Yelm yowzer! Tornados crunch perennial 3A SSC power Peninsula, 58-14

PURDY, Wash. - One by one, Class 3A's top-ranked Yelm Tornados have taken opponents’ best shots. And they have emerged with nary a scrape.

Here were the results through seven weeks: 44-14. 46-6. 58-0. 65-7. 63-0. 71-0. 56-14.

And the South Sound Conference’s stiffest test, the Peninsula Seahawks, were still no match. Yelm lined them up and knocked them down, too, 58-14 on Friday at Roy Anderson Field.

The dominant victory sealed the 3A SSC championship for Yelm (8-0), but that’s just one stepping stone on the way to this season’s ultimate prize.

And at this point, it’s fair to ask the rest of the state: Can anyone challenge the Yelm Tornados?

Because the Tornados have already answered every question about the quality of this year’s squad.

"We’ve been grinding all summer," Yelm running back William Carreto said. "We were angry after the loss to Marysville (Pilchuck in last year's state playoffs) so we had to come back and be the champs again."

The Tornados scored on eight of their 10 possessions on Friday, amassing 446 yards of offense. With standout two-way player Brayden Platt out with a sprained ankle — he says he’ll be fine for the postseason — the Tornados turned to one of the best athletes in the Evergreen State.

Portland State University commit Kyler Ronquillo ran for 126 yards on seven carries. His 54-yard sprint to the end zone opened the scoring just three plays into the night. He added a 20-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone, and an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

But the Tornados showed they have depth, too. Carreto, Platt’s backup, ran for 95 yards on eight carries, including touchdown runs of 4 and 49 yards.

"I was a little nervous at first, but I got into the zone and was just going," Carreto said. "All cylinders."

Damian Aalona was 9-of-10 passing for 103 yards, including a third-quarter 42-yard touchdown pass to Aden Schaler to start the running clock. Anthony Kiamco added a 79-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Peninsula (6-2) couldn’t mount anything against a stiff Yelm defense, led by four sacks from Isaiah Patterson. Payton Knowles finished 13-of-22 passing for 134 yards and a late 50-yard touchdown pass to Jones Stalker. Aiden Lester also scored on a 61-yard rushing touchdown.

The Seahawks will look to rebound in a battle for second place in the SSC against Timberline on Thursday.

Yelm is back at Roy Anderson Field in Week 9 for a Thursday meeting with Gig Harbor.