Braves shipwreck Vikings; make school history

The third time’s a charm.

The fourth, historic.

At least that’s the case for the La Conner High football program, which earned a fourth straight trip to the State playoffs with a convincing 53-20 NW2B win Thursday at Orcas Island.

It marks the first time in modern school history that Braves grid teams have qualified for post-season in four consecutive years, an elated La Conner head coach Johnny Lee said Sunday afternoon.

“I did some research,” Lee confirmed, “and this senior class is the first one to make it to the playoffs all four years of their high school careers since the WIAA (the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) began tracking results.”

That, said Lee, dates to 1970. Or, to put it in perspective, the first term of the Nixon presidency.

The Braves needed successive league wins over Friday Harbor and Orcas to secure a first round playoff berth opposite Raymond at Aberdeen’s Stewart Field.

They got the job done, and then some.

With its rout of the Vikings, La Conner improved to 8-2 on the campaign — one that now extends beyond the Nov. 6 regular season finale.

Raymond already has Lee’s attention.

“They’re a run-heavy team,” he said, “that has some speed that we’ll have to contend with.”

But, for now, Lee and his staff can — if ever so briefly — take time to celebrate the big win at Orcas.

The Braves bolted to a quick 19-0 lead and never looked back, amassing over 400 yards in total offense and adding a special teams score when Harrison Orkney returned a third period kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown.

Quarterback Trey Johnson set the tone early. He got La Conner on the board first via a 12-yard run.

On La Conner’s ensuing possession, he flipped a three-yard TD pass to Taylor Swanson for a 13-0 Braves lead.

Moments later, Johnson hooked up with Harrison Orkney on a 13-yard scoring strike.

In all, Johnson finished with 59 yards rushing, including the touchdown scamper, on five carries.

He added 67 yards through the air on six completions, three of which went for scores.

Johnson connected with Cameron Hansen on a 20-yard touchdown toss in the second frame.

Hansen, one of eight La Conner backs to earn carries, would add a 17-yard TD dash just before intermission.

Leading 32-14 at the break, the Braves clinched matters with a superb third quarter.

Budda Luna, who led La Conner ground gainers with 99 yards on just seven carries, reeled off a 56-yard scoring burst.

“Budda looked good again,” Lee said afterward, “and is growing into a pretty consistent big-play threat.”

Following an Orcas touchdown that narrowed La Conner’s lead to 39-20, Orkney answered with his long kickoff return.

The Braves added an insurance score later when Brady Nelson hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass from James Hulbert.

“I felt we ended the season on a positive note, punching our ticket to the State playoffs,” Lee said. “I also felt we were able to try a few things offensively that we haven’t done in awhile to brush up before next week (against Raymond).

The La Conner offense, as it had a week earlier in the win over Friday Harbor, benefitted from a balanced approach.

“Again,” Lee stressed, “we were able to spread the ball around and get touches for a lot of our weapons.”

Lee again cited the work of Zach Harris, spelling the injured Jack Dixon.

“Zach did a nice job in his second start holding down the left side of the offensive line,” Lee said.

Hulbert also earned high marks for his work in relief of Johnson.

Same with a stop unit that more than held its own against a pass-happy Orcas attack.

“A.J. Johnson gave our pass rush a jump-start,” said Lee, “and Matt Finley did a good job defending his zone in pass coverage.”

Now, for the Braves, it’s on to Aberdeen.

“This,” Lee said, “is a pretty special accomplishment. I’m extremely happy for these guys and the work they’ve put into the program.”

In a related note:

•The Braves and Raymond kick off this Saturday, Nov. 15, at 4 p.m. in Aberdeen. La Conner has been designated as the visiting team.