HS Football: Curtis starts slow fends off upset minded Bethel to go to 3-0

9/15/2023

Curtis 35, Bethel 20

(University Place, WA) Don’t sleep on the Bethel Bison is the lesson folks should be taking from their 35-20 loss at undefeated Curtis. Bethel showed out of the gates that they would run the ball and play tough defense and the Bison had stopped the high powered Vikings offense to 0 points through the 1st quarter with a 3 and out, a fumble and a 4 play drive that ended with a punt.

On Bethel’s 3rd drive they went 85-yards in 5 plays highlighted with a 35-yard run by Elijah Pula capped off with a 9-yard sprint into the endzone from Roy Lockley III, Jayden Miller knocked through the PAT and it was 7-0 with 51-seconds to play in the 1st.

Curtis would answer with a pair of touchdowns with QB Rocco Koch hitting Micah Yanos on a 44 yard TD strike with 9:25 to go in the half to even it at 7-7. The defense came up with a big fumble on their own 47-yard line when Kock hit Parker Mady on a 42-yard pass and on the following pass found Xavier Ahrens with a nifty catch in the back of the endzone for the 14-7 lead.

The Vikings Micah Yanos who was named our MVP and clinched it with a big interception with just 1:07 left to play in the half denying Bethel the chance to tie it at the half.

Bethel began with the ball in the 2nd half and had a nice drive going when they tried a little flat pass but the Vikings Kane Able timed his jump perfectly and picked off the short pass and returned it to the Bethel 41. 3 plays later Koch found Ahrens again to go up 21-7. The Vikings then added a 39-yard Koch TD run and another Koch TD pass this time to Mady and with 5:40 to play in the game to clinch it leading 35-14 at that point.

The Bison found the endzone in between those scores with a tremendous pass from QB Vashon Igitol to Zaydrius Rainey-Sale for a 24-yard strike. Bethel added a late score when Lockley slammed in from the 3 but the last PAT was blocked for the final 35-20 score.

Stats in the game saw Bethel run the ball for 244 yards with a pair of 100-yard rushers, Pula finished with 101 and Lockley had 136 with 2 TD’s. Igitol was 8-13 for 79 yards a TD and 2 picks, Rainey-Sale led the receivers with 2 catches for 42 yards and a score. The Bison racked up 323 total offensive yards.

Curtis finished the game with 368 total yards including a huge 244 in the 2nd half. Rocco Koch led the way on the ground with 17 carries for 155 yards and a TD and a fumble. Koch finished the night throwing for 190 yard on 10 of 14 and 4 TD’s. Ahrens had 3 catches for 74 yards and 2 scores, Mady hauled in 72 yards and a TD and Yanos had 1 TD on the 44 yard 1st score.

Curtis is now 3-0 and will host Emerald Ridge next Friday while the Bison drop to 1-2 and will look to even their record at next week at Rogers.

For more on this game listen to the ESN Post Game Show just below plus interviews and video highlights.

ESN Post Game Show