2A GSHL Football: Ridgefield runs to 42-7 victory over Washougal

RIDGEFIELD — The Ridgefield Spudders racked up more than 300 rushing yards in their 42-7 win Friday night over Washougal.

Tommy Herz provided the big plays on the ground, racking up 187 yards on 16 carries, while Jalen Williams ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns.

“I want to give a lot of credit to our O-line,” Herz said. “They blocked their butts off. They created some big holes, and there was daylight when I got into the open field.”

The ease with which they won was a product of their defense — a unit which did not start the game on the right foot.

It was an inauspicious start for the Spudders, as Washougal’s Daniel Davis returned the opening kick-off to the Ridgefield 35. Taking advantage of the short field, Washougal opened the scoring with a Zack Neketuk touchdown.

The Ridgefield offense needed to answer. After four run plays in a row, Cade Morrill connected with Tommy’s brother Nathan for a 31-yard passing score.

“We got off to a slow start,” Herz said. “They got a kick off. It kind of got us down. After we got out there on offense, we knew we could move the ball. That helped out a lot.”

Brimming with confidence after scoring with relative ease, the Ridgefield defense stopped any momentum Washougal had left early in the second quarter.

Washougal suffered a calamity — a combination of an off-target snap and an inability to handle said snap — on a punt deep in their own territory.

Defensive lineman Logan Black took advantage, running in the loose ball for a 20-yard touchdown.

From then on, there would be no more blown kickoff coverages, and virtually nothing offensively for the Panthers.

The Panthers forced a pair of interceptions in the first half but neither were of any consequence for the Spudders.

Washougal was held to 113 yards of total offense.

“I think we have the best defense in this league,” Herz, who also plays cornerback, said. “We’ve always had a good defense. But our offense is good, we have four returning all-league players. It’s going to be good.”

The Spudders continued to melt away the clock while gashing the Washougal defense with big runs.

Now the Spudders look forward to next Friday’s game at Woodland. The Beavers are coming in 0-3 after a loss to Hudson’s Bay, but the Spudders will not take them lightly.

“They’ve been a big force since they’ve come up to this league,” Herz said. “They got second in league last year. This year, they just lost to Bay, but we can’t overlook them.”

RIDGEFIELD 42, WASHOUGAL 0

WASHOUGAL 7 0 0 0 7

RIDGEFIELD 7 14 14 7 42

First Quarter

W — Zach Neketuk 1 run (Ryan Stevens kick)

R— Nathan Herz 31 pass from Cade Morrill (Michael Martin kick)

Second Quarter

R— Logan Black 20 fumble return (Martin kick)

R— Jalen Williams 4 run (Martin kick)

Third Quarter

R— Williams 20 run (Martin kick)

R— Tommy Herz 12 run (Martin kick)

Fourth Quarter

R— Williams 5 run (Martin kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING— Washougal, Kyle Hoesly 14-60, Zack Neketuk 14-35, Kade Coons 3-13, Tyler Bowlin 4-(-10), Marcos Martinez 1-(-1), Christian Mishler 1-0. Ridgefield, Herz 16-187, Williams 11-102, Morrill 5-23, Jarrett Mocca 1-4, Taylor Nolan 2-(-1), Billy Griffith 1-(-4).

PASSING— Washougal, Tyler Bowlin 2-6-0-16. Ridgefield, Morrill 3-9-1-50, Mocca 2-4-1-11.

RECEIVING— Washougal, Coons 2-16. Ridgefield, Nathan Herz 2-40, Conner Bell 1-12, Nolan 1-7, Caleb Robbins 1-2.