Originally published September 21, 2018 at 10:30 pm Updated September 21, 2018 at 11:50 pm
The Hornets made a few big plays and played some stifling defense to hold off the Ravens 21-7.
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By Matt Massey
Special to The Seattle Times
Slow to get going, but rolling at the finish.
Seventh-ranked Enumclaw saved its best for last, including a stifling defense, after a slow start to claim a 21-7 victory over Auburn Riverside in a NPSL Mountain Division opener on Friday night at Enumclaw Stadium.
It took a punt-return touchdown and a successful fake punt to put a jolt into an ordinary-looking Enumclaw team in a big game. Senior running back Nick Harberts, a 6-foot, 210-pounder, finished with 75 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, but it was the jitter-bugging Jackson McCann’s 65-yard punt-return TD that provided the real spark for an early 7-0 lead.
“That’s so huge, one big play like that from a player turns the whole game around and changes the momentum,” said Harberts, who at linebacker also helped lead a strong defensive effort that limited the Ravens to 57 yards after halftime. “It’s huge. It’s the biggest play out there. We just stepped it up and performed how we’re supposed to perform.”
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McCann breathed life into a punt-filled opening 12½ minutes, giving Enumclaw a 7-0 lead on the 65-yard, punt-return touchdown. McCann juked a pair of Ravens defenders near midfield en route to a crowd-pleasing burst for a TD up the right sideline. The score came with 11:26 left in the second quarter, and the Hornets’ offense sitting on 14 yards total, no first downs and seven combined punts by the teams.
“I just try to come in and make a big play and try to impact the game as much as I can,” said McCann, a 5-9, 165-pound junior. “It was just trusting my instincts and running hard.”
Enumclaw coach Mark Gunderson said, “He’s an electric type player.”
It took another response for the Hornets (4-0) to get back on track after Auburn Riverside (3-1) quickly tied it at 7-7.
The Ravens’ Javon Forward picked off a deep pass by Enumclaw quarterback Kellen Kranc on third-and-11 from the Hornets’ 23-yard line. Forward (who had 87 rushing yards on 15 carries) weaved his way to the end zone for a 45-yard TD return to knot the game at 7-7 with 6:59 left in the second half.
The Hornets regained the lead 14-7 thanks to a gamble on fourth-and-two on their own 47-yard line with about four minutes left in the first half. The direct snap to Kale Engebretsen on the fake punt saw Engebretsen take off over the right side for a 25-yard run and the team’s first first down of the game.
Five plays later, Harberts bounced into the end zone for a 2-yard TD with 2:55 left in the first half. Harberts ... Click here to read full article
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