Ok, ok I know this isn't probably what you all want after months and months of neglect, but I promise I'll catch up. I just had to share this. Layne Hellem is my nephew. This picture was on the front page of the sports section back home with my post title in huge letters over the grassy part of the picture. Now I just have to figure out how to put a bug in Leach's ear without being one of those crazy fans. Haha. I know Layne would love to come here (to WSU) and I would love to get him here. I would collect cans to get enough money for season tickets if he played.
Anyway, enjoy the article until I can get a proper update. (Hopefully next week.)
Or maybe, what with the particular terminology regarding the moon's second full appearance in August, the Tigers had just heard enough about the color blue.
Either way, Layne Hellem ran absolutely wild and his team followed suit with a 55-21 win over Central 2B League rival Adna to open both teams' 2012 football campaigns Friday night.
Hellem piled up 225 yards on 21 carries and scored six touchdowns — the final four of which came in the first 13 minutes of a second half in which Napavine outscored Adna 30-7.
"They flat ran over us," Adna coach K.C. Johnson said. "I know a lot of that was just porous D, but you've got to hand it to Napavine and Layne Hellem. The way he runs behind those hogs is just impressive."
Hellem picked up 136 yards in the second half — including a 31-yard scoring run, a 60-yard run and a 1-yard touchdown plunge in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter.
"Layne knows he's going to carry the mail," Fay said. "We're going to ride him."
The 6-foot, 180-pound senior handled the assignment just fine.
"I was kind of coming out flat in the first half," he said, his 89 yards and two scores before halftime notwithstanding. "But I turned it on on in the second."
He was also quick to credit his line, which provided him with running space all evening.
"Our line can just destroy people," he said. "That's the biggest line in the league, if not the state."
"He's always been an awesome runner," said Brad Garnas, at 270 pounds the biggest piece of that line. "All I know is, you give Layne the ball and he's going to run hard."
The Tigers were not, however, in control from the start. Adna took the opening kickoff and covered 52 yards on three plays — with 22- and 29-yard runs from Cole Young, the latter of which ended in the end zone — for a 7-0 lead just 75 seconds into the game.
Napavine answered with a 4-minute, 69-yard drive, capped with Hellem's first score. Adna went back to work, moving quickly and covering plenty of ground on big runs from Young, Jared Olson and Mike Thompson, taking a 14-7 lead on a 2-yard Olson run with 4 minutes left in the first quarter.
"We really tried to stay calm," Fay said. "I was questioning our conditioning, and hoping we'd weather it — and we did."
Napavine cut it to 14-13 in the second quarter on a 60-yard scoring run from Jordan Hartley, and Adna's next drive was derailed by a fumble on a reverse play. The Tigers recovered, marched 67 yards and scored on a 1-yard run from Hellem.
The Pirates' next trip downfield resulted in a sack and another lost fumble, which Napavine again turned into a touchdown drive — this time with quarterback David Grace tossing a 16-yard scoring pass to tight end Morgan Cozart.
Hellem's first two second-half scores were sandwiched around a 54-yard kickoff return touchdown by Olson, which turned out to be the Pirates' last score of the evening. Their next drive ended with a fumbled snap on fourth-and-goal from the Tiger 8-yard line. After another Hellem touchdown, the Tigers blocked a punt and recovered on Adna's 10-yard line just before the third-quarter whistle.
"We stopped ourselves, and let it get out of hand," Johnson said. "We had the turnovers, and the blocked punt. Our youth showed, and we panicked a little.
"It’s hard to judge that one by the score," he added.
Adna ran for 295 yards, with Young tallying 99 on seven carries. Quarterback Cooper Zurfluh picked up 63 rushing yards, Thompson picked up 64 yards on six totes and Olson covered 45 yards on seven carries.
"I'm not going to complain about our offense," Johnson said. "I thought we played really well. But defensively, obviously, we've got to figure it out. That was not good."
Jordan Hartley finished with 113 yards on seven carries for Napavine, and sophomore Jensen Lindsay picked up 82 yards on 11 runs.
"Jensen really helped out. That was big for us," Fay said. "And David (Grace) being able to be an efficient passer really helped tonight."
Sophomore linebacker Julian Rodriguez, he added, gave the team a nice defensive spark.
"Adna's a good football team," he said. "Whether it's luck or talent, being able to get that win — just the league implications are huge."
And, regardless of the moon's hue, the Tigers followed through on their pregame conversation.
"It was definitely something we'd wanted," Hellem said, of beating Adna. "It feels good."
Notes: Adna will host top-ranked Morton-White Pass on Friday, while Napavine will play at Pe Ell. Both games are Central 2B League contests. … The Tigers recorded six sacks in the contest, without allowing any. ... The Tigers’ 55 points were the most scored against Adna since Johnson took over as head coach in 2002.
At Napavine
TIGERS 55, PIRATES 21
Adna 14 0 7 0 —21
Napavine 7 18 23 7 —55
Scoring Summary
ADN — Cole Young 29-yard run; Lane Wasson kick
NAP — Layne Hellem 4-yard run; Zach Rotter kick
ADN — Jared Olson 2-yard run; Wasson kick
NAP — Jordan Hartley 60-yard run; kick fail
NAP — Hellem 1-yard run; run fail
NAP — David Grace Morgan Cozart, 16-yard pass; pass fail
NAP — Hellem 31-yard run; Grace to Hartley pass
ADN — Olson 54-yard kickoff return; Wasson kick
NAP — Hellem 1-yard run; Grace to Hartley pass
NAP — Hellem 5-yard run; Rotter kick
NAP — Hellem 2-yard run; Rotter kick
Team Stats ADN NAP
First Downs 14 18
Rushing Yards 295 493
Passing Yards 2 40
Total Yards 297 533
Comp-Att-Int 2-6-0 3-8-0
Fumbles/Lost 3/3 2/0
Penalties/Yards 3/25 0/0
Individual Stats
Rushing: ADN — Young 7/99, Cooper Zurfluh 16/63, Olson 7/45; NAP — Hellem 21/225, Hartley 7/113, Jensen Lindsay 11/82
Passing: ADN — Zurfluh 2-6/2; NAP — Grace 3-8/40
Receiving: ADN — Tucker Coleman 1/4; NAP — Lindsay 1/16, Cozart 1/16
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