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The La Conner Braves had extra motivation to defeat Vashon Island in its football season home opener at Whittaker Field Friday night.
It wasn’t just because the Braves had suffered a 64-24 loss to Pomeroy in their 2024 eight-man grid debut a week earlier.
Returning home, La Conner players were joined on their sideline by celebrated motivational speaker Curt Marsh, the former University of Washington All-American and Los Angeles Raiders Super Bowl champion. He now resides in Shelter Bay.
“What I liked a lot about tonight is how you played for each other,” Marsh told players after the game. “That’s what impressed me the most. That and how well organized you were.
“This was a good start,” he said. “I know you had a rough game last week, but you made the most out of tonight. A game like this is what you’ll talk about 40 years from now.”
La Conner (1-1) essentially won the game on its first offensive series. That’s when freshman sensation Yandel Gonzales-Rojas took a handoff from quarterback C.J. Edwards and sped 60 yards for a touchdown.
Gonzales-Rojas scored two more TDs on runs of 6 and 12 yards. He also ran in a two-point conversion following a 40-yard interception return by Kaleb Otis.
Otis was a force on both sides of the ball, sprinting 65 yards for a second-half touchdown.
Edwards set the tone with an 11-yard rushing touchdown and 40-yard punt return, plus had a hand in four successful two-point conversion attempts. He completed two-point tosses to Brent Bobb and Duron Clark and twice ran to score.
Keaton Bailey contributed a 13-yard touchdown scamper for the victors, who secured the shutout in great part thanks to an interception by Marlon Edwards and fumble recovery by Charley Jackson.
Jackson, another talented freshmen, capped the Braves’ scoring with a two-point run following the long Otis TD dash from scrimmage.
“This was the closest thing to a perfect game,” Braves head coach Charlie Edwards said afterward. “Everybody got to play, and a lot of guys got to run the ball.”
Coach Edwards was pleased with how well La Conner rebounded from the tough setback to Pomeroy in the late summer heat of the Yakima Valley the week before. He said the Braves enjoyed productive practice sessions leading up to their home debut.
Assistant coach John Agen echoed that sentiment.
“I’m very proud of you guys,” Agen told the team. “You played great and showed outstanding execution.”
Edwards praised Gonzales-Rojas for igniting his team’s onslaught.
“We knew Yandel was going to be electric,” he said. “We only had to hand him the ball once to find out.”
The Braves are next scheduled to visit longtime rival Concrete at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27.
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