By Michael Lycklama Idaho Falls Post Register
POCATELLO, Idaho — The first trip out of state for the Sequim football team didn’t go to script.
Sequim struggled with shotgun and long snaps all afternoon, which, along with six turnovers, suffocated its offense.
The end result was a 42-0 loss to the Shelley Russets of Idaho on Saturday.
The game got off to an auspicious start for Sequim (0-1).
A snap over quarterback Jack Wiker’s head on the team’s first play from scrimmage forced Wiker to scramble backwards for a 21-yard loss to recover the loose ball.
The more damaging result though was the shin contusion Wiker suffered on the play, which limited Sequim’s dual threat quarterback all afternoon and forced him in and out of action.
The high snaps continued throughout the game, forcing Wiker into trouble before plays even started and turning punts into 20-plus yard losses and turnover on downs.
“It’s uncharacteristic of us as a program to have that happen,” Sequim coach Erik Wiker said.
“We had maybe one practice where we had four bad snaps. Other than that, we haven’t had that in thousands of snaps.”
Even when Sequim could execute the shotgun snap, it couldn’t find any room against a stout Shelley defense.
Sequim totaled 104 yards of offense on the afternoon, 48 before Shelley entered its subs in the fourth quarter.
“You can’t ask for a whole lot more out of those guys,” Shelley coach Travis Hobson said of his defense.
“They stepped up and answered our challenge. We challenged our defense all week.”
No one on the Shelley (2-0) defense haunted Sequim more than senior defensive back McKay Cannon, who picked off three passes and returned one 28 yards for a touchdown.
“They’re a great team that plays super hard, well-discplined, stopped a lot of things that we do,” Wiker said.
“I think we kicked our own butts as much as they did.
“If we don’t kick our own butt, it can be a lot closer game, even if they win. It could be a lot, lot closer.”
The trip to Pocatello was the culmination of a 15 and a half hour bus trip for Sequim.
It drove 12 miles to Boise on Friday night, then woke up at 6:30 a.m. Saturday for a three and a half hour drive to Pocatello.
The end point was Holt Arena on the campus of Idaho State, the second oldest dome in the United States. Only the Astrodome in Houston predates it.
“It was fun and hopefully it’s an experience they remember forever once they get over being hurt,” Erik Wiker said. “Hopefully, this will help us focus for the rest of the year.”
Shelley,Id. 42, Sequim 0
Sequim 0 0 0 0— 0
Shelley 7 14 14 7— 42
First Quarter
SHE—Dalton Nelson 13 pass from Kaden Schmitt (Matt Scarr kick)
Second Quarter
SHE—Josh Peterson 5 pass from Schmitt (Scarr kick)
SHE—McKay Cannon 28 interception return (Scarr kick)
Third Quarter
SHE—Cannon 26 pass from Schmitt (Scarr kick)
SHE—Braeden Tomlinson 20 fumble return (Scarr kick)
Fourth Quarter
SHE—Jason Hathaway 2 run (Scarr kick)
Individual Stats
Rushing— SEQ: Jack Wiker 2-17, Miguel Moroles 7-23, Lopaka Yasamura 4-9, Chris Whitaker 4-8. SHE: Josh Gutierrez 8-65, Randy Bauer 5-9, Kaden Schmitt 5-7, McKay Cannon 1-4, Tate Brown 3-41, Jason Hathaway 3-20.
Passing—SEQ: Jack Wiker 11-20-3, 76; Moroles 4-8, 31. SHE: Kaden Schmitt 10-19-1, 163.
Receiving—SEQ: Yasamura 4-37, Christian Miles 3-33, Jon Donahue 1-12, Josiah Anastasi 1-12, Luke Mooney 1-3, Nick Moroles 1-15. SHE: McKay Cannon 2-52, Randy Bauer 2-50, Dalton Nelson 2-31, Cameron Waite 2-17.