EVERETT
How do you defend a quarterback who has a tendency to run and a running back who is a threat to throw? The answer: not very well.
That was the lesson learned for the Coupeville Wolves whose early turnover ignited a firestorm of Archbishop Murphy points and an eventual 56-0 Wildcats’ victory on a homecoming Friday night at Terry Ennis Stadium. The Cascade Conference win improves No. 2-ranked Archbishop Murphy’s record to 3-0 in the league and 4-1 overall.
Wildcats running back Alex Martinez racked up 143 all-purpose yards, threw for one touchdown and caught two others. Not to be outdone, quarterback Austin VanderWel rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown and passed for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Neither player saw any action in the second half after going into the locker room with a 50-0 lead.
“It’s fun to take Austin out and give him a blow and put Alex in and run that Wildcat offense,” said head coach Dave Ward. “He can do so much with it and it gives us a change of pace, a wrinkle that they have to prepare for.”
Coupeville (1-2, 2-2) fumbled on their first possession of the game and the ball was recovered by Archbishop Murphy’s Tani Tupou on their own 15-yard line. That set up a touchdown strike from VanderWel to receiver Jacob Clark for the Wildcats’ first score.
On the Wildcats’ next offensive series, Blake Torres took an end-around handoff for a 31-yard score and a 14-0 lead. VanderWel then connected with Martinez on a 19-yard touchdown pass seconds before the end of the first quarter to make it 21-0.
That’s when things went from bad to worse for Coupeville. Stephen Briede’s onside kick was recovered by the Wildcats, which set up another score by Martinez on a 38-yard, play-action pass from VanderWel. A two-point conversion extended the lead to 29-0.
“Austin threw the ball really well,” Ward said. “On a couple third down plays, he just broke their back with a great pass. He’s a talented quarterback that can do it all. He just keeps getting better as we go on.”
Having already thrown for two touchdowns, VanderWel used his feet to pick up another when he took off running for 62 yards and the score. On the next Wildcats’ possession, VanderWel set up another touchdown with a 42-yard quarterback keeper. Out of the “Wildcat” formation, Martinez threw to tight end Tani Tupou to make it 43-0.
“I love being able to do more things than just run the ball,” Martinez said. “We were a little one-dimensional, so it’s good to throw in a little wrinkle to give the defense another look.”
The Wildcats’ last two scores came just before halftime and the waning minutes of the game. Keola Wilkins took an inside handoff up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run before halftime. Eneliko Tevaga scored the final touchdown in the closing minutes of the game.
“It’s a big thing for us to come out and be up 50-0,” Martinez said. “In the previous weeks we haven’t performed how we thought we could have. It’s good to come out for homecoming with a big game.”
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