Three touchdowns in a six-minute span was all Pe Ell/Willapa Valley needed against Raymond/South Bend on Friday night, as the Titans topped the Ravens 22-0.
Neither team was able to break through in the first two quarters, and six holding penalties from PWV did nothing to help the cause.
“We couldn’t get out of our own way,” Peterson said. “Everything that could have gone wrong in the first half happened. But we kept playing hard, and I thought we kind of wore them out at the end … We said you gotta keep grinding, and we did, so that was good.”
Lucas Lusk finally broke the deadlock midway through the third, catching a 58-yard pass from Brody Magruder.
Minutes later, Eddie Clements broke free for a 25-yard run, and Lusk capped the quarter with a 65-yard touchdown run on the final play of the frame.
Clements finished with 110 yards rushing on 15 carries, and Lusk ended the night with 149 total yards and his two touchdowns.
Lusk was also all over the field defensively, where he tallied 18 total tackles, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Clements added 11 total tackles and a forced fumble of his own.
“Our best players stepped up to the plate, and we expect them to do that,” Peterson said. “I thought that Eddie was great, and Lucas was Lucas.”
Cash Ruddell recovered three fumbles, and both Isaiah Lynch and Roman Dominguez forced a fumble.
By the end of the night, the Titans had forced six RSB fumbles and had recovered five of them.
PWV (1-0) will hit the road for the first time next Friday, Sept. 11, when it travels to Rainier.
