Tired of being overlooked, Enumclaw stakes its claim by stunning No. 6 Auburn Riverside

The Enumclaw football team hasn’t had a winning record since 2009, so it’s safe to say Friday’s 30-27 upset victory at home over No. 6 Auburn Riverside is the biggest win the program has had in some time.

The Hornets wore down the Ravens with a rushing attack that gained 268 yards and dominated time of possession. Still, the Ravens, who were 6-0 coming into the game, kept things interesting until the final moments.

In the end, an interception by junior cornerback Anthony Russell with a minute to play sealed the victory.

“Huge,” Enumclaw head coach Mark Gunderson said. “Our kids have kind of had a chip on their shoulder all year. We feel like we play a pretty good brand of football and these kids take a lot of pride in what they do, and the coaches alike. We had a tough break against Todd Beamer.

“People talk about a lot of other teams around here, but never seem to talk about Enumclaw. Our kids take a little offense to that.”

Friday’s victory should get people talking. The Hornets (6-1, 4-1) move into a tie with the Ravens (6-1, 4-1) for first place in the 4A NPSL Olympic Division, but own the head-to-head tie-breaker.

Enumclaw’s lone loss this season came in Week 3, when the Hornets lost 28-27 to Todd Beamer in overtime when senior Kaden Anderson missed an extra point that would’ve have extended the game. The miss was not without controversy, the ball sailed over the left upright and after several seconds of hesitation by the officials, the kick was called no good.

The loss stung, but the Hornets took the lesson in stride.

“We’ve got to finish,” Gunderson said. “There were a lot of plays that decided that game way ahead of that extra point. That was our point of emphasis. Even though that was the one that was highlighted that lost us the game, we shouldn’t have been in that position.”

After a scoreless first quarter, senior running back Bear Kuro opened the scoring with an 8-yard touchdown run, but Auburn Riverside bounced back with two touchdowns later in the quarter and led the Hornets 14-10 at halftime.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, which set up an explosive final stanza.

Kuro’s touchdown early in the fourth quarter gave the Hornets the lead again at 17-14, but he was forced to leave the game with 7:55 to play with an ankle injury.

He finished the game with 98 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.

“Unbelievable,” Gunderson said of Kuro’s performance. “I hope he’s OK, it’s not looking too good right now. It’s really tough for a player of his caliber that is having an amazing season. We’ve really rallied around him, but an incredible effort.”

Junior running back Nicholas Harberts stepped up in Kuro’s absence. Harberts scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 43-yarder that all but put the game away for Enumclaw.

“Bear means a lot to us,” Harberts said. “He’s a huge player on our team, senior, switched positions this year to running back from receiver. Him going down, it was hard to lose him, but we won that for him. That was for him.”

Harberts touchdown put the Hornets ahead 30-20 with less than three minutes to play. Auburn Riverside answered with a 74-yard touchdown pass from Tiano Malietufa to Jaden Robinson, but the Ravens failed to recover the onside kick.

Auburn Riverside forced Enumclaw to punt, but Russell’s interception ended any chance of a Ravens’ comeback.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Tired of being overlooked, Enumclaw stakes its claim by stunning No. 6 Auburn Riverside."