Early miscues cost Nooksack Valley in opening loss to Anacortes

The Nooksack Valley football team dug itself an early hole with a couple of first-half turnovers and was never quite able to recover, as it dropped its season opener to visiting Anacortes 47-33 on Friday, Sept. 4.

“We were pleased that the kids never quit,” Pioneers coach Robb Myhre said in a phone interview. “We got behind pretty big during a couple of stretches, but the kids just kept coming.”

Nooksack Valley fumbled on a kickoff return and threw an interception in the first half, Myhre said, and both led to Anacortes touchdowns.

The Pioneers rallied a bit in the second half, though, as Myhre said Colton Kautz and Tre Silva each had strong games and Michael O’Bryan had “at least 10 catches for us.”

Myhre said he was also pleased by the play of both his quarterbacks in the game.

“We just had a hard time with the pass in the first half, and in the second we couldn’t get stops when we needed to,” the coach said.

Things will not get any easier for the Pioneers next week, as they head to Montesano for a non-league game Friday, Sept. 11.

“I think we have a lot of good things we can build on, and by the end of the season, we’ll be much improved,” Myhre said. “I was pleased with how the guys kept fighting. We had like a gazillion plays, it seemed like, so we’ll have a lot of things to look at and improve on.”

Ana — No. 2 10 pass from Camden McLaughlin (Zachary Bowman kick)

NV — Colton Kautz 1 run (Evan Neitling kick)

Ana — Devin Lackey 4 run (Bowman kick)

Ana — Daniel Hayes fumble recovery in end zone (pass failed)

Ana — McLaughlin 2 run (pass failed)

NV — Kautz 6 pass from Joe McNeely (kick failed)

Ana — Lackey 53 run (Bowman kick)

Ana — Isaac Tiessen 58 pass from McLaughlin (Bowman kick)

NV — Kautz 12 run (run failed)

Ana — Lackey 52 run (Bowman kick)

NV — McNeely 1 run (McNeely pass from Casey Bauman)

NV — Tre Silva 51 pass from Bauman (pass failed)

RUSHING — Anacortes: Devin Lackey 30-237, Luke Parson 1-1, Camden McLaughlin 4-13, Adam Dugger 2-4. Nooksack Valley: Joe McNeely 13-45, Colton Kautz 14-69.

PASSING — Anacortes: Camden McLaughlin 13-17-189-1. Nooksack Valley: Joe McNeely 16-23-163-0, Casey Bauman 13-20-186-2.

RECEIVING — : Anacortes: Austin Miers 2-23, Grissen Overa 1-10, Isaac Tiessen 3-74, Kyle McClure 2-15, No. 2 5-66. Nooksack Valley: Casey Bauman 6-75, Michael O’Bryan 14-117, Tre Silva 4-78, Colton Kautz 4-50, Kyle Veldman 1-29.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Early miscues cost Nooksack Valley in opening loss to Anacortes."