Making the long 338-mile drive from Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho to Roy Anderson Field in Gig Harbor, the Lake City Timberwolves looked to climb back to .500 and move to 2-0 against teams from Washington on the season. For the Gig Harbor Tides, they were playing their third team this season from a third different state as they looked to flush a loss in Laguna Beach last week and get the good vibes back that they had after a comeback win in the Fish Bowl week 1.

Lake City received the opening kick and marched the ball right down the field thanks to running back Brayden Van Leuven and some high percentage throws for quarterback Avery Cherry. Some screen passes moved the ball into Gig Harbor territory. However, a snap issue killed that drive but did force Gig Harbor to start inside their own 10-yard line. After a three-and-out, Lake City once again had a drive stall due to an issue with a snap and pinned the Tides back again. Facing a third down from their own seven-yard line, freshman quarterback Sawyer Hayes fired a quick strike to DJ Darling who would do the rest. Darling broke some tackles as he made his way to the other sideline and up the field for a 93-yard touchdown catch and run. The big play gave the initial lead to Gig Harbor at 7-0.

After getting some snapping issues fixed, the Timberwolves began to move the ball very efficiently down the field. They would take the ensuing drive into the 2nd quarter but the Gig Harbor defense was able to push the T-Wolves back on a run play for Van Leuven. For the first time in the game, Avery Cherry would keep it on a read option and took it up the left side and into the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown. Early in the 2nd quarter, Lake City evened things up at 7-7.

Lake City caught a couple of breaks on a couple of dropped interceptions for the Gig Harbor Tides and took advantage of the extra lives. The Tides had some special teams issues as a snap on a punt hit one of the up-men and was recovered at the 11-yard line for Lake City. A few plays later, Cherry found Caden Tony all alone in the back left corner of the endzone for a five-yard score, giving Lake City their first lead of the game 14-7.

In the battle in the trenches, Lake City was completely dominant. The defensive front got constant pressure of Sawyer Hayes and even did a great job of bottling up Ryland Geldermann. After forcing another punt, Lake City’s Dayton Fletcher followed up a sack with a blocked punt, giving the Timberwolves the ball at the 10-yard line. A hold wiped away a touchdown and Lake City faced a 3rd and goal from the 18-yard line. Cherry would then deliver a bullet to Jacob Hill across the middle and Hill would haul it in for the score. The touchdown just before the half extended the Lake City lead to 21-7 at halftime.

Opening up the second half with the ball, Gig Harbor needed to put something together to give the Tides back some momentum. What they’d get would be their best drive of the game. A long 51-yard run for Geldermann moved the Gig Harbor offense into Timberwolves territory for the first time in the game. The Tides also used some shorter passes to get the ball to their  playmakers and let them do the work after catch. Liam Green had a 19-yard catch while Geldermann also had a 10-yard reception. Inside the 10-yard line, the Tides aired it out and Sawyer Hayes found Liam Green for a six-yard score. The big drive would cut the deficit as a missed PAT made it 21-13.

Momentum carried over to the Tides defense as well after the great drive. Gig Harbor forced a fumble and recovered it to get the Tides the ball back with a chance to tie the game. Geldermann would carry the load on the drive but would get banged up which forced him to miss the backend of the series. Things would then stall for the Tides but Boone Leverett would sneak a 30-yard field goal just inside the left upright to take advantage of the takeaway. After three quarters of play, Lake City’s lead was cut down to 21-16.

While the odd quarters were controlled by Gig Harbor, Lake City dominated the even quarters. With just a five point lead, Lake City responded in a big way. A 30-yard completion from Cherry to Jacob Hill helped the T-Wolves convert a 3rd and long and moved the ball into Gig Harbor territory. Another 11-yard pass to Hill would set up Braden Van Leuven. The sophomore running back snuck his way into the endzone for a 13-yard touchdown to get Lake City some breathing room with a 28-16 lead.

Turnovers really sealed the deal for Lake City. Three turnovers quickly put and end to any comeback opportunity for Gig Harbor. Braden Meredith, Garrett Leonard, and Cade Fledderman all picked off a pass for the T-Wolves defense. The final interception by Fledderman would get returned for a touchdown in the final seconds of the game. The late score made this one look more lopsided than it was, but Lake City would get to make the long trip home with a 35-16 win over Gig Harbor.

Our Cole Health MVP of the game was Avery Cherry for Lake City. The senior quarterback showed off his duel-threat capabilities throughout the game. Cherry went 11-19 passing for 118 yards and two touchdowns while running the ball ten times for 39 yards and a touchdown. Cherry stayed composed through good times and bad for the Timberwolves and was the clear leader on offense. His pocket presence was nearly perfect and gave Lake City the boost they needed to earn a nice road win.

Braden Van Leuven had plenty of work on offense as well for Lake City, carrying the ball 18 times for 59 yards. Receiving wise for the T-Wolves, Caden Tony caught five passes for 27 yards and a score. Jacob Hill had a big second half, finishing the game with four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. Caden Oxenrider and Preston Beamesderfer each caught one pass for 13 yards and 15 yards respectively.

Statistically for Gig Harbor, Ryland Geldermann was the big playmaker on offense. The junior tailback ran the ball 15 times for 104 yards and a touchdown while catching two passes for 21 yards. Sawyer Hayes would finish 11-21 passing for 184 yards and two touchdowns on his first home start. Liam Green was his favorite receiver as he caught five passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. DJ Darling had two catches for 94 yards and a score as well. Taylor Carey added a nine-yard reception while Max Schwab caught a seven-yard pass as well.

With the win, Lake City moves to 2-2 on the season and 2-0 against Washington teams. The Timberwolves will take on another team from the Evergreen state when they travel to Yakima to take on Eisenhower on Friday at 6pm. Gig Harbor drops to 1-2 with their second consecutive loss as they move into league play next week. First up for the Tides in the new Puget Sound League will be a home game as they welcome the Lincoln Abes to town on Friday at 7pm.