Solid Renton rushing and a tepid Spartan offensive output combined to wear down the Bainbridge defense Friday evening, as the good guys succumbed by a 16-9 count on the road.
“We had some opportunities there,” Coach Andy Grimm said. “If we could have scored in the second or third quarter, we could have turned things around. We just weren’t executing on offense.”
That was true early for both teams, as they traded first-quarter safeties.
The Indians surrendered two points on the game’s first series, when an errant snap sailed into the end zone and was punched out of play before swarming Spartans could pounce on it.
Bainbridge’s miscue came when quarterback Joe Picha, pressured in his own end zone, threw to an ineligible receiver and was flagged for grounding.
Renton’s sole offensive points of the quarter came on a run by tailback Laveil Wadkins; a poor snap foiled the try for point.
Hard-hitting defense and offensive ineptness prevailed in the middle two quarters, as the teams traded turnovers and punts to no avail.
Fresh legs finally turned the tide for Renton in the final frame. Switching from receiver to tailback, speedy Tay Proctor-Mills rallied the Indians with 76 yards on eight carries, leading to their final touchdown and a late 16-2 lead.
Bainbridge countered with about two minutes left in the contest, as Grant Leslie hit Scott Rasmussen for a 10-yard strike to narrow the score to 16-9.
But an onside kick was recovered by Renton, who ground out a first down and then kneed out the clock.
Picha and Leslie finished the game a combined seven of 24 for 90 yards passing. Receiver Mike Ersser caught three passes for 64 yards.
Spotty blocking, nagging injuries and the continued absence of halfback Nick Linne contributed to a makeshift ground game for the Spartans.
Fullback Andrew Shelton led Bainbridge rushers with 44 yards on 10 carries, while Zach Kornfeld and Angelo Ritualo each earned 25 yards on nine tries.
End Mike North was a mainstay of the Spartan defense, contributing on 13 tackles. Matt Draper was in on 11, and Zach Ainsley and August Katzer tallied eight apiece.
Ainsley also recorded a quarterback sack.
Ritualo and Ersser each had interceptions, while Katzer and Zach Townsend recorded fumble recoveries.
The loss dropped the Spartans for 1-2 on the young season. Bainbridge hosts the Trojans of Fife this Friday at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium; the Fife corps comes to town bruised after a 56-0 beating by powerful Kennedy last week.
Rainer Beach 42, Bainbridge JVs 7 – Long catch-and-runs by the Vikings’ big-play offense overwhelmed the Spartans in their season opener. The lone Bainbridge score came on a first-half C.J. Hall throw to Sean Callahan, who nabbed the ball in the end zone after taking a punishing hit. Coach Mike Roe credited the Spartans with good defense against the run. “The thing Rainier Beach had was some pretty good athletes, and some pretty good speed we just couldn’t deal with,” Roe said. The team travels to Fife next Monday for a 5 p.m. kickoff.
Blanchet 28, Bainbridge freshmen 26 in OT – In their first action of the season, the frosh lost an overtime thriller on the Braves’ turf. Nick Stone went to the races on special teams for the Spartans, returning both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns. Max Kauffman and Bryan Gilbreath also scored for Bainbridge. The squad travels to O’Dea this Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. contest.
