Wildcats up end Eburg Bulldogs
Published 8:04 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
ELLENSBURG – With a running game that was difficult to stop and a passing game that found its target, the Mount Si Wildcats defeated the Ellensburg Bulldogs last week 41-12.
The Wildcats worked hard from the outset, using a combination of powers and dives to gain some impressive yardage and ratchet the score up to 28-0 in their favor before Ellensburg got a chance to score.
The scoring started early as the Wildcats scored three quick touchdowns in the first quarter. The first came on a dive by Eric Forslin, who powered his way up the middle after several big-gain runs by Brandon Yakaboski. Gibson Bardsley added the extra point to make it a 7-0 game with 8:52 left in the first.
The second came from Yakaboski after the Mount Si defense stifled any movement by Ellensburg. Yakaboski came around the end from the backfield and scored with 6:37 left in the first quarter. Bardsley added the extra point to make it a 14-0 ball game.
The third touchdown came after another stifling effort by the Wildcat defense. Specifically, Daniel “D.J.” Johnson sacked the Bulldogs’ quarterback for a seven yard loss. A short kick and subsequent return by Erik Alexander gave Mount Si great field position. From five yards out, the offensive line surged forward and Yakaboski went up the middle for a touchdown. The extra point was good and Mount Si led 21-0 with 2:22 left in the first quarter.
Ellensburg put together a decent drive on their next play but fumbled at Mount Si’s 36-yard line with 9:36 left in the second quarter. From there, quarterback Rollin Smith, along with Kyle Meuli and Corey Lindberg, pushed the Wildcats deep into Ellensburg territory. A penalty on Ellensburg pushed the Wildcats to the Bulldogs’ 5-yard line but from there a determined defense dug in, helped by a Wildcat penalty. The ball turned over on downs to Ellensburg.
The Bulldogs’ drive, however, stalled again thanks to strong up-front play by the Wildcat defensive front and great coverage by the Wildcat secondary. After the ball turned over to Mount Si on downs with 2:57 left in the first half, a halfback pass from Yakaboski to Alexander moved Mount Si into Ellensburg territory. Another pass from Smith to Alexander on a slant pattern across the middle gave the Wildcats another touchdown with 2:31 left on the clock. The extra point by Bardsley was good, making the score 28-0.
Ellensburg finally scored after a big pass play pushed them deep into Wildcat territory. A pass to the corner with eight seconds left on the clock put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard but the extra point missed its mark, making the score 28-6 as the teams headed to the locker room for halftime.
In the second half the Mount Si defense dug in, forcing several Bulldog punts. A huge sack by Tyler Littlejohn late in the third quarter set up the next Wildcat score after a short Ellensburg punt. Runs by Forslin and Yakaboski set up a 1-yard dive by Marshall Griffith for a touchdown. The extra point by Bardsley just missed its mark making the score 34-6 in favor of the Wildcats.
The Wildcats would score once again after the defense wreaked havoc on the Bulldog offense one more time. The Wildcats shut down an Ellensburg scoring attempt on their own five and moved the ball down field. A bootleg pass play from Smith to Littlejohn scored another Wildcat touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Bardsley’s kick was good, making it a 41-6 ball game.
“I was looking for that the entire game, it’s been open,” said Littlejohn after the game. “We put it all together there, and it was a beautiful pass.”
Ellensburg went to the shotgun formation for the rest of the game but Mount Si linebacker Brian Olson was all over the Bulldog quarterback, forcing early passes. The Bulldogs did finally score with 3:08 left in the game, but missed the 2-point conversion for the final score of 41-12.
Mount Si coach Charlie Kinnune was happy with the progress his team has made so far this season.
“I think we are getting better each week,” said Kinnune. “We have some things we have to clean up and we will get that done and smoothed out. Our practices are still very intense and competitive and that is making us better.”
He pointed out what is working best for the Wildcat offense. “We tried to get cute a little early in the second half, and we had some penalties that set us back,” said Kinnune. “We are a grind-it-out team. We go with our three back and grind it out.”
Yakaboski was quick to give credit to his offensive line.
“We were strong up front,” said Yakaboski. “We ran real hard tonight and I am real proud of these guys.”
Smith, who went 5-for-11 with 125 yards passing was also thankful for the offensive line.
“Execution is where it’s at, but I want to thank the line,” said Smith. “We had blocks all night long and that’s what made that bootleg so solid.”
Mount Si takes on Sammamish at home this Friday. The grand opening ceremonies for the new stadium begin at 6:45 p.m. with game time at 7:30 p.m.
