3 takeaways from Yelm’s convincing 34-18 win over Lincoln in 3A non-league matchup
There were fans in the stands again on Friday night at Yelm High School, where the smell of freshly-popped kettle corn lingered in the air. Students decked out in school colors, smiling parents, cheerleaders and fans packed the stands of Yelm’s stadium to watch the team’s season opener against visiting Lincoln High School.
“It was fun,” said Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo. “It was like yelling on the field and the crowd noise behind you is so loud, the players can’t hear you. You’re losing your voice trying to yell and you’re back to a real Friday night football game. So it was fun.”
Fans were treated to a fun matchup and a home team victory. Yelm came out on top 34-18 in a non-league matchup of two teams destined for the 3A playoffs. Here are three takeaways from the Tornados’ win.
BRAYDEN PLATT IS A TONE-SETTER
Get used to hearing the name. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound sophomore is a difference maker at running back and linebacker for Yelm. And colleges are already swirling; Platt holds an offer from UW, and more will surely be rolling in shortly.
On offense, Platt rushed 16 times for 107 yards and three touchdowns, also catching three passes for 26 yards. And defensively, he was everywhere at linebacker making tackles, highlighted by a fourth-and-short stop in the second half, in which Platt completely blew up the play, lighting up the Lincoln running back and forcing a fumble and turnover on downs.
“I take quite a bit (of pride in setting the tone),” Platt said. “I might be younger than them, but we’re all like brothers. We grew up together. We’re all working together.”
Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo said Platt is beyond his years as a sophomore.
“He’s a stud. Even though he’s younger, he’s a leader vocally. He’s a great leader for us on both sides of the ball. The greatest thing about him is his passion and energy. He’s always having fun. He brings out the fun in everybody else. That just makes everyone play faster.”
Platt’s biggest supporter? That might be teammate Kyler Ronquillo, who is Jason’s son.
“I’ve known Brayden since I’ve been seven years old,” he said. “I love him. He’s energy is unmatched. He’s just a playmaker. He really sets the tone and he can really make defenses and offenses pay.”
KYLER RONQUILLO IS ELECTRIC
Speaking of Ronquillo, Yelm leaned on him early in the game, getting the reigning 3A South Sound Conference MVP the ball in space, especially on screen passes, where he had room to work and blocks to use after the catch. Ronquillo, a 5-10, 170-pound junior, is a flat-out playmaker — quick, shifty, fast, strong. And there was question whether he’d even be able to play in Yelm’s opener on Friday, after spraining his ankle the previous Friday, just seven days earlier. He didn’t practice all week, rehabbing his ankle and anxiously trying to make a return for week one.
“On Wednesday, I really saw improvement,” Ronquillo said. “The swelling went down. I had faith. I got some confidence back and kept working from there.”
He led the Tornados with 101 receiving yards on eight catches. With Ronquillo’s ability to stretch the field, combined with Yelm’s rushing attack, there’s a balance and unpredictability that makes Yelm difficult to defend.
“It’s pretty tough,” Platt said. “We have the deep threat, our run game is really strong so you have to be strong in the box, strong outside.”
Jason Ronquillo said he thinks the more balanced Yelm is, the more dangerous they’ll be this season.
“We try to stay balanced,” he said. “I think if we stay balanced, we can keep people on their heels. If a team tries to get us one dimensional, I think that hurts us a little bit. We’ve got weapons all over the field, we just try to utilize it.”
GABARRI JOHNSON HAS SOME MAGIC UP HIS SLEEVE
For the most part, Lincoln struggled to match Yelm’s intensity level. But there were some bright moments and pieces to build on. Junior quarterback Gabarri Johnson, considered a four-star recruit by 247sports.com, threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns. While the performance was a bit up-and-down, the talent there is obvious.
Early in the second quarter, Johnson scrambled out of what looked like a broken play, keeping his eyes downfield to find receiver Khaleel Robinson for a 64-yard touchdown down the left sideline.
Lincoln will need to make the run-game a priority for Johnson to thrive (the Abes managed just 46 total rushing yards in the loss). If Lincoln is able to establish the run, Johnson is going to have some huge games in his final two high school football seasons. On Friday, Robinson hauled in seven catches for a 145 yards and two touchdowns. Ace Falenofoa had three catches for 59 yards, and UW commit Chance Bogan had 52 yards on three catches.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: “We were the underdogs in this game on all the scouting pages. We wanted to prove everyone wrong,” said Yelm receiver Kyler Ronquillo.
This story was originally published September 4, 2021 at 1:03 AM.
