TENINO — Tenino had no time to prepare and it didn’t matter as the Beavers delivered a 64-0 drubbing to visiting North Beach Friday at Beaver Stadium.
The Beavers, who were originally scheduled to host rival Rainier, had to find a replacement opponent after Rainier canceled on Thursday morning due to COVID protocol.
In less a matter of hours, Tenino A.D. Joe Chirhart secured an opponent in Class 2B North Beach, a team from the Southwest Washington 2B Football League’s North Division.
Unfortunately, the Hyaks from Ocean Shores were no match for a much larger and more physical Tenino squad. By the time Toby Suess broke free for a 45-yard touchdown run to put the Beavers up 52-0 just two minutes before the half, the game was long over.
“North Beach battled really hard,” Tenino coach Cary Nagel said. “We were just firing on all cylinders again. It was a good night for us. The defense really stepped up and played well. Our young guys played phenomenal.”
The Beavers pulled their starters early in the second quarter and cruised the rest of the way with underclassmen running the offense and defense.
Nagel praised the offensive line for creating monstrous gaps for the running backs, holding blocks and controlling the edges.
Brody Noonan and Kysen Knox, both entrenched in a quarterback battle for the starting spot, are not making Nagel’s decision easy. He expects another week of evaluation before he names the starter heading into league play.
“They both executed exactly what we wanted them to do,” Nagel said. “Overall, it was really good. You give our backs space and they can make things happen.”
Tenino (2-0) travels to Vancouver next Friday to face Seton Catholic (1-1).
