Campau throws two TDs, runs for two more as Timberline tops No. 9 Yelm

Right place. Right time.

Both the Timberline High School Blazers and the Yelm Tornados have put together a season to remember. A season that, as fate would have it, would bring the two together on the final night of the regular season to determine how the Class 3A South Sound Conference would shake out.

A location really doesn’t matter to either program. The two could square off in a gravel parking lot and perform just as well as the grass they actually played on. And, on this rather wet, final evening of regular-season football, the timing was just right as Timberline methodically unfolded a more balanced attack as the game went on, one that eventually earned a 33-13 win Friday at Yelm High School.

With the win, the Blazers (7-2) locked up the league’s No. seed, and at least a share of the league title for the third consecutive season, providing a repeat performance from their convincing win over the Tornados from a year ago, and keeping Yelm (6-3) from clinching its first 3A SSC title. The Tornados instead are the No. 3, with Peninsula sliding in for the top seed with a win over Capital in Purdy.

Timberline coach Nick Mullen affirmed when the Blazers and the Tornados link up, neither the place nor the element make a difference. The game and the history behind it always brings out the best in both programs.

“Jason’s done a really great job with that program,” Mullen said. “We knew they were going to bring it. That’s what we expect when teams like our meet.”

The timing was ideal for Timberline on this night.

It was evident early in the first quarter the night belonged to the Blazers. The Tornados marched down the field with ease on their first drive. Yelm quarter back Kyle Robinson connected with Kodee Gifford for a 20-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes off the clock.

Timberline turned to its senior quarterback Hunter Campau for an answer and he delivered.

Campau marched the Blazers down the field on back-to-back drives for touchdowns. The first was a 2-yard strike to J.J. Graham, and the second was a tuck-and-run scramble of his own. The two scores gave Timberline the 12-7 lead heading to the second quarter.

“This one meant a lot,” Campau said. “We didn’t want to lose because that meant playing for third place, and there was no way we wanted to do that, so our only option was to come out, play hard, get a win. And we did that.”

The score remained the same going into halftime, as both teams traded drives which yielded punts or turnover on downs. Yelm came close to taking the lead in the final minutes of the half. The Tornados went for it on fourth down at the Timberline 5, but Robinson’s pass sailed too high.

Midway through the third quarter, Yelm suffered its fourth of five turnovers. Tornados running back Carson Amendt took a Robinson handoff from the 5-yard line, but he lost control and fumbled the ball back into the hands of the Blazers.

Campau and Jaden Gorman rushed their way into Yelm territory, and Campau finished the drive with a 23-yard keeper, giving Timberline a 19-7 lead.

“I think we threw the ball a lot better than we thought,” Mullen said. “They took Campau away on the ground for a while and I thought he responded really well.”

Gorman earned a touchdown of his own as the fourth quarter got underway, and the Blazers’ 26-7 lead seemed insurmountable.

But Robinson wasn’t done.

In under three minutes, he launched pass after pass down the field, connecting with a variety of receivers. Amendt finished the Tornados’ final scoring drive with a 5-yard run.

As if to put an exclamation point on the game, Campau, with 2:40 left in the game, launched 50-yard pass to Izaiah Jerenz for the touchdown.

“I’m just really proud of these guys,” Campau said. “We didn’t come out with the best start, I struggled a bit, we came together and got the job done.”

On this night, the venue didn’t matter and the timing was perfect for Timberline. The Blazers had to fight to win. Once they figured that out, they were unstoppable.

But the clock doesn’t stop because the regular season is over.

“Oh no,” Timberline cornerback Colton Steepy said. “It’s time to get back to work. This was nice, we should enjoy this and be proud we came out here and did this, but there’s a lot of work to be done. Let’s get to it.”

Y – Kodee Gifford 20 pass from Kyle Robinson 20 (Cody Frye kick)

T – J.J. Graham 2 pass from Hunter Campau (kick failed)

T – Campau 5 run (conversion failed)

T – Campau 23 run (Mason Joubert)

T – Jaden Gorman 2 run (Joubert kick)

Y – Carson Amendt 5 run (conversion failed)

T – Izaiah Jerenz 50 pass from Campau (Joubert kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing: T – Campau 9-14-0-148. Y – Robinson 18-33-0-152.

Rushing: T – Campau 19-105; Gorman 17-81; Stanton Hayes 4-9. Y – Amendt 22-147; Robinson 10-25.

Receiving: T – Jerenz 3-67; Graham 4-45. Y – Austen Osso 6-65; Gifford 4-49; Tristan Pyette 4-31.