Trailing by eight with one play left before halftime against Aberdeen, W.F. West coach Dan Hill dug into his bag of tricks.
Sophomore quarterback Wyatt Hoffman handed the ball off to his back, who pitched it back to a receiver running across the formation in the other direction, who then pitched it back to Hoffman.
“We’ve been practicing that play,” Hoffman said. “Holden (Kunz) was just wide open in the corner (of the end zone). I just had to make sure I got it to him.”
The reverse flea-flicker worked to perfection. It not only tied the game before halftime, but it kickstarted a W.F. West offense that piled on after the break in a 56-21 victory.
The Bearcats (4-1, 1-0 2A EvCo) scored four touchdowns in the third quarter, including three from running back Miles Martin. Including the touchdown before half, W.F. West scored 36 points in a span of just 11:51 of game time.
“The first half, we played like boys,” Hill said. “I think we grew up tonight. I think we’re starting to play like young men. They answered the challenge … When we execute and do what we’re supposed to do, that’s what we can do. I’m proud of how they responded.”
As a unit, the Bearcats finished with 512 total yards.
Martin also scored a touchdown in the first half, and in addition to his four scores, he tallied 169 total yards. Hoffman finished 18 for 27 with 293 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Connor Coleman had 75 yards on two catches, Jalen Amoroso had 61 yards on two receptions, and they both hauled in touchdowns. Holden Kunz also scored, and he finished with 40 yards on three grabs.
It’s another impressive performance for an offense that has only gotten better as the season has gone on.
After scoring just 15 points in a Week 1 loss against North Kitsap, the Bearcats have since averaged 45 points per game. Hoffman is building a potential MVP case, as he’s tallied more than 1,400 total yards and 16 touchdowns in that stretch.
“Our offense has started clicking,” Hoffman said. “We understand each other’s assignments now. The coaches have done a phenomenal job getting us aligned and knowing our jobs … I think our team has been doing a great job moving forward.”
The defense also improved in the second half, shutting out the Bobcats after they scored 21 points in the second quarter.
One touchdown came on an 80-yard run, but the other were two long touchdown passes on W.F. West coverage busts.
“We started communicating, and we got those fixed,” Hill said.
The Bearcats have now won four games in a row, and they’ll head to Battle Ground next week looking to make it five. After that, they’ll attempt to extend their Swamp Cup win streak, and then they’ll head north to face Tumwater in a meeting that will likely determine the EvCo champion and could have massive state seeding implications.
“The confidence keeps growing,” Hill said. “These guys are starting to understand what we’re capable of … The ceiling is just going to continue to rise, and we’ll go as far as they can take us. I’m excited to keep playing football and see what they do.”
