SEDRO-WOOLLEY - Nooksack Valley's football team didn't throw quite enough of a scare into Sedro-Woolley, but the Pioneers may have frightened their five Class 1A competitors in the Northwest Conference.
Even though the Cubs' 32-27 last-minute comeback victory left the Pioneers feeling short changed since they also scored a dramatic late touchdown, longtime assistant coach Britt Lentz put it best:
"You guys grew up a little tonight," he told the team, and head coach Robb Myhre agreed.
"I think so," he said, then added a realistic reason the Pioneers (2-1 overall) could not hang on for a non-divisional victory on Friday, Sept. 14.
"Sedro-Woolley (1-2 overall after dropping from 3A to 2A) is faster than we are, and they did a good job of using that speed," Myhre said, summing up why the Pioneers couldn't catch up for good.
Sophomore quarterback Tanner Myhre guided the Pioneers 90 yards to score with 1 minute and 18 seconds remaining on Myhre's 7-yard scramble just over the right side pylon. Evan Vinup's conversion kick gave the Pioneers what looked like might be a 27-26 win after they had trailed 26-7 midway through the third quarter.
But Woolley's Kyle Robbins returned the kickoff 56 yards, and only a tackle by Vinup prevented a touchdown.
Junior quarterback Braden Blouin passed for 1 yard to Kyle Morgan, for 21 yards to Dominic Farmer, plus a 10-yard roughing-the-passer penalty and for 8 yards to Morgan to the 2-yard line. Blouin, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards, then called his own number for the winning score on a draw with 27 seconds remaining.
Nooksack had two plays remaining, but Bobby South sacked Myhre for a 15-yard loss and Robbins made a game-ending interception.
Myhre, who rushed 11 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns, turned in a promising night, completing 13 of 30 passes for 205 yards. But Woolley's Robbins made two interceptions and Seth Noble stole one pass, setting up a first-half touchdown drive. Nooksack's Trey Handy caught seven passes for 169 yards, including a first-quarter score of 74 yards and a third-quarter touchdown of 20 yards.
Myhre began what could have been a winning drive from his own 10-yard line with a 45-yard run on a quarterback draw. Five plays later, Myhre's 8-yard, fourth-down pass to Joey Scheffer set up Myhre's scrambling 7-yard score.
The Cubs' outstanding junior running back, Shawn Kennedy, rushed 26 times for 155 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Mason Elms ran 10 times for 84 yards, including a 29-yarder with a pretty cutback, also scored on a 7-yard pass from Blouin. Morgan scored on a 2-yard run.
After the Cubs made it 26-7, taking up nearly half the third quarter with a 60-yard, 10-play drive capped by Elms' 7-yard touchdown catch, Nooksack applied the drama.
Handy made a 46-yard interception return and Myhre immediately passed for 20 yards to Handy, setting up the young quarterback's 1-yard score on a keeper. Sophomore linebacker Curtis Handy soon fell on a fumble, setting up Myhre's 29-yard pass to Trey Handy and quickly thereafter a 20-yard score to Handy, pulling the Pioneers within 26-20 with a minute left in the third quarter.
Kennedy now has 350 yards in three games for the Cubs, who amassed 407 yards on 70 plays while Nooksack had 311 yards on only 47 plays.
Nooksack Valley 7 0 13 7- 27
Sedro-Woolley 0 20 6 6- 32
First quarter
NV - Trey Handy 74 pass from Tanner Myhre (Ethan Vinup kick)
Second quarter
SW - Mason Elms 29 run (kick failed)
SW - Shawn Kennedy 3 run (Elms run)
SW - Kyle Morgan 2 run (kick failed)
Third quarter
SW - Elms 7 pass from Braden Blouin (pass failed)
NV - Myhre 1 run (kick failed)
NV - Handy 20 pass from Myhre (Vinup kick)
Fourth quarter
NV - Myhre 7 run (Vinup kick)
SW - Braden Blouin 2 run (pass failed)
NV SW
First downs 13 22
Rushing Att-Yards 17-106 51-256
Comp-Att-Int 13-30-3 12-19-2
Passing yards 205 151
Penalties-yards 7-43 4-20
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1
Individual leaders
RUSHING - Nooksack Valley: Tanner Myhre 11-91, Curtis Handy 3-12, Trey Handy 1-0, Levi Schram 1-5, Bret Rediger 1-(-2). Sedro-Woolley: Shawn Kennedy 26-155, Mason Elms 10-84, Kyle Robbins 1-(-2), Kyle Morgan 7-4, Clayton Johnson 1-2, Tanner Newton 4-13, Braden Blouin 2-0.
PASSING - Nooksack Valley: Tanner Myhre 13-30-3-205. Sedro-Woolley: Braden Blouin 12-19-2-151.
RECEIVING - Nooksack Valley: Trey Handy 7-169, Bret Rediger 3-16, Joey Scheffer 2-11, Curtis Handy 1-9. Sedro-Woolley: Mason Elms 3-38, Kyle Robbins 2-45, Seth Noble 2-17, Shawn Kennedy 2-21, Kyle Morgan 2-9, Dominic Farmer 1-21.
