Braves clear cut grid winner over Loggers

La Conner High was more than a cut above the Darrington Loggers on Friday.

The Braves were actually well past the tree line – in uncharted territory, so to speak – as they stumped many longtime sideliners as to whether La Conner’s 75-0 home drubbing of the rebuilding Loggers set new school football marks.

The hosts, with Killer B’s Budda Luna and Brady Nelson leading the way, were credited with 503 yards rushing on the night’s initial stat sheet.

That total could be a new La Conner record, says Braves head coach Peter Voorhees, a history teacher whose new homework assignment is ongoing research of the school’s gridiron archives.

“I’m not sure if the rushing total is record-setting, but it’s got to be close,” Voorhees told La Conner Weekly News on Saturday. “I’m told as scoring goes, 71 was the previous best.”

Luna and Nelson combined to score seven touchdowns for the victors. Arjuna Adams added another pair.

La Conner bolted to a 35-0 first period lead and never looked back.

The Braves built a 56-0 cushion by the break, then coasted home with three second half TDs.

“There was definitely a lot of offense. We had a lot of short two and three-play drives,” said Voorhees. “Our offensive line did a great job of dominating up front.”

The O-line created wide running lanes for Luna, Nelson, and Adams.

Luna reeled off scoring jaunts of 17, 31, 57, and 93 yards. He finished with 245 yards on just five carries.

Nelson reached paydirt from 11, 18, and 33 yards out. He carried four times for 93 yards.

Adams also made the most of his four touches, scoring on second period runs of three and 49 yards. He totaled 64 yards.

Trey Casey capped La Con-ner’s explosive ground attack with a 14-yard touchdown run in the final stanza.

“I can’t say enough about how well Michael Page, Cooper Zavala, Nick Reese, Elijah Adams, and Harley Hulbert controlled the line of scrimmage,” said Voorhees, whose club improved to 3-0 on the campaign.

Page, Zavala, and Reese – along with Jeffrey Johnson and Kaden Murdock – were likewise dominant up front defensively.

They helped the Braves post their first shutout of the season, limiting Darrington to just 74 total yards and a single pass completion of 21 yards in a dozen attempts.

Johnson also made his presence felt on offense, reeling in a 23-yard scoring toss from James Hulbert to close out the opening period.

Johnson was one of 11 La Conner defenders to record solo stops against the Loggers. Murdock and Reese led the way with five unassisted tackles apiece. Harley Hulbert, Elijah Adams, Arjuna Adams, Luna, Nelson, Page, Zavala, and Miles also landed on the Braves hit parade.

In Darrington, La Conner faced a program that took a hiatus from varsity football a year ago. The schedule gets much tougher this week, notes Voorhees, who though a fan of history is very much in tune with the future.

Especially the near future.

“We play Concrete at their place on Friday,” he stressed. “They will definitely be our toughest test to date.”

In related notes:

• Entering the much anticipated 7 p.m. Sept. 23 NW2B clash at Concrete, La Conner had scored 24 touchdowns on the ground in its first three games.

• The Braves have outscored their opponents 184-20 thus far. Their lowest point total was a 53-6 win over Coupeville. La Conner opened with a 56-14 defeat of Friday Harbor.