Non-league football: Enumclaw 54, Heritage 35

The credit, to hear Mauricio Portillo tell it, goes to his mom.

“I went home sick today,” the Enumclaw running back said Friday after leading the Hornets to a 54-35 non-league win over Heritage at McKenzie Stadium. “I went to two periods and went home. My mom made some amazing chicken soup.”

Portillo then went out and rushed for 268 yards and six touchdowns on 32 carries, leaving the Timberwolves (0-3) with another oh-so-close high-scoring loss.

“We’ve got to tackle and play better defense,” Heritage coach Jack Hathaway said. “We’re close. That’s the good thing, we’re close.”

But in the end, the Timberwolves were left with nothing but another batch of gaudy offensive statistics:

• Junior quarterback Loren Standiford completed 22 of 39 passes for 404 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

• Senior receiver Tim Hergert had seven catches for 133 yards and one touchdown, and added a TD on a 98-yard kickoff return.

• Junior receiver E’Lon Mack had six catches for 129 yards and two TDs.

• Junior tight end Robby Cueneta had four receptions for 93 yards.

“It’s definitely not a good feeling getting really, really, really close and not getting there,” Standiford said. “We play better than any 0-3 team I’ve ever seen.”

Portillo scored three touchdowns and ran for 100 yards in the first quarter as Enumclaw took a 20-7 lead. But Heritage battled back with a 33-yard TD catch by Mack and a 65-yard TD catch by Hergert.

Following another Enumclaw touchdown, Standiford ran for a 1-yard score in the final minute of the first half for a 28-28 tie.

It was 35-35 after three quarters, and Heritage had its first win of the season within sight.

But Enumclaw scored three times in the fourth quarter, putting the game away and finishing with 438 rushing yards. Quarterback Peter Nordby, who ran for 106 yards, complemented the attack by completing 11 of 13 passes for 103 yards.

“They made the plays, and we didn’t,” Mack said.

ENUMCLAW 54, HERITAGE 35

Enumclaw 20 8 7 19–54

Heritage 7 21 7 0–35

First quarter

E — Mauricio Portillo 2 run (Caleb Gwerder kick)

H — Tim Hergert 98 kickoff return (Bailey Thomason kick)

E — Portillo 12 run (Gwerder kick)

E — Portillo 1 run (run failed)

Second quarter

H — E’Lon Mack 33 from Loren Standiford (Thomason kick)

H — Hergert 65 from Standiford (Thomason kick)

E — Bryson Grant 17 from Peter Nordby (Trey Rodarte from Nordby)

H — Standiford 1 run (Thomason kick)

Third quarter

E — Portillo 9 run (Gwerder kick)

H — Mack 11 from Standiford (Thomason kick)

Fourth quarter

E — Portillo 2 run (Gwerder kick)

E — Cameron Strecker 10 run (kick blocked)

E — Portillo 10 run (kick blocked)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Enumclaw — Mauricio Portillo 32-268; Peter Nordby 5-106; Cameron Strecker 12-64. Heritage — Jay Allen 8-35, E’Lon Mack 2-15, Loren Standiford 6-(-20).

PASSING — Enumclaw — Peter Nordby 11-13-103-0. Heritage — Loren Standiford 22-39-404-1.

RECEIVING — Enumclaw — Bryson Grant 5-63; Adam Cosgrove 3-33; Cameron Strecker 1-6; Mauricio Portillo 2-1. Heritage — Tim Hergert 7-133; E’Lon Mack 6-129; Robby Cueneta 4-93; Victor Duran 5-49.