FORKS — Forks got a late winning goal from William Perez to knock off Tenino 3-2, keeping its perfect record intact for a likely league-deciding matchup today against Elma.
Forks goes into Monday’s match (6 p.m. in Forks) with a record of 6-0. Elma is 6-0 in league and 6-1-1 overall.
“This basically decides first and second in the league,” said coach Ismael Ramos.
Perez had two goals against Tenino. He had one early with an assist going to Hector Dominguez. Dominguez also added a goal to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
Tenino fought back to tie it at 2-2 before Perez’s game-winner.
Ramos said the chance to play for a league title is a big deal for his team that has 10 seniors who weren’t sure if they would get a chance to play high school soccer again until a few weeks ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s huge. We were going to be a really good team last year,” Ramos said. He felt last year’s team was sure to make the state tournament.
“A lot of guys are getting their second chance,” Ramos said.
Football
Neah Bay 56, Concrete 32
CONCRETE — Neah Bay and other eight-man football teams in the Red Devils’ league held off on playing football this winter, opting for a spring season.
While the Red Devils had to wait a few extra weeks to begin play again, they got back on the gridiron Saturday, beating Concrete 56-32.
Coach TJ Greene said that, despite the win, there are a lot of things that Neah Bay needs to clean up after a layoff of nearly 18 months.
“There was definitely a little rustiness,” Greene said. “We put the ball on the ground six times.
“Ball security hurt us. You expect a little bit of that [after a layoff], but not that much,” Greene said. Greene also said Neah Bay had trouble defending the pass as the Lions did throw five touchdown passes.
Greene said this year’s team has a good senior group. Tobias Crow had four touchdowns and rushed for 212 yards on 28 carries. Croy totaled 269 yards from scrimmage with a catch for 57 yards. Robert Richardson also had 57 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Greene said Aric Lyons stood out as an offensive lineman and middle linebacker. “He is a force to be reckoned with,” he said. Lyons finished with six solo tackles, four assists and 1½ quarterback sacks.
Concrete scored first after a Neah Bay fumble. Neah Bay managed only six points in the first quarter on a Tobias Crow 24-yard touchdown run.
Jaxson Halttunen had an 11-yard touchdown run in the second, followed by a 28-yard touchdown run by Crow and a 57-yard reception by Crow on a pass from Jodell Wimberly. Neah Bay went into the half up 28-20.
In the second half, the Red Devils outscored the Lions 28-12. Zandel Aguirre had a 14-yard touchdown pass to Neil Bowechop.
Robert Richardson, who is also running track for the Red Devils as one of the top 1B sprinters in the state, then scored on a 60-yard catch on a pass from Tony Martinez. Aguirre added a 13-yard rushing TD, and Crow had a 5-yard run to cap off the scoring.
Neah Bay (1-1) next plays Saturday at Darrington. The Red Devils will also play Lummi later in the season and have a game scheduled against Tulalip, though that Tulalip game is tentative, Greene said.
