KINGSTON — Perhaps it’s poetic justice.
The only thing standing between the Port Angeles football team and its first 4-0 start since 1992 is one of the many Roughrider coaches who came and went during the past 10 years.
Dan Novick will face his former team for the first time when his Kingston Buccaneers (1-0 in league, 2-1 overall) host the Riders (1-0, 3-0) tonight at 7.
And while it’s been seven years since Novick last paced the Port Angeles sidelines, there’s still enough memories floating around to make this more than just a regular Olympic League game for some of the Riders’ coaching staff.
“I respect him a lot,” said first-year Port Angeles head coach Tom Wahl, who served as a freshman coach under Novick seven years ago. “He’s a fine coach.
“It will be fun to compete against him, though. When you know someone, I guess it makes the competition a little different.”
Novick was brought up almost immediately after the Riders beat Bremerton 27-7 at Bremerton Memorial Stadium last Friday.
The Knights band was still clearing out of the stadium when one assistant suggested in a postgame speech that Novick left because, “he didn’t believe in Port Angeles kids.”
Of course, none of the players in uniform were even in middle school when Novick coached his final game for the Riders.
He spent three seasons in Port Angeles from 2001-03, amassing a 12-16 record before moving on to Heritage of Vancouver.
Port Angeles went through four more coaches through the end of the decade, finishing 29-67 from 2000-09.
Now with Wahl at the helm, the Riders are 3-0 for the first time since 1992 (a previous PDN report that the 2003 team started 3-0 was false).
And Novick, in his fourth year at Kingston after arriving in 2007, has the Buccaneers at 2-1 for the first time in program history.
The winner of tonight’s game moves into a very comfortable position in the Class 2A Olympic League race.
So obviously, the stakes are much bigger than Novick vs. PA.
“We didn’t say much about [going up against Novick] beyond what was mentioned after the game last week,” Wahl said.
“Really, all we’re trying to do is basically improve on what we’re doing. If we do that, we should be able to go out and play at a high level.”
Port Angeles has won this fall in large part because of its defense.
Defensive coordinator Vic Reykdal’s unit didn’t give up its first touchdown of the season until the third quarter of last week’s win over the Knights.
It has also scored at least one touchdown in each game this season.
Two-way star Cody Sullivan — partly responsible for two of those defensive scores at linebacker — has provided big plays on offense as well, running for 255 yards and four touchdowns on just 14 carries.
While the Riders’ spread offense has yet to hit on all cylinders in the passing game, it has managed 6.78 yards per carry.
Quarterback Keenan Walker has thrown just one interception while completing 15-of-35 passes for 254 yards and three scores.
He was part of a group of players who played in a 7-on-7 passing league against Kingston, North Kitsap and Sequim this summer.
That, more than anything else, has been the Riders’ main motivator this week, according to Wahl.
“Last week and the week before I would have said [we were too lackadaisical in practice],” Wahl said.
“I had to get on them those two previous weeks more than this week. The kids are little more focused this week because they have competed against these guys already.
“That seems to have helped them; they know a little bit better who their opponent is.”
The Bucs have been impressive in starting 2-1, with wins over Chimacum (20-18) and Olympic (42-28) and a narrow loss to 3A Bainbridge (34-31).
They have a balanced offense with Lou Hecker (554 yards rushing, five TDs) at running back and Sam Byers (438 yards passing, three TDs) under center.
In the Port Angeles defense, the Bucs might be seeing their stiffest test.
Lakeside at Port Townsend
PORT TOWNSEND — It took three weeks, but the Redskins finally get to play in front of a Memorial Field crowd for the first time this fall.
Port Townsend (0-1, 0-3) hosts 3A football independent Lakeside (0-3) at 7 p.m., with each team looking for its first win.
Sequim at Bremerton
BREMERTON — The Wolves will face a stiff test when they take on the 3A Knights and running back Kyle Kennedy in tonight’s Olympic League tilt.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder has run for more than 200 yards in all three Bremerton (0-1, 1-2) games this season.
Sequim (1-0, 2-1) is coming off a 53-0 thumping of winless Klahowya.
Rochester at Forks
FORKS — The Spartans’ second home game of the season tonight at 7 couldn’t come at a better time.
After falling to former 2A Elma and current 2As Sequim and Port Angeles, the young and inexperienced Spartans (0-1, 0-3) finally don’t have to go up against a juggernaut.
Instead, in Rochester (0-1, 0-3) the Spartans face a team also looking for its first win.
Neah Bay at Muckleshoot
AUBURN — These two teams meet for the first time on the gridiron in tonight’s Northwest Football League game.
Chimacum at Orting
ORTING — One week after getting beaten up by 1A No. 1 Cascade Christian, the Cowboys face the traditionally powerful Cardinals in a Nisqually League matchup tonight.
Clallam Bay at Quilcene
QUILCENE — The former NOL rivals will have their first Northwest Football League meeting Saturday at 1 p.m.
