At halftime against Pe Ell/Willapa Valley, the Rainier football team was holding onto a four-point lead.
The Mountaineers had the chance to take control of the game in the second half, and they did just that, shutting the Titans out after the break and pulling away for a 34-16 victory.
“We ran out of time in Week 1,” Rainier coach Andy Bartell said, referring to Rainier’s near comeback against Tenino. “For us to come out and dominate this game the way they did, it is a huge boost of confidence that they can win games on Friday nights.”
PWV got on the board first with a 20-yard touchdown run from Lucas Lusk, but the Mountaineers responded with three straight touchdown runs of their own. Two came from Zander Bartell, and the third came from Ryan O’Neil to put Rainier up 20-8.
The Titans did get a touchdown in the waning moments of the first half, when Brody Magruder connected with Lusk for a 60-yard passing touchdown that made it 20-16 at the half.
At halftime, the Mountaineers talked about eating the clock, and in the third quarter, they did just that.
They went on a nine-minute drive, and Keagin Howell capped it off with a touchdown run from six yards out.
“In a game where you have the lead, it’s a huge advantage,” Andy Bartell said. “Huge credit to the O-line, they played their butts off.”
The Titans began to try to respond with scoring drives of their own, but every time they seemed to be making headway, a negative play would send them backwards.
On one drive in the second half, the Titans committed four straight penalties, a mark that irked PWV coach John Peterson.
“We would do things in spurts,” Peterson said. “We have to try to make steady gains, and we didn’t.”
In the fourth, Rainier ran in another touchdown, the final score coming from Tanner Dow.
By the end of the game, the Mountaineers had run for 177 yards and five touchdowns.
“We cleaned up the snap counts,” Andy Bartell said. “Our linemen were getting the advantage, and that was a big part as to why this game was a success for us.”
In addition to the penalties, PWV’s offense was also set back because of Rainier’s relentless effort and ability to get into the backfield.
Bartell said that his defense started in a 4-2-5 look with his defensive line in a three-point stance, which gave the Titans trouble throughout.
Kaynen Barger had a pair of tackles for loss, and as a team, the Mountaineers finished with four sacks.
Zander Bartell finished with 84 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while O’Neil finished with 105 yards through the air.
Lusk finished with 99 total yards and two touchdowns, Eddie Clements added 14 tackles (eight solo) and Odin Seeley finished with 11 tackles (seven solo).
“I thought our guys played really, really hard, and I was proud of them,” Peterson said. “They’re a good team, and it was a good game for about two and a half quarters. But they’re bigger than us, and in the second half, they just ran over us.”
PWV (1-1) will look to bounce back next Friday, Sept. 18, in Hoquiam while Rainier (1-1) will head towards the coast to face Raymond/South Bend in South Bend.
