Timberwolves survive the rain, Mariner

When it rains it pours.

That statement referred to both the torrential downpour at Goddard Stadium on Oct. 16 and Jackson quarterback Andy Gay’s three second-quarter touchdown passes in its 37-14 Wesco South win over the Mariner Marauders.

With the rain coming down in buckets, a Mariner team that relies heavily on the run might have a better chance. At least that is how it appeared after KeiVarae Russell put Mariner on top 7-0, with a 68-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Thirty-seven unanswered points later, Jackson proved why it is the fourth-ranked 4A team in the state in the latest AP poll.

“I thought the conditions were going to very much favor their offense,” Jackson coach Joel Vincent said. “But our kids overcame that bad weather.”

If rain hurt Jackson’s ability to throw the ball, Gay didn’t show it in the second quarter, throwing three touchdown passes to three different players. Gay’s first touchdown, an 8-yard pass to Taylor Mead tied the score at 7-7.

“Well, I thought Andy probably played one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play,” Vincent said. “To be able to run our offense in those conditions spoke volumes about his ability as a quarterback.”

With the score tied, things really started to go Jackson’s way. The Timberwolves forced a Mariner fumble which they recovered on the Marauder 19-yard line. Gay took quick advantage throwing a 15-yard touchdown to Riley Carr.

Mariner went three and out on its next possession, but the Marauders’ punt took a very favorable Jackson bounce. The ball bounced all the way to the Mariner 21-yard line before the Marauders were able to down it. Gay, again, took advantage of the great field position, throwing a 20-yard touchdown to Marshall Massengale.

Jackson added a Daniel Sullivan field goal, a Traishawn Patrick 14-yard touchdown run and a Riley Carr 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put the game well out of reach.

Patrick led Jackson with 105 yards on 10 carries, including a touchdown.

“A sophomore kid getting an opportunity to play tonight and he took advantage,” Vincent said. “Tonight demonstrates that we might need to find a few more ways to get him the ball.”

Carr racked up 99 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, he also caught four passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.

“Riley had a typical Riley performance,” Vincent said.

Gay completed 12 of his 24 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns.

Russell, who leads the Wesco South in rushing, led the Marauders with 103 yards on 14 carries, but all but 35 of those yards came on one run.

After the game Vincent was asked about the chances of taking the number one seed from the Wesco South.

“We’re not number one until we’re number one,” Vincent said. “Each week is a step and now the next step is going to be Mountlake Terrace.”

NOTE: CARR RECEIVES OFFER Riley Carr, the Jackson High School football team’s powerful, versatile running back/linebacker, received his first college football scholarship offer.

The Air Force Academy made an offer to Carr, a 6-foot, 225-pounder, on Saturday, Jackson football coach Joel Vincent said.

“He’s super excited, number one,” Vincent said on Sunday. “But at the same time he’s not in a super-huge hurry (to commit). I think he’d like to see (how) the next few weeks unfold.”

Carr is arguably the top all-around player for unbeaten Jackson (7-0), which is No. 4 in the Tacoma News Tribune Class 4A rankings. Through Jackson’s first six games of the season, Carr was the leading receiver in the Western Conference South Division with 21 receptions for 453 yards (21.6 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. Carr also had 517 yards rushing (7.5 yards per attempt) and 14 TDs on the ground.

After Jackson’s Wesco South win over Mariner on Friday night, Carr and his dad flew to Colorado early Saturday morning and watched Air Force play Wyoming in Colorado Springs, coach Vincent said. Carr received the scholarship offer from Air Force during a private campus tour.

Carr has also received recruiting interest from Wyoming (which is why it made sense to attend the Air Force-Wyoming game), Eastern Washington University, Washington State University and the University of Idaho.