SEQUIM — For one week at least, Sequim had the best scout-team player in the Olympic League.
Two-way star Frank Catelli simply had no other way to help his team win tonight’s home football matchup against North Mason.
After receiving a controversial ejection in the third quarter of last week’s 34-6 win over Bremerton, the 6-foot-3 senior quarterback/linebacker was forced out of this week’s Olympic League contest as well.
Thus, he was forced to play the role of North Mason quarterback Tommy Renne on the scout team offense and linebacker Brody Stromberg on the defense in Wolves’ practices.
Considering Catelli is a leading front-runner for league MVP honors, the fifth-ranked Wolves (2-0 in league, 4-0 overall) couldn’t have asked for a much better reproduction.
“It’s good. I get to give the starters a good look, prepare them, make them better,” said Catelli, who declined to comment on the incident that led to his suspension.
“Our team is going to do good. We have a strong backup [in starting running back, Jack Wiker]. We’ll be fine.”
Of course, that might be easier to accept if Sequim wasn’t also missing three other key players for tonight’s 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Wolves will also be without wide receiver Christian Miles, running back Kenny Henning and linebacker Lopaka Yasumura after all three were injured during last week’s game against Bremerton, one Sequim head coach Erik Wiker said was marred by cheap shots.
Miles and Henning were taken away from the stadium in ambulances after suffering concussions.
Meanwhile, Yasumura is out after suffering an injury of his own on a special teams play several yards away from the ball, according to Erik Wiker.
“It was pathetic,” he said. “There was a lot of hitting away from the ball and lots of stuff that shouldn’t have happened.”
Erik Wiker said all of the ugliness began with the incident that spurred Catelli’s ejection.
Tackled on a play during an early third quarter drive, Catelli was allegedly held down and punched by a Bremerton player at the bottom of a dogpile.
The Sequim senior then responded by trying to kick his way out of the pile, Erik Wiker said.
After the officials conferred for several minutes, they decided to boot Catelli from the game.
Per WIAA rules, that made him ineligible for tonight’s game against North Mason.
“That was frustrating because it was due to somebody being cheap,” Wiker said.
“It wasn’t like he got up and kicked him.
“Almost any person in the world would have done [what Catelli did]. You could say he reacted poorly, but I think anybody would have.
“He was being almost held down and punched.”
Sequim has the play on film, but athletic director Dave Ditlefsen could not submit it as part of an appeal to the WIAA because it will not take video evidence.
Even if that weren’t the case, judgment calls cannot be overturned by the state’s high school sports governing body.
Thus, a game against winless North Mason (0-2, 0-4) that would have been easily penciled in as a win a week ago now has a shadow of doubt cast over it.
Although, that’s just for everyone, “outside of the fence.”
While Erik Wiker conceded that his team will be different with all of the replacements, he said he’s confident his Wolves can beat the Bulldogs for the ninth straight time since 2004.
“We always roll,” he said.
“We believe in everybody that’s out there. We’re going to go and do our thing like we always do, it’s just adversity. You gotta step up to the challenge.”
While Jack Wiker has never started at quarterback for the Wolves, he’s not new to the position either.
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound junior has already played some under center this season in Sequim’s shotgun spread attack.
He was also the team’s signal caller during spring practices.
“I’m excited, it will be fun,” said Jack Wiker, the team’s leading rusher with 259 yards and eight TDs.
“I think it’s unfortunate that it happened, but like our coaches say, we don’t rely on one person. We’ll be fine. It’s just unfortunate, but we can work around it.”
C.P. Christian at Port Townsend
■ Time: Tonight at 7.
■ Last meeting: Cedar Park Christian 57-6 win in Bothell, Oct. 1, 2010.
■ Records: Port Townsend, 0-2, 0-4; Cedar Park Christian, 0-2, 2-2.
■ At stake: The Redskins welcome the Eagles to Memorial Field tonight in a game that features a pair of teams looking for their first Class 1A Nisqually League wins.
The two have faced one common opponent in Charles Wright, which beat the Redskins 47-14 and the Eagles 22-9.
Port Townsend has lost 14 straight dating back to the end of the 2009 season.
Port Angeles
at Olympic
■ Time: Tonight at 7.
■ Last meeting: Port Angeles 55-25 win in Port Angeles, Oct. 1, 2010.
■ Records: Olympic, 1-1, 1-3; Port Angeles, 2-0, 4-0.
■ At stake: Port Angeles ended a four-game losing streak to the Trojans with last year’s blowout win at Civic Field.
Now the eighth-ranked Riders head to Silverdale Stadium tonight looking to maintain a hold on the top spot in the Olympic League following a pair of 20-point home wins against Bremerton and Kingston.
Forks at Onalaska
■ Time: Tonight at 7.
■ Last meeting: Onalaska 52-15 win in Forks, Oct. 1, 2010.
■ Records: Forks 1-1, 1-3; Onalaska 0-2, 0-4.
■ At stake: New Forks head coach Mark Feasel and company got their first win out of the way last week at Rochester, 30-20.
Repeat that performance tonight at Onalaska, and the Spartans will find themselves in the thick of the SWL-Evergreen Division playoff race.
Crescent at Highland Christian
■ Time: Tonight at 7.
■ Last meeting: Crescent 52-6 win in Joyce, Oct. 2, 2010.
■ Records: Highland Christian, 1-2, 1-3; Crescent 1-1, 2-2.
■ At stake: The Loggers travel to Arlington tonight to take on Northwest Football League doormat Highland Christian.
The Eagles last non-forfeit league victory came during the 2009 season against Clallam Bay.
After starting off with three losses on the field — their lone win was a Muckleshoot forfeit — they host a Crescent team still smarting from last week’s 54-17 loss at Lummi.
Neah Bay at Rainier Christian
■ Time: Saturday at noon.
■ Last meeting: This is the first.
■ Records: Rainier Christian, 0-3 in league and overall; Neah Bay, 3-0, 3-1.
■ At stake: The No. 3 Red Devils will see a live opponent after getting a week off with Tuesday’s forfeit win over Muckleshoot.
They take on a 2B Rainier Christian squad that, although winless, is coming off a pair of narrow losses.
That includes a 28-20 triple overtime defeat at the hands of Clallam Bay two weeks ago.
Lopez Island
at Quilcene
■ Time: Saturday at 1 p.m.
■ Last meeting: Unknown.
■ Records: Quilcene, 1-1, 2-1; Lopez, 2-0, 2-0.
■ At stake: After a week off, the Rangers host Lopez Island in a game with Northwest Football League playoff implications.
While Quilcene has lost one game — a 52-24 setback at Evergreen Lutheran — Lopez is unbeaten and can firmly establish itself in the upper half of the league with a win.
The Rangers, however, would like to get another in the win column with state-ranked Lummi and Neah Bay still on the schedule.
Chimacum
at Life Christian
■ Time: Saturday at 7 p.m.
■ Last meeting: Life Christian 14-13 win in Port Townsend, Oct. 1, 2010.
■ Records: Life Christian, 1-1, 2-2; Chimacum, 0-2, 0-4.
■ At stake: After a two-game gauntlet through the 1A Nisqually League elite — losses to Cascade Christian and Orting — the Cowboys take on the Eagles.
Chimacum has managed just two touchdowns so far this fall and will receive another stiff test in Life Christian — widely considered a state playoff contender at the start of the season.