Rangers upend Loggers in blowout at home

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Looks like Quilcene had a box of leftover fireworks from Independence Day.

And it had a very short fuse.

The Rangers offense exploded early, with a 36-0 burst by halftime, as Quilcene flashed past the Darrington Loggers in a 44-6 win Saturday in 1B varsity football.

The early aahhs and ooohhs came courtesy of Quilcene senior James Miller.

He scored his first of a team-high three touchdowns on a 1-yard blast up the middle to give the Rangers a 6-0 advantage at 10:14 in the first quarter. Mason Iverson rushed for the two-point conversion. 

Iverson scored again less than 2 minutes later, and then tacked on the two-point conversion to keep Quilcene in front, 16-0.

Iverson continued to light up the Loggers with a dominate display in the second quarter, scoring again on a touchdown run with 9:21 on the clock to move the score to 22-0. Andrew Perez-Lopez punched in the two-point try to make it 24-0.

The cherry bomb-in-the-mailbox moment for Darrington, however, came with 3:21 remaining in the first half when Miller, on the second play of the Rangers’ possession, pulled the pin on a 70-yard touchdown run and the Rangers led, 30-0.

Darrington struggled mightily throughout the first half, with Quilcene’s wet-blanket defense dampening any snap, crackle, or pop from the Loggers.

Dominic Smith had two sacks against the Loggers, and Taylor Boling and Perez-Lopez each recovered a fumble during the game. Freshman Robert Evans also finished with two interceptions, while Miller added another.

Quilcene added eight more points in the third and then cruised to the end.

Miller finished the game with another 200-yard-plus effort. He had 13 carries for 259 yards (19.9 average).

Iverson also passed the century mark, with 108 yards on five carries.

Quilcene finished the contest with 378 total rushing yards.

Oliver Hopkins had one completion in six attempts, connecting on a 50-yard touchdown strike to Smith.

The Ranger defense was paced by Deakon Budnek, who tallied 19 total tackles (17 solo, two assisted).

Smith and Taylor Boling had nine tackles each.

All told, the Rangers amassed 60 tackles in the contest, with nine players adding to the pile.

The victory pushed the Rangers to 4-3 on the season and 2-0 in district play.

“I think we’re playing pretty good,” said Quilcene Coach Trey Beathard.

“We got a little up and kind of lost a little bit of focus,” he said of the Rangers’ late-game efforts. “Which happens, unfortunately. It’s just hard to get everybody in and do everything, and still play at our highest level.” 

“The good news is we didn’t peak too early. So maybe we can peak next week against Neah Bay,” Beathard added.

The Rangers face the undefeated Red Devils (3-0, 6-0 overall) on the road Friday, Oct. 21. Neah Bay previously beat Darrington 70-8 two weeks ago. 

“They’re super good and we’ve known they were going to be good this year,” Beathard said of Neah Bay. “They had a good team last year. They’ve had that same quarterback (Julian Carrick, senior) for a long time and he’s really good.”

“Their coaches and kids are just outstanding. Super good sports. It’s hard to get mad at them,” he added. “They kinda beat the devil out of everybody.”

The team is coached by Kane Bachelor, and the coaching staff includes Tony McCaulley, a state-championship caliber coach, Beathard noted.

“Those guys know what they’re doing. They’re very good. They’ve got a good staff,” he said.

Beathard said the team’s veteran players were a big part of Saturday’s win.

There’s just two games left in the regular season schedule, with the matchup versus Neah Bay followed by Crescent on the road Oct. 29.

“I’m not really thinking about next year. But you know, we have two seniors. Both of them [Budnek, Miller] are outstanding players and they’re good leaders by example. We should have most of these kids back. I think we can be OK with that,” the coach said.

Beathard noted the play of freshman Robert Evans.

“He had several very nice plays. He played well. It makes us think; well, he’s got three more years. And he should be pretty good. 

“I’m not really thinking about next year,” Beathard added. “But you know, we have two seniors. Both of them [Budnek, Miller] are outstanding players and they’re good leaders by example. We should have most of these kids back. I think we can be OK with that.

The Rangers’ more immediate concern, however, is Friday at Neah Bay.

“We haven’t won very many games over there. But not many people have,” Beathard said. “But we did win the last time we were there.”

“Next week should be fun,” he added.