Marauders opportunistic in 42-6 rout

Published 9:00 pm Friday, November 3, 2006

KENT – When you’re on the road in a state playoff football game, the last thing you want to do is give your opponent good field position with an early turnover, which is exactly what happened to Mariner on Friday night.

Of course, the best remedy for such an early sin is to get a few quick turnovers in return.

That, also, is what happened to the Marauders, who took advantage of four first-half fumble recoveries to seize a 28-0 halftime lead on their way to a 42-6 rout of Kentridge of the South Puget Sound League’s North Division.

“We talked about turnovers all week (at practice),” Mariner coach John Ondriezek said. “In playoff games, you have to eliminate mistakes and you have to take advantage of opportunities. And our kids did that tonight.”

Did they ever. The Marauders followed each of their four first-half recoveries with a touchdown drive, basically blowing the game open at halftime.

All that good news was preceded by what appeared to be a costly Mariner miscue. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Marauders ran two plays on the ground. Then, on the third play from scrimmage, a pass from quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo skipped off his receiver’s hands and was intercepted by a Kentridge defensive back.

The return gave the Chargers the ball at the Mariner 27-yard line, and two plays later they were on the 2. The game was barely under way and already the Marauders were looking at an early deficit.

What followed was a turning point. And an omen.

After a first-down loss of 2 yards, Kentridge still had second-and-goal from the 4. But Chargers quarterback Jake Fletcher could not make a clean handoff, the ball popped free, and Mariner’s Ryan Haight dropped on the ball at the 6.

Mariner’s second possession was a dandy 12-play, 94-yard march that led to the game’s first touchdown, with the final 24 yards coming on a screen pass from Tuiasosopo to running back Matt Jones. After the reception, Jones scampered down the left sideline to the end zone.

Seven plays after the ensuing kickoff, Mariner had the ball back after another fumble recovery. This time the drive needed just two plays to reach the end zone, with Jones scoring on his 9-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

After a third fumble recovery, the Marauders used five plays to travel 63 yards for a touchdown. Tuiasosopo, who finished the game 4-for-6 for 95 yards and three touchdowns with the early interception, dropped back to pass, got a key block to buy some time, and then tossed a 36-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Luke Terwilliger.

Mariner then closed the first-half scoring in the late moments before halftime, needing just two plays and 12 seconds to cover 37 yards after a fourth recovered fumble. This time it was Tuiasosopo to wide receiver Joey Dillon for the final 9 yards.

Running back Ronald Tisdale capped the scoring for Mariner with second-half touchdown runs of 5 and 27 yards.

“Our kids came out believing in themselves,” Ondriezek said. “They played with a lot of intensity. They set a goal to come down here and play the best they could, and they did. I was pleased with our performance. They played with a lot of heart.”

Complimenting Mariner’s offensive success was a stellar defensive performance. With a variety of blitzes and stunts, the Marauders had players in the Kentridge backfield on almost every play.

“Our kids up front, with our slanting defense, they came hard and they filled their gaps,” defensive coordinator Tom Myhre said. “They came across, they beat their man and they made tackles.”

“They didn’t know which way we were coming from,” said Jones, who plays linebacker on defense.

Jones finished the game with 14 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown, with another receiving touchdown.

The win sends Mariner into the next round, where they will face the winner of tonight’s Oak Harbor-Kentwood game.

“This was a good win, but after midnight tonight we have to put it in the past,” Jones said. “Next week we have to play even better.”

At French Field, Kent

Mariner6220-42

Kentridge000-6

Mariner-Jones 23 pass from Tuiasosopo (kick blocked)

Mariner-Jones 9 run (Grant run)

Mariner-Terwilliger 36 pass from Tuiasosopo (Hendrickson kick)

Mariner-Dillon 9 pass from Tuiasosopo (Hendrickson kick)

Mariner-Tisdale 5 run (Hendrickson kick)

Kentridge-Fletcher 1 run (pass failed)

Mariner-Tisdale 27 run (Hendrickson kick)