The Auburn Riverside football team might be known more for its rushing game than its air assault, but one thing has become clear in the early season: Quarterback John Hakala and wide receiver Dalton Thomas have a nice thing going.
The two connected on a game-winning fade three weeks ago against Kent-Meridian.
On Friday in a nonleague game against Beamer, Hakala and Thomas struck again.
And, once again, it was on the fade.
This time, Hakala found Thomas in the left corner of the end zone on a 29-yard strike with eight minutes remaining, helping the Ravens (2-1) upend the Titans, 21-14.
“They practice it quite a bit,” Auburn Riverside coach Bob Morgan said. “They know that we’re about an 80-percent running team, so when they get the call, they want to make the best of it.”
And Friday, the Auburn Riverside duo did just that, finding each other five times for 69 yards in the nonleague win. Matter of fact, the game winner was the second time Hakala found Thomas as they alsoconnected for a 24-yard score in the first quarter, giving the Ravens an early 7-0 lead.
Beamer tied the game 7-7 late in the third quarter on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Tyair Love to Travis Koch. Auburn Riverside running back Corey Carson responded with a 1-yard touchdown run with just less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, helping the Ravens re-take the lead, 14-7. Carson led all rushers with 70 yards on 16 carries.
Beamer, with a connection of its own, responded moments later when Love found Koch again, this time on a 70-yard touchdown strike, tying the game 14-14 at the end of the third quarter.
That only set the stage for the Hakala-to-Thomas fade.
“(Beamer’s) defense wasn’t getting set up very fast,” Jones noted. “We didn’t do the motion that we usually do and I think we caught them off the guard.”
• Peninsula 36, Auburn Mountainview 12: Quarterback Cody McNeil and wide receiver Darius Elliot-Free connected for a pair of touchdowns, one for 31 yards out and the other from 22, but it wasn’t enough for the Lions (1-2) in an SPSL 3A loss to Peninsula (2-1).
• Federal Way 38, Kentridge 18: The Chargers (1-2) rolled up 303 yards of total offense, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Federal Way (2-1) in a South Puget Sound League North Division loss.
Kentridge’s Devin Topps provided the defensive play of the night, turning a fumble recovery into a 30-yard touchdown. But it was too little, too late for Chargers, who will travel to Bethel on Thursday for a nonleague game.
• Kentlake 30, Jefferson 6: Tayler Angevine rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown and added another score on a third-quarter punt return, helping the Falcons (3-0) remain perfect in the SPSL South.
Jefferson (0-3) continues to struggle. The Raiders have been outscored a combined 114-46 in their three losses.
