Big win re-fuels Braves' drive for grid playoffs

It came as little surprise that the La Conner High football team hit on all cylinders Friday night.

The Braves, after all, were cranked up having their Cam back.

As in Cam Hansen, who had been sidelined by injury of late, a stretch that included last week’s tough loss at Concrete.

Hansen returned on a limited basis to help ignite La Conner’s late season playoff drive, scoring a touchdown that lit a spark for a Braves’ attack that cruised to a 41-8 romp past league rival Darrington.

With the win, La Conner improved to 5-2 overall and completed a two-game series sweep of the Loggers.

More important, La Conner put itself back in the conversation for a fourth straight post-season berth.

If the Braves win their final two league contests, key tests against Friday Harbor and Orcas, La Conner will return to the State playoffs, a route coach Johnny Lee’s charges have traveled each fall since 2011.

But, first things, first.

Lee and his staff, faced with a non-league, non-binding clash in Bellingham this Friday, had the luxury last weekend of savoring their second NW2B win over Darrington.

“I felt we played as close to a complete game as we’ve played in quite awhile,” Lee said afterward.

Especially on defense.

“We switched some things up after the loss to Concrete,” Lee explained, “and the guys responded very well. We dominated the line of scrimmage and played very well on the edges.”

La Conner reshuffled its stop unit, rotating Seth Schuh and Matt Finley into new spots.

“They really played great in their new positions,” Lee said of Schuh and Finley. “They gave us some standout performances.”

Ditto the entire La Conner defense.

“I felt we played very disciplined as a defense and made reads with aggression,” said Lee.

Offensively, the Braves exerted their will in the trenches. None more so, Lee said, than Michael Page.

“He set the tone by playing physical and a little nasty at times, things you love to see from an offensive lineman.”

La Conner’s offensive front made it possible for the Braves to amass more than 200 yards on the ground.

Budda Luna and Schuh led the way, combining for 112 yards.

Included in Luna’s carries was a five-yard TD run in the second period.

Finley chipped in 37 yards on four attempts, highlighted by a 15-yard scoring dash in the opening stanza that was the first of La Conner’s six touchdowns on the night.

Wideout Harrison Orkney ran three times for 35 yards, twice reaching paydirt.

“Harrison had a great game rushing the ball with great speed and vision on the fly sweep,” said Lee.

Special teams was a plus for the Braves as well. Luna capped La Conner’s scoring onslaught with a 55-yard punt return in the third quarter.

And then there was Hansen.

He made the most of his opportunities, netting 13 yards on three carries, one of them a five-yard TD burst.

“He was on a ‘pitch count’ of sorts,” said Lee, “only playing about 15 snaps.”

As far as Darrington was concerned, that was 15 too many.

Trey Johnson, meanwhile, marshaled a balanced La Conner offense that topped the 300-yard mark.

Johnson was efficient running and throwing the ball.

He ran five times for 50 yards and completed five of six tosses for 64 more. Johnson also threw to Finley for a two-point conversion following Orkney’s 20-yard TD jaunt in the first quarter.

The Braves, now 4-2 in NW2B play, take a brief hiatus from conference action with this Friday’s road trip to Civic Field.

That meeting, which kicks off at 6 p.m., will serve a dual purpose for the Braves.

“We’re focused on this game,” Lee said, “but we coaches are also putting some things in that will help us for the rematch against Friday Harbor in week nine.”