EVERETT – As fog billowed in and the crowd began to disperse, coach Eric Dinwiddie’s players huddled around him. They had just lost a game, but they gained something very important, he said.
“I guarantee you, with your effort, you earned their respect,” said Dinwiddie, whose Granite Falls High School football team played well in the second half, but couldn’t overcome crucial first-half miscues. The previously unbeaten Tigers lost three fumbles and fell 42-21 Friday night in a tussle for first place in the Cascade Conference at Archbishop Murphy High School Stadium.
Tony Houts rushed 21 times for 152 yards and a touchdown and freshman Brad Gee added two TD runs to propel Murphy (5-0 Cascade Conference, 7-0 overall) to a key victory over Granite Falls (4-1, 6-1), which is having its best season in years.
Dejan Sughrim added 76 yards rushing and a TD for Murphy, which has won 29 consecutive league games and 45 straight regular-season contests. The Wildcats’ victory puts them one huge step closer to another conference championship and a No. 1 district playoff seed.
“This (was) obviously an important game for what was at stake. … I knew (Dinwiddie) would have his kids prepared,” Archbishop Murphy coach Terry Ennis said.
After fumbling on its opening drive and falling behind 7-0, Granite Falls tied it at 7-7 on Brandon Brown’s 39-yard TD burst. The Tigers eventually gave way to Murphy’s depth and power, but Ennis said he admired their effort: “I think their team speed was better than we thought it would be.”
“I think our effort was fine,” Dinwiddie said, “(but) you can’t turn the ball over three times against this quality of opponent.”
Murphy, ranked No. 4 in Class 2A and No. 23 statewide (regardless of classification) in the current WashingtonPreps.com polls, scored 14 points off turnovers to build a 28-7 halftime lead.
Besides being an anticipated battle of two undefeated teams, the game pitted a coach (Ennis) against one of his former players (Dinwiddie). Dinwiddie played football at Cascade from 1993-1996 when Ennis coached there.
One key to Murphy’s victory was its ability to shut down Granite Falls’ top offensive players. The Wildcats limited Tigers quarterback Billy Villegas to 61 yards passing, including just 13 yards on three first-half attempts. And they held back Jullian Gamache, Granite Falls’ leading rusher, to just 22 yards (minus-1 for the first two quarters). Gamache entered the game with 675 yards and seven TDs.
Brett Fetzer returned a fumble 70 yards for a score in the fourth quarter to highlight Granite Falls’ persistent effort.
“We got a long ways to go. You keep your heads up,” Dinwiddie told the Tigers, who still have a shot at the league’s No. 2 district seed.
Murphy’s Houts said his team also seeks respect. The Wildcats want to prove that they can still dominate without former star backs Shiloh Keo and Stan Smith, who graduated last spring.
Houts got Murphy rolling with a 65-yard TD sprint that put Murphy on top to stay at 14-7. It was the first of five straight TDs for the Wildcats.
Houts praised his offensive linemen for opening holes and said the Granite Falls miscues helped ignite the Murphy eruption.
“Turnovers are definitely a (motivator)” Houts said. “It gets our defense pumped up and can definitely swing the game.”
At Archbishop Murphy H.S.
Granite Falls70014-21
Archbishop Murphy217140-42
Archbishop Murphy – Sughrim 10 run (I. Houts kick)
Granite Falls – B. Brown 39 run (Londerville kick)
Archbishop Murphy – T. Houts 65 run (I. Houts kick)
Archbishop Murphy – Gee 5 run (I. Houts kick)
Archbishop Murphy – Woods 1 run (I. Houts kick)
Archbishop Murphy – Gee 2 run (I. Houts kick)
Archbishop Murphy – Snyder 3 run (I. Houts kick)
Granite Falls – C. Peterson 8 pass from Villegas (Villegas kick)
Granite Falls – Fetzer 70 fumble return (Villegas kick)
Records – Granite Falls 4-1 in conference, 6-1 overall. Archbishop Murphy 5-0, 7-0.
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