In the Silverdale Baptist post-game gathering, coach Al Rogers presented the team sledge hammer to senior running back Hunter Arnold for his effort in the team’s 20-13 win against visiting Grace Baptist Friday night in a non-region football game.
During the game, Arnold hammered his way past Grace defenders as he scored twice, rushed for a game-high 141 yards and caught three passes for 55 yards.
Grace opened the scoring on a Jimmy Green 8-yard run late in the first quarter capping a 9-play, 65 yard drive. A 40-yard pass from Jared Thompson to Green highlighted the drive putting the ball on the Silverdale 18 and Green, who rushed for 70 yards on the night, scored five plays later as Ethan Bradley added the extra point.
The hosts scored twice in less than a minute early in the second quarter for a 14-7 advantage.
The Seahawks used a 4-play, 35-yard drive as Hayden Spencer ran the final seven yards for the score at 11:55 of the second quarter as Connor Eischeid added his first of two extra points.
Silverdale which improved to 2-1 on the season, then converted a fumble recovery by Tanner Gibson (on the Grace 12) into a 2-play, 12-yard drive to lead 14-7. Arnold rushed to the four, and after a 10 yard penalty, he scored from the 14.
Grace (2-2) then put together its second long scoring drive of the night, moving 93 yards (drive actually started on the 18, but a penalty put Grace within the shadows of its own goal post) in 13 plays in just under five minutes. A bad snap on the extra point attempt kept the visitors a point down heading into halftime.
Thompson was the star of the drive as he passed to Caleb Sanders (11), Dalton Morrison (15) and Alex Blandon (11), before running the final two yards for the score.
Silverdale put the only second half points on the board with a 61-yard drive after the opening kickoff.
Quarterback Alex Gonzalez who was 5 of 14 for 117 yards on the night through the air, first connected with Morrison for 46 yards to the Grace 14. A penalty and rushing loss had the Seahawks facing a third and long on the Grace 32, but Gonzalez then rolled right, threw back to Arnold who then followed his blockers to the sideline and outran the defenders to the end zone for the 20-13 lead at 10:03 in the third after Eischeid’s kick was wide.
“Our guys were resilient tonight, didn’t let fatigue get to them and made big plays when needed,” said Silverdale coach Al Rogers.
Grace coach Bob Ateca said, “we moved the ball well in the first half, had chances in the second half but didn’t execute when we needed to. Silverdale made adjustments at halftime to take away some of our offensive schemes.”
Silverdale Baptist 20, Grace Baptist 13
First Quarter
Grace – Jimmy Green 8 run (Ethan Bradley kick), 7-0 … 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:37
2nd Quarter
Silverdale – Hayden Spencer 7 run (Connor Eischeid kick), 7-7 ... 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:09
Silverdale – Hunter Arnold 14 run (Eischeid kick), 14-7 … 2 plays, 12 yards, :30
Grace – Jared Thompson 2 run (bad snap no kick), 14-13 … 13 plays, 82 yards, 4:59
3rd Quarter
Silverdale – Arnold 32 pass from Alex Gonzalez (kick failed), 20-13 … 4 plays, 61 yards, 1:53
Records: Silverdale (2-1), Grace (2-2)