “The last month we’ve been giving up a lot of stuff over the top so that was our focus this week to not allow a team to throw over the top of us and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”
Columbia scored its lone touchdown on a 77-yard reception and run by Bryce Wang late in the fourth quarter. Wang was one of three receivers lined up to the right side for sophomore quarterback Wyatt Stelma. Wang, in the middle of the three, broke off his route and stepped in front of a King’s Way defender on a slant, caught the pass at the 30, stiff-armed a would-be tackler at the 35 and then angled toward the right sideline. Wang, who had a 98-yard pick-6 earlier this season against Seton Catholic, won a foot race to the end zone on his only catch of the game. Stelma added the point-after kick, which completed the scoring.
Stelma, making his first start at quarterback with former QB Wesley White lining up next to him as a halfback, completed 6 of 14 passes for 118 yards and three interceptions – two which were returned for touchdowns. White rushed 15 times for 37 yards to lead the Bruins in that category.
“When he gets settled down, he throws the ball where he is supposed to,” Smith said of Stelma. “(Interceptions) are the things you just deal with with a young quarterback. For the most part, I think he was 5-of-6 or 4-of-6 for his first passes … and he stood in there at the end and threw that long touchdown pass.
“Those are the improvements that we’re looking at. That is the most receiving yards that we’ve thrown all season. We just haven’t been able to put together passing with rushing. Even though we threw the ball for more yardage it was not our best rushing output.”
The teams played to a stalemate in the first half, with the Bruins moving the ball at times on offense and limiting King’s Way’s passing game of its usual big plays. King’s Way, which took the lead for good after a six-play 61-yard late in the second period, also hurt itself with 12 first-half penalties.
Things changed quickly in the third quarter, when King’s Way scored 19 unanswered points to take a 25-0 lead. King’s Way adjusted by taking advantage of some open pass routes underneath.
The Knights received the third-period kickoff and started with possession at their 24-yard line. They covered the 76 yards in five plays, four of them resulting in first downs. Aiden Sweeney caught a Brayden Schiefer pass from the 17 for the touchdown. Schiefer finished with more than 220 yards passing.
The teams traded possessions before a Columbia fumble gave King’s Way the ball at the Bruin 18. A Ryan Charlton run moved the ball to the 4-yard line, and he scored from there on the next play. Charlton finished with 175 yards on 18 carries.
King’s Way’s third score of the period came on a 38-yard interception return by free safety Will Bump. Bump had his eyes on Stelma the entire time and caught the overthrown pass at the King’s Way 48, broke outside and rambled untouched down the right sideline. The Knights picked off another Bruin pass and returned it for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Two-way player Avery Schalk, who contributed a couple of nice kick returns, was injured in the second half, when he took a hit to the lower back while trying to down a Bruin punt which had spun backward. A King’s Way player was ejected for the hit which also resulted in a 15-yard penalty. Schalk was laying on the field until medical personnel deemed it OK for him to walk off under his own power.
Defensively for Columbia, White and Sawyer Muehlbauer had eight tackles apiece and Braylon Childers added six. Columbia was playing without two-way starters Petey Schlegel and Kai Brasuell, who sat out because of injuries. Smith said both are expected back for the Bruins’ game Friday at Castle Rock (5-1, 2-0).
“For the most part I think we’re understanding that we’re just trying to improve each week and so the kids are buying into that,” Smith said. “I think this loss was a little more difficult because we played so even with them, especially in the first half.
“Credit to King’s Way. We knew game plan coming in that they wanted to throw the ball all over the field and so they adjusted, and were able to run on us, especially early on in that first quarter – although we got that big defensive stop.”
Smith was referring to when the Knights drove the ball downfield early in the game, making it to the Bruin 2. Columbia came away unscathed, aided by two King’s Way penalties and a drive-ending incomplete pass from the 12.
“We didn’t fold,” Smiths said. “We went into the week telling kids this defense we’re probably going to give up some stuff on the inside, but we’ll bend, not break, and they responded and did well.”
Commented