Results, recaps and more from Week 1 high school football contests around the South Sound will be posted on this page Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Looking for local scores? Find them at the bottom of this story.
Compared to the past two years, when the Yelm Tornados played in back-to-back Class 3A state championship games, Thursday night's brand of football looked virtually unrecognizable.
At least for a half. At home, Yelm trailed Mount Tahoma 21-7 at half and looked out of sorts on both sides of the ball. Mount Tahoma's highly-touted receiver/corner recruit Elijah Durr showed why so many Power Four schools are vying for his services at the next level. He caught two passes in the first half. The total: 122 yards, two touchdowns.
At some point, it looked like Mount Tahoma might run away with it. Then Yelm woke up.
The third quarter featured a renewed commitment to running the football, particularly on the left side behind left tackle Jacob Tracy, a Boise State commit.
"We played our Yelm football," Tracy said after the game. "That run game could not be stopped."
Yelm outscored 28-0 in the third quarter, building a two touchdown lead in the blink of an eye.
"I said, 'Follow me,'" Tracy said. "I told my (running) backs to follow me. ... It made every difference. Our run game was clicking as soon as we hit the ground running. We came out of halftime just immediately running with the ball."
Even with the losses of Brayden Platt (Oregon), Isaiah Patterson (UCLA), quarterback Damian Aalona and No. 1 receiver Marius Aalona, that was the type of football Ronquillo still expected to see.
"Our immaturity showed in the first half," he said. "It just showed how young we are. It literally took us an entire quarter to lose some of our nerves, but until the second half, we finally calmed down and played some really good football.
"We got caught being undisciplined with our eyes, undisciplined with some of our coverages and they caught us at the right time. They had a really good gameplan and they caught us. So we needed that halftime."
Nathan Ford led Yelm with 166 rushing yards and a touchdown, while freshman Marcus Ronquillo -- yes, another Ronquillo -- added 70 yards and a score on the ground.
Mount Tahoma quarterback Mikkah Cordero was effective, passing for 276 yards and three touchdowns. Durr led the T-Birds with 153 receiving yards and the two first-half touchdowns.
When Thursday night's opening kickoff fell into the arms of Lakes returner Ean Owens, the stars aligned. The Lancers sophomore couldn't have scripted his first touch - his team's first touch - of the season any better.
From his own 9-yard line, Owens juked multiple defenders and bolted for the right sideline. He found a gash and took off, earning several yards of separation and plenty of daylight. Then he was gone.
"When I caught the ball, there were like five people (in front of me)," Owens told The News Tribune. "I had to cut back. My team, they block very well.
"I just went through the hole, and I scored."
Owens took the season-opening return for six, a touchdown that sparked the Lancers in a physical, defensively-dominant 21-13 win at 4A-Auburn Riverside on Thursday night. Lakes tailback Michael Pulalasi punched home a one-yard rushing score in the second quarter, and WR Bryce McCray took a 72-yard slant to the house in the third.
It wasn't Lakes' cleanest game; the Lancers fumbled two punts and threw a 40-yard pick six on a third-quarter possession that could have sealed Auburn Riverside's fate.
But Lakes' defense dazzled from start to finish, holding Ravens star RB Jonathan Epperson to two rushing yards on seven carries. Auburn Riverside mustered 34 yards on the ground (24 total carries) and relied heavily on third-year QB Andrew Wold, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 170 yards.
The Lancers leave behind a massive statement at Auburn Memorial Stadium - and played spoiler on Auburn Riverside's senior night.
"Even though we didn't play (our) best, we found a way to get out of here with a win," longtime Lakes head coach Dave Miller said. "Our defense will definitely get the game ball tonight.
"A lot of mistakes. But our defense held."
Owens stole the excitement from the home crowd with his first-play, 91-yard splash, but Auburn Riverside answered when Wold dashed up the middle for a 13-yard touchdown on 4th and Goal later in the first quarter.
The Ravens led, 7-6, but wouldn't score another offensive point.
Pulalasi's second-quarter touchdown returned the Lakes lead, and McCray's 72-yard sprint widened it. The senior wideout's only catch of the contest was long enough to make him the game's leading receiver.
And time and time again, the Lancers defense forced turnovers on downs in their own territory. Several Ravens drives stalled in the red zone, swarmed by Lancers in the trenches. Both squads hit plenty hard, too.
Lakes QB Willie Nash completed 13-of-18 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Top-target Tristan Baker secured six catches for 59 yards.
The play that sealed it: Less than two minutes remaining, and Nash rolled to his right to hit TE Tayvion Smith for a chunk gain on 4th and 3. Victory formation followed.
"It's a big win," Owens said. "It's a great win to start our season, and I think we can carry it into the rest of the year."