SEDRO-WOOLLEY - So many big plays, so many different Squalicum names.
The Storm's 29-28 comeback victory over Sedro-Woolley - one of the wildest and most significant wins in Squalicum's 15-season football history - had coach Reed Richardson almost delirious in the closing seconds.
"This is a huge, huge, just a huge victory for our program," Richardson said, seconds after the final gun ended the thrilling Northwest Conference divisional game on Friday, Sept. 7.
"I can't say how proud I am of our kids," he said. "This is just a great win for the Storm" (2-0 overall, 1-0 division).
With the Cubs (0-2 overall, 0-1 division) having driven from their 20-yard line to Squalicum's 13 in the final five minutes, Storm sophomore Nick Manchester broke through to sack Sedro quarterback Braden Blouin with 34 seconds left.
Manchester's hit forced a fumble and senior Brandon LeDoux drove on the bouncing ball as though it were a $100 gold piece.
Squalicum running back Luke Weber, a hard-driving junior who broke countless tackles, was good as gold while scoring four touchdowns on runs of 9, 2, 2 and 3 yards. He powered behind what sophomore quarterback Clark Hazlett called "a great line that fired out low and gave us a terrific effort all night."
Weber finished with with a game-high 131 yards rushing on 28 carries.
Hazlett completed 7 of 13 passes for 114 yards, but his biggest completion didn't show up in the statistics because 2-point conversion passes count only on the scoreboard.
After Weber's fourth touchdown, with 4:59 to play, Hazlett threw just such a pass when Richardson gambled everything on a 2-point conversion try.
"I didn't see anything," said Hazlett, who looked like a senior when he flipped a quick pass to senior Brock Jorgensen for what turned out to be the game's final points on an improvised play. "I got knocked on my butt and I couldn't see Brock make the play."
Everyone else, however, saw it just fine.
On Squalicum's winning drive - a 59-yard push following Blaze Yetter's tackle-breaking 28-yard kickoff return - the Storm got three runs for 25 yards from Weber, a key 2-yard run from LeDoux, and 32 yards on three penalties against Sedro-Woolley. In all, the Cubs were whistled for 11 penalties for 108 yards.
The Storm tied the game at 21 with 7:30 remaining on a 78 yard, 9-play drive. The key play was Hazlett's perfect 44-yard pass to junior Ben Garcia, who could not have picked a better time for his first varsity catch.
"I've been waiting for that play," Garcia said.
Sedro-Woolley turned in a wild offensive effort as well, scoring on Blouin's 7-yard pass to Kyle Morgan, Blouin's 20-yard toss to Dominic Farmer, Morgan's 7-yard run and Blouin's 43-yard pass to Mason Elms with five minutes to play.
Woolley got a big lift from starting quarterback Seth Noble, who moved to receiver and caught a 44-yard pass from Blouin early in the third quarter to set up Morgan's touchdown sprint.
That score put the Cubs up 21-14, but Squalicum refused to be denied, even though its next two series produced nothing. It was early in the fourth quarter that Hazlett and Garcia connected on that memorable 78-yard drive, setting up Weber's 2-yard touchdown run and Quinn Carpenter's conversion kick.
Sophomore defensive back Coleman Schwab saved a Sedro-Woolley touchdown in the first quarter following Weber's first score. Schwab held Elms to a 54-yard kickoff return, but Squalicum's Kyle Stallo made a tackle for a nine-yard fourth-down loss after the Cubs reached the Storm 18-yard line on third down.
Squalicum 7 7 0 15- 29
Sedro-Woolley 0 14 7 7- 28
First quarter
Squ - Luke Weber 9 run (Quinn Carpenter kick)
Second quarter
SW - Kyle Morgan 7 pass from Braden Blouin Francisco Tovar kick)
Squ - Weber 2 run (Carpenter kick)
SW - Dominic Farmer 20 pass from Blouin (Tovar kick)
Third quarter
SW - Morgan 7 run (Tovar kick)
Fourth quarter
Squ - Weber 2 run (Carpenter kick)
SW - Mason Elms 43 pass from Blouin (Tovar kick)
Squ - Weber 3 run (Brock Jorgensen pass from Clark Hazlett)
Sq SW
First downs 27 18
Rushing Att-Yards 46-204 32-127
Comp-Att-Int 7-13-1 11-22-0
Passing yards 114 190
Penalties-yards 4-30 11-108
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1
Individual leaders
RUSHING - Squalicum: Luke Weber 28-131, Brandon LeDoux 7-44, Clark Hazlett 5-(-2), Mac Novak 4-19, Nick Manchester 1-3, Blaze Yetter 1-9. Sedro-Woolley: Shawn Kennedy 20-100, Seth Noble 1-(-15), Clayton Johnson 1-2, Braden Blouin 3-(-6), Mason Elms 4-37, Kyle Morgan 2-12, Dominic Farmer 1-(-3).
PASSING - Squalicum: Clark Hazlett 7-13-1-114. Sedro-Woolley: Braden Blouin 9-20-0-169, Seth Noble 2-2-0-21.
RECEIVING - Squalicum: Blaze Yetter 2-18, Luke Weber 1-12, Brandon LeDoux 1-9, Mac Novak 1-20, Brock Jorgensen 1-11, Ben Garcia 1-44. Sedro-Woolley: Ethan VanLiew 3-45, Dominic Farmer 2-38, Kyle Morgan 2-10, Shawn Kennedy 1-8, Seth Noble 1-44, Gabe Farmer 1-2, Mason Elms 1-43.
