Defense potent in Falcon football’s first win

Published 5:06 pm Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Three first-half turnovers by the Granite Falls Tigers led to 17 points for the South Whidbey Falcons en route to a 43-21 win, the first for South Whidbey. 

Early rain in the game made for a soft field and a slick ball. Granite Falls lost three fumbles in the first half as South Whidbey rumbled to a 36-7 lead and cruised to the first win of first-year head coach Chris Tormey’s stint with the Falcons.

A week after failing to score a touchdown against Cedar Park Christian and losing late in the fourth quarter, South Whidbey’s offense looked potent. South Whidbey ran early and often behind senior running back Deven Damerau, who scored twice on runs of 44 yards and 5 yards.

When the Falcons (1-1 Cascade Conference; 1-3 overall) weren’t running, they were taking to the air. Senior quarterback Parker Collins was on the mark, despite the conditions. Collins threw two scores, one to junior receiver Charlie Patterson and one to senior tight end Mo Hamsa, who leaped behind the Tiger defender and ripped it from his hands at the back of the end zone.

Collins also had a pair of short touchdown runs, the first of which seemed to set the tone of the game that included several personal foul and late-hit penalties. After the Falcon quarterback scored in the second quarter, Tiger junior Jacob Bates smashed into him, sending Collins tumbling to the turf. Hamsa rushed to his teammate’s defense, slamming into Bates before the players were separated by their teammates and the referees.

Another late hit later in the second quarter set up Damerau’s second score.

The Falcons’ attack was only outdone by the tenacity of its defense, which recovered three fumbles and recorded one interception. In the closing seconds of the first half, Granite Falls (0-2 Cascade Conference; 1-3 overall) tried a deep pass that Patterson picked off, sending the teams into halftime with South Whidbey ahead 36-7.

All three of Granite Falls’ scores came on big plays. The first Tiger touchdown was a 61-yard toss sweep to senior Mathew Hamilton. On the opening drive of the third quarter, Granite Falls scored in just over two minutes on a few sweep runs that set up another long Hamilton run stopped only by Collins sprinting to the sideline and knocking him out on the 3-yard line. That was followed by Tiger senior Daniel Head punching in the short-yardage touchdown and kicking in the point after try.

South Whidbey scored on its next possession, driving 60 yards for the touchdown toss to Patterson.

Bates torched the Falcons’ secondary with a 52-yard strike to Tiger senior Alex O’Neill.

South Whidbey was able to run out the clock in the fourth quarter behind its rumbling running game.

Having the first league victory under them, the Falcons travel to Everett on Friday to take on Archbishop Murphy (1-1 Cascade Conference; 3-1 overall).