They were shut out last week. Kamiakin found its scoring touch against Southridge

The Kamiakin Braves’ biggest obstacle to the end zone Friday night was the yellow flags that seemed to litter the field after each big play.

But one week after failing to score a touchdown in a loss to West Valley, the Braves scored six times in just over two quarters in a 41-0 victory over the Southridge Suns at Lampson Stadium.

That despite 15 accepted penalties and several other offsetting penalties that negated other big plays.

“We didn’t play very well last week, and really we didn’t that well tonight,” said Kamiakin coach Scott Biglin. “We have to clean things up and stop making mistakes.”

The Braves (1-1) missed a field goal on their first drive but found the end zone a few minutes later when Lucas Castilleja hit Kelen Rutz for a 37-yard scoring play. Castilleja had a little bit of a rough start, throwing two interceptions on his first five passes, but settled down to have a solid game.

The junior connected on 6 of 11 passes in the first half for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Castilleja played just one series in the second half that was capped by a 7-yard run by Tuna Altahir for the 41-point lead with 8:48 left in the third quarter.

“After that first touchdown, things started slow down a little bit,” Castilleja said. “It was like a duck learning to walk out there at the beginning.”

Altahir and the running game took the pressure of Castilleja, gaining yards in big chunks. Altahir had 10 carries for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

“Despite our mistakes, we had to just keep playing,” Castilleja said. “When we get things going, our offense can be scary.”

But let’s not forget the Braves defense. The Southridge (0-2) offense managed to pass midfield just once – that coming on the final possession of the game.

Southridge, which did not score for the second straight game, only had four first downs, with its longest drive of the game covering just 31 yards.

“We were just playing our defense and doing our thing,” Biglin said. “They played tough and did a good job.”

Kamiakin will play at Hanford next week. Southridge looks for its first win of the season hosting winless Pasco.

“We just have to keep getting better,” Biglin said. “We could be a really good team if we clean up our mistakes.”

Kamiakin 41, Southridge 0

Scoring Plays

K – Kelen Rutz 37 pass from Lucas Castilleja (Kaden Shymanski kick)

K – Messiah Jones 33 pass from Castilleja (Shymanski kick)

K – Ray Chavez 13 run (Shymanski kick)

K – Niko Wiltz 52 pass from Castilleja (Shymanski kick)

K – Altahir 38 run (Shymanski kick)

K – Altahi 7 run (kick failed)

Individual Statistics

Rushing – S, Edy Centeno 7-(minus 4); Trenton Slatter 7-(minus 19); Theron McCullough 5-20. K, Altahir 10-114, Castilleja 4-35, Chavez 2-15.

Passing – S, Slatter 8-15-0-47. K, Castilleja 8-13-2-161.

Receiving – S, Eastin Ard 4-22, Caleb Cook-Parker 2-14. K, Wiltz 2-59; Rutz 2-49

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