Welcome back to 2A, Orting.
Even after spending seven season playing 1A ball, Orting still appears to know how to win in the 2A level as its first league game in the SPSL resulted in a 42-21 victory against the defending co-league champion Franklin Pierce on Friday night at Franklin Pierce.
Though Franklin Pierce was projected by many to be in the hunt for another SPSL 2A title this season, it couldn’t find a way to stop Orting’s touted running game.
“It was big for our kids to see we belong in the 2A and the SPSL,” Orting coach Marty Parkhurst said. “Because we do belong. We just went out and competed against the defending league champions. That’s a really important win for our program.”
Orting (3-0, 1-0 SPSL) rushed for 305 yards with Jaysen Yoro leading the way with 17 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
His brother, Christian Yoro, added 81 yards and two more scores.
“This gives us a lot of momentum,” Jaysen Yoro said. “Now we know we can do well in this league and we are going to show them who the Cardinals really are.”
By that he meant the Cardinals of Orting. Not so much the Franklin Pierce Cardinals, who had too many penalties and turnovers to keep themselves in the game.
Franklin Pierce committed nine penalties for 90 yards. It also turned the ball over three times with fumbles and twice with interceptions – not including a botched snap on an attempted punt that led to Orting starting with the ball on the Franklin Pierce 7-yard line in the third quarter.
Orting was moved back on a penalty but still took advantage of the good field position with a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Grzelak to Gunnar Hinds on third down.
The score put Orting up 28-7 in the third quarter.
“We were our own worst enemy from the get-go,” Franklin Pierce coach Howard Lutton said. “We had some struggles and they rode well on some big momentum swings.”
Orting’s previous 2A game was in 2005 in the 2A state playoffs. Orting reached state seven times between 1997 and 2005.
“This game shows that maybe we are in the mix for the league championship,” Parkhurst said. “I’m proud they way our guys fought through some pain, exhaustion and adversity.”
Christian Yoro scored both of his TDs in the first half, with his first putting Orting on the scoreboard with a 16-yard run, but the extra point failed.
Franklin Pierce answered on its first play of the second quarter. Daimoni Delavergne surged 30 yards down the field, juked an Orting defender near the goal line and scored to put his team up 7-6. It was his first carry of the game.
The lead didn’t last too long.
Christian Yoro took a double reverse handoff from Jaysen Yoro on Orting’s next possession and ran into the end zone from 34 yards as Orting took a 14-7 lead.
Franklin Pierce (1-2, 0-1 SPSL) was led by running back Samuel Mintah, who rushed 18 times for 126 yards and scored once. Delavergne had two touchdowns.
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