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LONGVIEW MEMORIAL STADIUM – Mark Morris knew what was coming.
The Monarchs discussed the possibility of an onside kick at halftime Friday night, but when Black Hills sent a high, arching pooch kick into open space, the Mark Morris front line hesitated. That moment of indecision would prove to be a costly lesson in metaphors and physics.
The Wolves recovered at the Monarchs’ 39-yard line, setting up the go-ahead touchdown and the hosts never regained their momentum in a 21-7 non-league victory for Black Hills at Longview Memorial Stadium.
“We talked about it even at halftime that they’re probably going to do some type of onside kick, and we gotta be ready for it,” Mark Morris coach Mike Peck said. “And they did, and we acted like we were surprised.”
Black Hills coach Tom Spray acknowledged the muffled kick was planned, but noted the Wolves benefited from a favorable bounce on the artificial turf.
“We were going to use the pooch down to the 30,” Spray said. “Their guy bailed early, it bounced, and we got a lucky bounce back to us, and we jumped on it.”
That kick recovery gave Black Hills an extra possession to begin the second half and allowed the Wolves to return to their preferred approach of running the football and keeping the Monarchs’ offense on the sideline.
Jesse Keith capped the ensuing possession with a four-yard touchdown run at the 9:23 mark of the third quarter, breaking a 7-7 halftime tie and providing what proved to be the go-ahead score.
Mark Morris responded behind sophomore quarterback Aaron Ibarreta, who opened the next drive with a 27-yard completion to Daniel Kobayashi-Gallagher. Ibarreta mixed short passes with quarterback keepers, including a 13-yard run, as the Monarchs advanced to the Black Hills 5-yard line.
Facing fourth-and-1, Ibarreta took the ball straight up the middle, but multiple Wolves defenders collapsed at the point of attack and stopped him short.
“Fast, physical, nasty. That’s how we play, and we are a bend-don’t-break defense,” Spray said. “When the field gets small, they have less room. That’s advantage Wolves, and we took advantage.”
Black Hills took over with its back against the wall at its own 5-yard line, but quarterback James Ross IV quickly changed the field position. After Jacob Tinsley gained six yards on two carries, Ross kept the football on a read play. Two Mark Morris defenders anticipated the keeper and closed in behind the line of scrimmage, but Ross slipped between them and burst into open field for a 36-yard gain.
The defenders had read the play correctly, but Ross’ quick change of direction allowed him to escape before either could bring him down. Downfield blocking helped turn what appeared to be a potential loss into the longest run of the game. Ross said the Monarchs had begun concentrating on Keith’s inside runs, creating an opportunity for the quarterback to keep the ball.
“Jesse Keith, number two, he was just getting up the gut, up the gut, up the gut, and eventually they bit on him, and then I just kept it,” Ross said.
The Wolves continued their drive into the fourth quarter. Ross extended the possession with a 12-yard completion to Tyson Creekpaum, escaping the pocket before threading a pass through tight double coverage for a first down.
Tinsley finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run, fighting through multiple defenders and continuing to drive his legs into the end zone with 7:23 remaining to give Black Hills the cushion it would enjoy through the final horn.
Tinsley, playing his first full game since returning from an injury sustained earlier this season, finished with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown.
“We got some pretty fresh legs at the halfback position, and we were able to just keep riding those fresh legs all through the game,” Spray said.
Tinsley was happy to find early success as he worked to get his legs back underneath him.
“It was open in the beginning,” Tinsley said of his scoring run. “I had a couple of guys on me, but I just kept driving and was able to make it through.”
Mark Morris threatened again in the fourth quarter as Ibarreta connected repeatedly with Jayden McCann to move the Monarchs downfield. But Ross anticipated a pass intended for Hunter Nelson, intercepted it in the end zone and took a knee for a touchback.
“I knew he was going to throw it to Number Four,” Ross said. “He’s been doing that all game long. Just stayed in my zone, and I got the pick.”
The Monarchs struck first in the opening quarter after Brycen Clark recovered a Black Hills fumble near the Wolves’ 10-yard line. Nelson capitalized on the short field with a one-yard touchdown run on a direct snap out of The Diesel formation at the 4:32 mark. The point after kick put Mark Morris ahead 7-0 and gave the home fans an opportunity to get excited early on.
Mark Morris also produced several defensive highlights. Kayden Leggett sacked Ross as Clark closed in, while Nelson nearly intercepted a pass intended for Jacob Squier, leaping to challenge the throw.
Black Hills answered that early touchdown with a lengthy rushing drive. Tinsley picked up gains of six, nine and 12 yards at a time as the Wolves moved downfield. Then Keith took a quick handoff through an open hole for an untouched touchdown with 10:24 remaining in the second quarter.
Mark Morris had a chance to reclaim the lead before halftime, but Black Hills blocked a 22-yard field-goal attempt to preserve the 7-7 tie and setup the comeback.
Black Hills finished with 216 yards of offense, including 182 rushing. Keith recorded 22 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Ross added 36 net rushing yards, 34 passing yards and the end-zone interception.
The Wolves also lost just one of their six fumbles and were penalized for 50 yards, compared with 65 penalty yards for Mark Morris.
It was the Monarchs’ inability to finish drives that ultimately defined the game. Peck said Mark Morris had three possessions inside the Black Hills 20-yard line that produced no points.
“We’ve done a great job finishing all year,” Peck said. “We had three possessions inside the 20 and got zero points out of it, and the score reflects that.”
Ibarreta agreed that execution was the biggest issue for the Monarchs in just their second loss of the season.
“I don’t really think it was mostly them,” Ibarreta said. “We just weren’t executing very well. We weren’t like ourselves.”
Ibarreta accounted for 162 of Mark Morris’ 175 offensive yards, finishing with 71 rushing yards and 91 passing yards. Kobayashi-Gallagher added 51 receiving yards, while McCann finished with 27.
Peck praised his sophomore quarterback, who has battled a shoulder injury since the season opener and was finally comfortable running more frequently.
“That was a gutsy performance,” Peck said. “He’s been injured all year since game one, and he’s been battling through that shoulder injury.”
Mark Morris also entered the contest with a newly assembled offensive line, prompting the coaching staff to adjust its approach. The Monarchs sought to create favorable rushing numbers by spreading the Black Hills defense and using an additional blocker to give Ibarreta room to run.
Peck said the group is still developing chemistry but showed promise against the Wolves.
“I thought those kids battled really well, and they’re only going to continue to get better up front,” Peck said. “They just need a little bit more time to develop.”
Up Next
Mark Morris (4-2) travels to Ridgefield next Friday to open 2A Greater St. Helens League play at 7 p.m. The Monarchs will host Woodland at Longview Memorial Stadium, Friday, Oct. 23.
Black Hills (4-2) hosts W.F. West to open 2A EvCo play at Otton Stadium next Friday at 7 p.m. The Wolves will face Tumwater at their shared home field at 7 p.m. Oct. 23.
