Walla Walla defense swarms Kennewick to get 1st win

Starting out the 2017 football season 0-3 didn’t bode well for Edwin Romero-Virrey and his Walla Walla Blue Devils teammates.

“We just wanted to hit tonight,” said the Wa-Hi linebacker, who at times looked like a battering ram Friday night while leading his team to a 20-3 Mid-Columbia Conference victory over host Kennewick at Lampson Stadium. “We knew we were aggressive enough to get to their quarterback.”

That last sentence was the understatement of the night.

Wa-Hi sacked Kennewick quarterback Tim Gee eight times, keeping the Lions from moving the ball at all.

Romero-Virrey led the way with four of those QB sacks.

Wa-Hi Coach Eric Hisaw liked what he saw in his team, now 1-3 overall and 1-1 in MCC play.

“That was the defensive team that we thought we’d be this season,” he said. “We played with relentless passion. The kids watched a lot of film this week. They saw a lot of tendencies.”

It must’ve worked: Kennewick’s offense ran 42 plays for a total of 1 positive yard.

“They blitzed tonight and did a nice job with that,” Kennewick coach Bill Templeton said. “We just couldn’t get out of our own way tonight. I’m not taking anything away from (Wa-Hi). And we had a very good week of practice.”

Things looked good early for the Lions when Emilio Ramos blocked a punt on the Blue Devils’ second offensive series of the game, deep in Wa-Hi territory.

Four plays later, Ramos connected on a 36-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

But things started to pick up offensively for Wa-Hi. The Blue Devils, who only scored six points in their first three games, found the end zone midway through the second quarter. Josiah Wik’s 1-yard TD run capped a 7-play, 64-yard drive, with quarterback Nick Zehner’s 15-yard scramble the key play of the possession.

The game was still tight — Wa-Hi leading 6-3 — in the third quarter when things turned sour for the Lions.

A Blue Devil stripped the ball from Kennewick running back Cedric Riel, and it bounced into the hands of Wa-Hi’s Dalton Thompson. The senior defensive back ran it back for a 22-yard TD.

Zehner found the end zone on a 2-point conversion attempt, and suddenly the Blue Devils led 14-3.

“We were concerned about their running game,” said Zehner, who also played defensive back and collected two interceptions. “But we stepped up and stopped it.”

And then Zehner finished off the game on the next offensive series when he took a quarterback keeper 46 yards for a score. He finished with 89 yards rushing.

“Up front offensively our big guys took control of the game,” said Hisaw. “We’re getting better at it. It’s nice to see the kids playing capable of what we are.”

Templeton would like to see that in his Lions, too. At 1-3 overall and 0-2 in MCC play, Templeton said it’s gut-check time.

“I figure our kids have just got to come back on Monday and play football, or do something else,” he said.

One Lion who had a good game was Ramos. Besides the blocked punt and field goal, he also had seven tackles (one for loss), an interception and a catch for 14 yards.

Teammate Moses McAninch added five tackles (one for loss) and a quarterback sack.

Romero-Virrey’s linebacking mate, Jahmal Mangarero, also had a standout game on defense with five tackles (two for loss), a QB sack and a pass breakup.

NOTES: The Blue Devils play host to Southridge next Friday. ... The Lions visit Chiawana next Friday. ... Running back AJ Templeton, who is suffering from an ankle injury, did not suit up for the third straight game. Bill Templeton thought his son might be able to play against Wa-Hi, but he wasn’t ready.

This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 2:50 AM with the headline "Walla Walla defense swarms Kennewick to get 1st win."