JOYCE — The Crescent Loggers gave their big homecoming crowd plenty to cheer about by taking down the Tulalip Heritage Hawks 47-14 on Saturday.
With the win, Crescent moves to 6-1 on the season, its best start since the Loggers’ 1996 state championship run.
Playing in front of friends, family and classmates — who had come to honor the seniors in their last home game — the Loggers got off to an auspicious beginning.
Tulalip grabbed a quick 6-0 lead with only 10 seconds elapsed from the game-clock by jumping the opening on-side kickoff attempt by Crescent and taking it 50 yards to the end zone.
But the Loggers countered quickly with Derek Findley doing the early damage, first running the ensuing kickoff back 31 yards, then taking a Beau Bamer pass for 12 more to set up Mike Zapien and fleet-footed Eric Larson to rip off consecutive runs of 11 and 12 yards.
Larson hit pay-dirt on a 12-yard sprint, and with Findley adding the PAT kick, it was a 7-6 Logger lead, an advantage they would never relinquish.
The Logger defense then took over, forcing Tulalip into a three-and-out series.
Following a 12-yard punt return by Findley, it took the Loggers’ explosive offense only two plays to score: a Bamer strike to Findley for 41 yards followed by a 5-yard Zapien scoring plunge.
The successful Bamer run on the conversion moved the score to 15-6 at the end of period one.
Tulalip responded with its only scoring drive of the day by going to air and then the final one yard on the ground by Robert Miles Jr.
The successful two-point conversion cut the Crescent lead to 15-14 at the 6:52 mark of the second quarter.
But that close score wouldn’t last long.
The Loggers immediately went to work on offense, putting together a 74-yard scoring drive, the last 50 on a classic Larson off-tackle sprint through the secondary.
The 21-14 halftime score remained close for just two minutes into the third quarter.
That’s all the time it took for Larson to put the Loggers on his back as he accounted for 54 yards on the drive, the last 39 on another leg-churning sprint to pay-dirt to move the scoreboard to 27-14.
Larson would pop off two more scoring runs of 27 and 45 yards as he went for more than 270 yards and five touchdowns on the day.
Findley found the end zone on one final drive as Crescent scored the game’s final five touchdowns for a convincing 47-14 win.
“Just a great performance from the seniors in their final home football game,” Crescent coach Darrell Yount said.
“They had resolved to go out on top, to put together one final epic performance for themselves, their team and for the home fans; just a nice win and a nice rebound from one week ago.”
Lummi crushed the Loggers last week in Joyce.
“We were finally successful in putting together a fairly complete game,” Yount said.
“We did leave 21 points laying out on the field what with a few miscues, but offensively, we do what we do.
“The real difference was a defense that really stepped up to stuff a pretty talented and explosive Tulalip team.
“Gene Peppard, Zapien and Josh Sowders simply took over up front. And with Hutto and Larson sealing the edges, that makes life pretty nice for their teammates at the second level.
“So we’ll enjoy this one over the weekend and then get to the task of game-planning for Neah Bay. It never gets easy in this league.”
The Loggers next travel to defending state champion and undefeated Neah Bay on Friday night.
Crescent 47, Tulalip 14
Tulalip 6 8 0 0— 14
Crescent 15 6 14 12— 47
First Quarter
T— Miles 50 kickoff return (run failed)
C— Eric Larson 12 run (Derek Findley kick)
C— Zapien 5 run (Bamer run)
Second Quarter
T— Miles 1 run (Hamilton pass from Kidd)
C— Larson 50 run (kick failed)
Third Quarter
C— Larson 45 run (kick failed)
C— Larson 27 run (West run)
Fourth Quarter
C— Larson 45 run (kick failed)
C— Findley 6 run; (run failed)
Individual Stats
Rushing— C: Larson 17-274, Zapien 13-85, Findley 7-22, Bamer 1-3, West 1-3.
Passing— C: Bamer 5-6-0, 81 yards.
Receiving—C: Findley 5-81.
Neah Bay 50, Lopez 0
MARYSVILLE — It took only one-half of a game for the defending state champions to put aside previously undefeated Lopez in Northwest Football League action Saturday at Marysville High School.
Junior quarterback Josiah Greene, the 1B state player of the year in 2011, appears to be vying for that honor again after passing for four touchdowns and having the hand in a fifth score.
Two of those touchdown strikes went to Zeke Greene.
Zeke and Josiah Greene also had a hand in a third touchdown together as Josiah threw for five yards to Zeke, but Zeke tossed a lateral back to Josiah, who went the remaining of the 20 yards to score.
A Joey Monje interception that went for 30 yards led directly to the Zeke to Josiah lateral pass touchdown.
Leyton Doherty and Tyler McCaulley also caught touchdown passes from Josiah Greene.
The Josiah to McCaulley score went for 80 yards.
Cody Cummins also had a 2-yard run for a score and a final touchdown came on a defensive play.
Doherty also scored a touchdown on a 29-yard interception return.
Josiah Greene ran for a game-high 97 yards and passed for another 131 yards.
The Red Devils are now a perfect 7-0 on the year, including a forfeit from Muckleshoot, and will try to add on to that win streak with a home game this Friday night against speedy Crescent, which is 6-1 on the year after pounding Tulalip Heritage 47-14 on Saturday.
Neah Bay 50, Lopez 0
at Marysville High School
Neah Bay 20 30 X X— 50
Lopez 0 0 X X— 0
First Quarter
NB— Zeke Greene 7 pass from Josiah Greene (Cody Cummings run)
NB— Leyton Doherty 29 interception return (pass failed)
NB— Cody Cummins 2 run (kick fails)
Second Quarter
NB— Leyton Doherty 9 pass from Josiah Greene (Tyler McCaulley pass from Josiah Greene)
NB— Josiah Greene 20 pass from Zeke Greene (Zeke Greene pass from Josiah Greene)
NB— Tyler McCaulley 80 pass from Josiah Greene (pass failed)
NB— Zeke Greene 24 pass from Josiah Greene (Joey Monje run)
Individual Stats
Rushing— NB: Josiah Greene 5-97, Cody Cummins 7-94, Zeke Greene 1-23, Kenrick Doherty 5-21, Tyler McCaulley 3-17, Cole Svec 7-14, Tommy Tyler 1-14, Michael McGee 3-7, Joey Monje 1-3.
Passing—NB: Josiah Greene 7-12-0, 131 yards; Kenrick Doherty 1-2-0, 6 yards.
Receiving—NB: Zeke Greene 4-39, Leyton Doherty 1-9, Tyler McCaulley 2-83, Reggie Buttram 1-6.