Everything went right, and then some
Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, September 22, 2004
There were aspects of the Spartan football team’s performance Friday evening that are sure to stand out in fans’ minds, like Grant Leslie’s five touchdown passes, or Zach Kornfeld’s 106 yards rushing on just 11 carries.
And then there were elements of Ingraham’s play that summed up that squad’s fortunes – like the onside kick that went the wrong direction. Not “that was picked up and run back the other way”; the kick actually went backwards.
Don’t ask.
Mostly folks will remember the final score – the most lopsided win anyone associated with the Bainbridge High School football program can really remember – an 84-6 Homecoming thrashing of the visiting Rams, before a packed house at Memorial Stadium.
The Spartans ran everyone but the ballboy through the lineup to try and keep the score down, even before Ingraham had disappeared over the horizon in the rear-view mirror.
Nothing helped, as even second- and third-string players broke out for big gains and long scores on onstensibly short-yardage calls. Any fan who went to get a second-half hot dog ran the risk of missing a touchdown or two.
“When they start falling apart, it’s tough because all of sudden you’ve got the ball on the 10,” Spartan coach Andy Grimm said of his efforts to keep the margin of victory within the bounds of the Geneva Convention.
“I talked to their coach after the game, and there were no hard feelings,” Grimm said. “I think they’ll bounce back. They have some good athletes.”
It took the Spartans all of 27 seconds and two offensive plays to take the lead for good. Leslie found C.J. Hall in the end zone for a 15-yard score, after a long opening kick return and 17-yard burst by Angelo Ritualo.
The teams traded punts before Leslie hit Hall on a screen for a 16-yard score.
Ingraham boasted some fine athletes at the skill positions, and a quarterback with an arm like a cannon. But dropped passes by open receivers downfield doomed the Rams offense to inertia, and a fumbled snap by the punter gave Bainbridge the ball deep in enemy territory near the end of the quarter.
Leslie needed just one play, hitting senior receiver Tyler Hannon for a 36-yard score and a 21-0 lead.
The second quarter went by in a blur:
11:58 – Carter Williams, four-yard touchdown run;
6:34 – Leslie, five-yard touchdown pass to Hannon, following a diving catch by Sean Callahan for a 34-yard gain;
4:25 – Zach Kornfeld, three-yard touchdown run on his fourth consecutive carry of the series;
0:48 – Leslie, four-yard touchdown pass to Hall, five plays after a long Ritualo punt return for a score was negated by penalty.
Halftime score: Bainbridge 49, Ingraham 0.
The second half looked much the same, with touchdown runs by Ritualo, Zach Smith, Carter Williams and Jake Hinton, the latter, a 72-yard burst on a trap. And with the Ram offense backed up to its own end zone, Spartan Adam Smith collected a wounded duck of a pass and strode two yards into the end zone for yet another score.
Grimm said he expected a win, but not necessarily with more ease than the previous week’s 56-10 rout over Nathan Hale.
“It’s execution and momentum,” Grimm said. “I think between Ingraham and Nathan Hale, Ingraham is the better team, and I think that will pan out when they play each other. I just think we got on a roll.”
The Spartans are now 3-0 on the season, and finish non-league play Friday evening at Sequim; kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Metro League play opens with an Oct. 1 contest against Seattle Prep at West Seattle.
