Braves shift into passing gear for key win over Orcas

La Conner High used a strong-arm attack to defeat a short-handed Orcas team for a key bounce-back win at home last Friday.

Braves’ quarterbacks Trey Johnson and James Hulbert combined to complete 12 of 16 passes for 142 yards en route to a convincing 43-6 NW2B grid victory that kept La Conner in the thick of a third straight league title chase.

Orcas, which suited up just 14 players, remained winless in conference play.

For La Conner, it was a must-win of sorts, given that the Braves were coming off a tough road loss to Friday Harbor a week earlier.

Coach Johnny Lee’s charges improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in league action heading into this Friday’s pivotal rematch with Concrete.

Offensive balance was a key factor in beating Orcas as the Braves were able to get to the edge running the ball, which helped set up La Conner’s aerial assault.

“We tried to establish the outside run game,” Lee said afterward, “and I thought the guys did a great job of executing. We cleaned up a lot of miscues from the week before, and I feel the guys really responded.”

It was Budda who gave Lee and his coaching staff peace of mind early in the contest.

Budda Luna, that is.

Luna rushed five times for 61 yards and two first period touchdowns that enabled the Braves to set the tone throughout.

The 5’-10”, 155-pound sophomore also tacked on a stirring 82-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

“Budda had a breakout game carrying the ball, something we did by choice by getting him more touches and involved in the offense,” Lee explained.

Johnson, who was eight-of-10 throwing the ball, also got in on the scoring act. He reached paydirt twice in the second frame, on runs of 16 and 12 yards, respectively.

Johnson’s second TD gave La Conner an imposing 36-0 lead at the break.

Possession receiver Max Miller emerged as a favorite target of both Johnson and Hulbert.

Miller finished with three grabs for 31 yards, running crisp routes that not only freed him from coverage, but also opened up passing lanes for other La Conner receivers.

“Max did a great job,” said Lee, “of stepping up into a starting receiver spot and showed that the true possession-style receiver who runs great routes and relies on effort still exists.”

Speaking of effort, La Conner running back Seth Schuh showed plenty — and more — on a 26-yard scoring ramble to close out the first quarter.

The TD jaunt by Schuh came on the heels of a 19-yard Taylor Swanson field goal as the Braves blitzed Orcas with four unanswered scores in the opening session.

By the second half, all that was in doubt was whether La Conner could post a shutout.

Orcas only averted a goose egg when the Vikings took advantage of a rare blown coverage in the La Conner secondary.

“We had the one breakdown on their touchdown,” Lee conceded. “It was a route that also beat us over the top last week, but I felt we did a better job against Orcas of keeping most everything in front of us.”

Which was no small feat since Orcas employs a fairly pass-happy look.

“They tested us through the air more than any other team has this year,” Lee noted, “and I felt that overall we did a pretty good job in coverage.”

It helped that La Conner’s defensive front — particularly Allen John and Xavier Scott — were able to apply pressure in the pocket.

“I was especially impressed with our defensive line,” said Lee. “We challenged them this week after a rough game against Friday Harbor. And they definitely responded to expectations.”

The expectations this week are that Friday’s trip to Concrete will be a physical, hard-hitting affair.

La Conner will be looking to sweep its two-game regular season series with the Lions, having blanked Concrete 13-0 at home in a tough defensive battle on opening night.

“The game up in Concrete,” Lee said, “has huge playoff implications on the line. So you’ve gotta love it.”

Kickoff for the Oct. 10 clash is set for 7 p.m.