Photo: The Sequim scoreboard showing goose eggs after major underdogs Olympic took the 10 ranked Wolves into OT
By Oly Archibald
SEQUIM — Great upsets in the sports world do happen. The Miracle on Ice when the USA hockey team upset the USSR in the Winter Olympics. A few years ago, a Jim Harbaugh-led Stanford team were 40-point underdogs to USC, yet they knocked off the Trojans. So, with the Olympic Trojan soccer team in town Sequim Wolves fans were as confident as the Yellowstone druid wolf pack taking down a bison. After all, the Trojans were 0-9; they had scored just 4 goals all year; and had a RPI ranking of 59 compared to the #10 ranking of the Wolves. Plus, the Wolves had no problem chowing down on the Trojans with an easy 7-1 win earlier this season.
After the shocking scene that happened last night, the Surgeon General might announce a new disease called “Post Port Angeles Syndrome”. After a gutsy knockdown, dragged-through-the-mud win over the Roughriders Tuesday night, the Wolves last night for the first part of the game functioned as though their stomachs were full of bison. Even though the Wolves out shot Olympic 32-0, none of those shots found the back of the net. Wolves’ goalie Kalli Grove could have played a good game of chess since 98% of the game was played deep in the Olympic zone.
However, great teams are not always great. They are great when they must be.
With just seconds left in the 2nd overtime Raimey Brewer made the pass of her life on a corner kick, perfectly executed in front of the net to a hard charging Jenny Gomez who headed the ball into the net and a big sigh of relieve was heard throughout the Dungeness Valley as the Wolves avoided the upset with the 1-0 win.
The Olympic Trojans played their best game of the year and lived up to that old cliché:
“That’s why you play the game”
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There was no drama with the Roughriders as they knocked off North Mason 9-1. Both Teanna Clark and Izzy Felton had hat tricks with 3 goals, Page Mason added 2 goals and Kedryn DeScala headed in a goal.
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There is one NWAC soccer game on Saturday as the Pirate men host Shoreline with the kickoff at 2:15 pm.
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There is plenty of exciting cross country meets going on. At the middle school meet in Port Townsend, Sequim’s 6th grade sensation Elenor Jones won the 2-mile race with a time of 12:42. The xact time as the boys winner. 8th grader Madeline Walton out sprinted Sequim 6th grader Emilia Hendrickson for 2nd place.
Stevens’ Storey Schmidt finished 4th in the boys race and 7th grader Jay Liberman finished 3rd. Sequim 8th grader Wesley French finished 4th.
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At the high school Cross Country meet at North Mason where 64 athletes participated Kaitlyn Bloomenrader of Sequim finished 4th. Miriam Cobb of Port Angeles placed 5th and Faerin Tait finished 16th.
For the boys there were 54 runners, Colby Ellefson of Sequim finished 4th.
Faerin Tait of the Roughriders finished 16th out of 64 runners at the North Mason meet
Next week’s Olympic League meet has been changed from the Cedars at Dungeness to Lincoln Park in Port Angeles and the meet will start at 4 pm.
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In tennis action, the Roughriders knocked off Kingston on senior night 6-1 to finish the season with a 12-2 record. All 5 Roughrider Seniors started in the varsity line up. Head Coach Brian Gunderson had great things to say about his seniors: ” Reid, C.J. Parab, Braylon and Josh have meant a lot to the program. They consistently set a great example and our younger players look up to them.”
In singles action, it was C.J. Elliott winning 6-0; 6-0. Luke Flodstrom won 6-0; 6-0. Tate Alton won 6-0; 6-0.
In doubles action it was Nathan Basden and Matthew Miller who won 6-0; 6-2. Reid Schmidt and Parab Seera won 6-0; 6-1. Austin Worthington and Grant Butterworth won 6-0; 6-0. Braylon Helms and Josh Men’es lost 5-7; 3-6.
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There are two homecoming football games tonight with Sequim, a big favorite over North Mason, with the kickoff at 7 pm. The Port Angeles Roughriders 2-2 in league play 3-3 overall, take on a good Class 3A Bainbridge Spartan team.
The Spartans lost a heart breaker to North Kitsap 23-16 but blowing out Olympic 45-3. The Spartans average 40 points a game and give up just 11. The Roughriders average 27 points a game and give up 33.
The Spartans are led by arguably the best QB in the league in Jack Grant, a powerful 6’0″ 205 junior. Grant runs with speed and power and has a rocket arm. The Spartans are blessed with an outstanding running back in Garrett Goade, a 5’10” 180 lb. junior. Goade is also the Spartans leading tackler at Middle Linebacker. When Jack Grant airs it out he has a deep bench of very tall, fast and dependable receivers. Luca Sheltons is a 6’4″ 200 lb. junior. Calum McCarter is a 6’2″ 186 lb. senior. On the Spartans defensive line watch for DT Emmett Taylor, a well-built 6’1″ 280 lb. senior.
You can hear all the action on KONP Newsradio and on the stream at myclallamcounty.com. The “Dustin Clark Show” starts at 5:30 pm followed by the “Roughrider Lockerroom Show” featuring kickers Alejandro Martinez Jr. and Blake Sohlberg. The “Halftime Roughrider VIP Show” is a special interview with 4th graders Ryan Somers and Mason Martinez members of the youth league White B squad who plays the Port Angeles Green squad in the playoffs Saturday at Neah Bay. Oly Archibald, Bill Bates and Greg Thomas will have the play-by-play action.