Braves' defense paves way for win over Concrete

In its first major trial of the season, the La Conner High defense didn’t rest.

The Braves’ stop unit parlayed a huge fourth quarter goal line stand into a key 13-0 home verdict Friday over Concrete in the NW2B grid opener for both clubs.

“I felt the kids played a great, all-around game, especially on defense,” La Conner head coach Johnny Lee said afterward. “I thought our defense tackled extremely well and was quick to the ball all game.”

Seth Schuh, who paced the La Conner ground game, also came up big on defense, Lee noted.

“He played extremely physical,” Lee said of Schuh, who played a major role in La Conner posting a shutout over their longtime rivals.

Schuh and the Braves’ defense made their presence felt early in the final stanza when Concrete threatened with a first and goal at the La Conner five.

The Braves held and turned the ball over on downs.

La Conner, which enjoyed a two-score cushion at that point, was able to seal the triumph with a balanced offensive scheme.

The Braves rolled up 276 yards in offense, nearly splitting that total equally on the ground and through the air.

La Conner finished with 153 yards rushing, thanks in great measure to Schuh’s yeoman work in the backfield.

The 5’11”, 200-pound junior churned out 70 yards on 15 carries.

Senior Matt Finley added 29 yards on seven attempts, including a one-yard scoring blast in the first period that put the Braves in front 7-0 and helped set the tone for the rest of the night.

Senior signal caller Trey Johnson, who threw for 123 yards, added La Conner’s second and final touchdown with a two-yard burst before halftime.

“Trey really managed the game well,” Lee said of Johnson, who completed 11 of 20 tosses, including a clutch third down strike to junior wideout Harrison Orkney.

Cameron Hansen chipped in 86 all-purpose yards for the victors. He caught five passes for 56 yards and ran three times for another 30.

“Cameron was pretty crafty for us on the ground,” Lee said. “He picked up some timely big runs when we needed them.”

Lee said his club sent a message by blanking Concrete in its 2014 debut.

“Concrete came into the game as one of the favorites to win the league,” he noted. “Most consider us to be in the midst of rebuilding this season. However, those in the football family know that reasoning isn’t true. We’re fully confident in our talent and it prevailed on Friday night.”

Lee said La Conner, which has won the league crown each of the past two seasons, considers this a re-loading rather than rebuilding year, despite heavy graduation losses last spring.

“We’ve never bought into the whole rebuilding thing,” he stressed. “I’m really proud of the kids’ effort and performance against a really good Concrete team. Hopefully some of the nay-sayers around the league are silenced after this one.”

The Braves resume NW2B action with a Sept. 12 trip to Darrington.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.