By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Roughriders football team will finalize their game plan tonight for their Olympic League opener at North Mason tomorrow night.
The Roughriders haven’t won a league game since October 26th, 2023, when they shut out North Mason 55-0. The Bulldogs got their payback last season, beating Port Angeles 28-6 at Civic Field.
North Mason comes in 2-0 with a 37-0 win over Klahowya and a 40-8 blowout of Kingston. The Bulldogs feature 12 seniors, many of them multi-sport lettermen.
They are led by dual-threat quarterback Danner Jones, a 6’2”, 183-pound senior. Jones has completed 31 of 54 passes for 475 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He has also rushed for 144 yards on 18 carries, averaging 8 yards per carry with 2 more scores.
In the backfield, senior Kaden Atencio (6’1”, 205 lbs.) has carried 21 times for 221 yards, averaging 7 yards per rush with 2 touchdowns. When Jones goes to the air, his favorite target is 6’3”, 200-pound junior wide receiver Derek Dunham, who has 8 catches for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 18 yards per reception.
The Bulldogs are coached by former North Mason standout John Fullington, who started more games on the offensive line for Washington State than any other Cougar in program history. He went on to play in the NFL from 2014 to 2018 with Green Bay, Arizona, and New Orleans — where he was coached by former Roughrider and current Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas.
North Mason head coach John Fullington was a four-year starter and later played for the New Orleans Saints, where former Roughrider Joel Thomas is on the staff.
The Roughriders–North Mason game will be broadcast here on KONP Newsradio, with airtime at 6:00.
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In swimming, the Roughriders cruised past Klahowya 136-27, sweeping all four individual events and all three relay teams. Three new district qualifying times were set: Amayah Nelson in the 100 Butterfly, Lucy Townsend in the 500 Freestyle, and Anaya Tejeda in the 100 Breaststroke.
First-place finishers included Lilly Mahaney in the 200 Freestyle, Lizzy Shaw in the 50 Freestyle, Chloe Kay Sanders in the 100 Butterfly, Tejeda in the 100 Freestyle, Nelson in the 500 Freestyle, and Mia Francis in the 100 Backstroke.
Sally Cole has another 2A state-power swim team, as the Roughriders cruised past Klahowya 136-27.
In soccer action tonight, Sequim travels to Bainbridge and Port Angeles heads to Olympic, both with 7:00 starts.
In tennis, Port Angeles plays at North Kitsap beginning at 4:00. And in volleyball, Sequim is at Bainbridge and Port Angeles at Olympic, with both matches starting at 6:30.