DUVALL – It’s no wonder this is the biggest show in town.
Led by do-it-all running back/linebacker Brady Paxman, the Cedarcrest Red Wolves treated an overflow home crowd to a thoroughly convincing 37-7 victory over the Granite Falls Tigers in the Cascade Conference opener for both teams Friday night.
Paxman rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns and spearheaded the dominant defense of Cedarcrest (1-0 in league, 3-0 overall).
“(Paxman) is our horse,” Cedarcrest coach Jason Frederick said. “He worked hard all summer to get bigger, faster and stronger.”
Paxman ran 51 yards for a touchdown on the Red Wolves’ first play from scrimmage to set in motion a chain of events that resulted in a 23-0 deficit for Granite Falls (0-1, 2-1) by halftime.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior blocked a punt later in the first quarter to set-up a nifty 12-yard TD run by Cedarcrest quarterback Ernie Child.
Paxman added a 45-yard TD run in the second quarter and would have notched another long scoring run if not for a shoestring tackle by Granite Falls’ Coty Walker in the waning seconds of the half.
While Paxman — who entered the contest as the leading rusher in the Cascade Conference with 377 yards — piled up 136 yards on the ground in the first 30 minutes, Granite Falls managed just two first downs against the gang-tackling Cedarcrest defense.
Red Wolves’ lineman Dave Whims had two of his team’s five tackles for loss in the first half. The carnage included a Paxman sack of harried Granite Falls quarterback Jacob Howard.
“(Defensive coordinator) Scott Henry has a great scheme,” Frederick said. “Our kids are disciplined and flying to the ball.”
Howard’s punts of 43 and 58 yards were darned near the only highlights for the Tigers in the early going, other than a 25-yard run by Jullian Gamache, who finished the game with 19 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, as Howard dropped back to punt for the fourth time the long snap sailed over his head. Howard raced after and scooped up the ball, but was forced to run out of the end zone for a safety that put Granite Falls in a 16-0 hole.
On a first down play after the ensuing Granite Falls kickoff, Paxman took a handoff from Child, burst through the line, cut outside and romped 45 yards for TD that left the Tigers reeling and the boisterous Red Wolves’ fans rollicking.
It didn’t help matters when Child threw a new wrinkle at the Granite Falls defense on the opening series of the third quarter. The senior signal-caller completed passes of 18, 17 and 9 yards before reverting to form and handing off to Craig Chittenden who bounced into the end zone on a 6-yard run to make the score 30-0.
To its credit, Granite Falls finally answered with a long scoring drive of its own. The highlight came when Howard fired a 17-yard pass completion to Zach Williams before Gamache romped 14-yards around right end for a touchdown.
Cedarcrest went right back to work, traveling 67 yards in seven plays to set-up Paxman’s 3-yard TD that made the score 37-7 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
At Cedarcrest H.S.
Granite Falls0070—7
Cedarcrest14977—37
Cedarcrest—Paxman 51 run (Felts kick)
Cedarcrest—Child 12 run (Felts kick)
Cedarcrest—Safety, punter forced to run out of end zone
Cedarcrest—Paxman 45 run (Felts kick)
Cedarcrest—Chittenden 6 run (Felts kick)
Granite Falls—Gamache 14 run (Wold kick)
Cedarcrest—Paxman 3 run (Felts kick)
Records—Granite Falls 0-1 league, 2-1 overall. Cedarcrest 1-0, 3-0.
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