The Seattle Lutheran Saints drew first blood, and they were last to draw it too.
But in between, Friday Harbor tallied 35 unanswered points and coasted to a victory Saturday at home that wasn’t even as close as the 35-15 final score might suggest.
The Wolverines (3-2) kept the hometown crowd on edge until late in the third quarter with an under-whelming first-half performance against an undersized Seattle Lutheran squad.
Saints running back David Preuett blasted through the Wolverines’ defensive line and scampered 91 yards for a touchdown on the team’s first offensive play of the game. Seattle Lutheran, a 2B school, led 7-0 with less than three minutes off the clock.
It took two possessions and a short punt by Seattle Lutheran late in the opening period before Friday Harbor evened the score on a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by quarterback Michael Ausilio. The junior play-caller completed two passes to wide receiver Cody Price, a 16-yarder and a 14-yard bullet on 3rd-and-12, to help set up the score.
But while the defense had the Saints bottled up, the Wolverines sputtered offensively for the remainder of the half. The score was tied 7-7 at the break.
“We just came out real flat at the beginning,” Head Coach Darrin Scheffer said. “But once they got going, the guys really stepped it up in the second half.”
The Wolverines seized on a pair of miscues by the Saints to gain momentum after intermission. Deep in their own territory, Seattle Lutheran lined up to punt on 4th-and-9 but tried to pass for a first down instead. Friday Harbor senior Michael Knowles broke up the play and the Wolverines took over at the Saints’ 30-yard line.
Running back Austin Scheffer bolted into the end zone two plays later and Friday Harbor led 14-7.
Scheffer picked off a pass at 25-yard line on the Saints next possession and Ausilio put the Wolverines up 21-7 in short order with the second of his three rushing TDs in the game.
Ausilio gained 87 yards on 12 carries and completed 4-of-12 pass attempts for 53 yards, with one interception. Scheffer rushed for 107 yards on 11 carries. Price was 5-of-5 on point-after attempts.
Ausilio and Scheffer added a pair of TDs early in the fourth period and The Wolverines’ lead ballooned to 35-7 with just over nine minutes in regulation. Coach Scheffer emptied the bench.
The Saints tallied the final score of the game on a fumble recovery, but the game, at that point, was out of reach.
Next: The Wolverines host Lynden Christian (2-3) Friday. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
