The Pe-Ell Willapa Valley football team rebounded from a tough loss with a hard-fought win over Raymond-South Bend in a C2BL matchup on Friday.
Blake Howard scored the game-tying touchdown and the game-winning two-point conversion with just 2:19 to play to give the Titans a 14-12 win.
While Howard had a nice night and that score on the ground, it was the PWV defense that led the Titans to victory.
Facing a tough RSB option attack, the Titans (5-2, 2-1 C2BL North) were able to limit the Ravens to just 12 points. They had success loading up the box, and they consistently made the right read to shut the play down quickly.
Several players stepped up defensively, including freshman Lucas Lusk, who stepped in to replace the injured Tyson Portmann and had 10 tackles.
Cody Mican had a dozen tackles and two interceptions, and Spud Swogger also had 12 tackles.
“They had some very quick kids and our defense stepped up,” PWV coach Nate Smith said. “Just a hard-played football game … A big game for all these kids, it was good coming out on the winning end of it.”
While the offense only put up 14 points, the Titans were able to move the ball at times. Howard scored both touchdowns and led the team with 74 yards rushing.
Nate Fluke had success through the air, completing 12 of his 18 attempts for 125 yards. Seven of those passes went to Blaine King, who hit triple digits with 119 receiving yards.
Another tough test awaits the Titans next week, as they’ll head to Forks to take on the Spartans.
