Yelm picks up crucial 16-13 road win against Gig Harbor

Facing a third-and-6 deep in Gig Harbor territory and knowing a first down would seal a road win for the Yelm Tornados against Gig Harbor High at Roy Anderson Field on Friday night, Yelm senior quarterback Kyle Robinson tucked the ball, sprinted to the edge and picked up the first down.

Yelm went on to win, 16-13, bouncing back after a 30-28 loss to Central Kitsap last week. With the rain pouring down in the second half and Gig Harbor’s secondary proving stingy, Yelm committed to imposing its will in the running game.

“Coming into the game, we thought it might come down to which team had a better run game,” said Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo. “We knew the elements would probably play a role. A lot of their skill players are in the secondary for them on defense. When it came down to it, some of the matchups on the edge of their defensive line, we thought we could probably win those matchups. It kind of went into our mindset going into those final drives.”

Yelm’s go-ahead score came early in the fourth quarter, when running back Carson Amendt ran it in from three yards out, putting the Tornados up 16-13. The defense did the rest, holding the lead.

“I thought the defensive gameplan was spot on tonight,” Ronquillo said. “I thought the defense played really well.”

In a deep and competitive Class 3A South Sound Conference, road wins will likely loom large in the playoff picture.

Yelm (2-2 overall, 1-1 SSC 3A) wanted to get back on the right track, after dropping last week’s game to Central Kitsap.

“It was a big win for us,” Robinson said. “A must win. We’re looking to be a playoff team so this was a must-win game for us. Gig Harbor is a good team. ... There were a lot of mental errors for us last week, so we had to cut that down. We cut that down tonight and got a win out of it.”

For Ronquillo, the message in practice after Yelm’s surprising loss last week was simple: Play for each other.

“We needed to stop playing selfish football and think that we’re better than we are and play the game the way it’s meant to be played,” Ronquillo said. “Working for each other rather than being selfish. It was a complete, selfless week for us.”

For Gig Harbor (1-3 overall, 0-2 SSC 3A), the Tides have been held to 20 total points in the team’s first two league games against Timberline and Yelm, but have been in both games, losing by a combined 10 points. Gig Harbor will look to bounce back next week against North Thurston at Roy Anderson Field.

Yelm returns home next Friday to face Capital, which will come into the game with a 4-0 overall record, but has yet to face any of the league’s top teams. Ronquillo said he believes the Tornados are trending in the right direction.

“I think what we learn from it is that everything we take from the week and the mentality part of it — because physically, we’re already there, we’re ready to compete for a playoff spot — but the mental piece of it, being able to play selflessly and play for one another, try to eliminate as many penalties as possible, not work outside of our roles. Just doing what we’re supposed to do, one play at a time, I think that was really the big victory for this game.”

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 11:02 PM.