Rainier senior running back Chris Grey only needed seven carries to have the game of his life.
He erupted for 186 yards and three touchdowns on those seven totes, including an 84-yard score, in the Mountaineers’ 40-14 conference win over Ilwaco Friday.
“It was the most touchdowns and yards I’ve ever had in a game in my career,” said Grey, whose three scores all came in the second half. “I just saw an opportunity to bounce outside every time I had the ball. I think I had a good game.”
“Chris Grey was huge. He had a huge game last week too, but he didn’t score. This week he had the touchdowns,” head coach Andy Bartell said.
The Mountaineers’ offensive line paved the way for the run game, which totaled 283 yards on just 25 attempts. Bartell credited the team’s two freshmen starting on the right side of the offensive line — right guard Thomas Roland and right tackle Lukas Sollars — for their efforts.
“They’re two young guys who came up as freshmen, and they just do their job,” Bartell said. “They cleared the way for Chris [Grey] all night.”
While the Mountaineers’ offense put up points in bunches, the defense enjoyed its best game of the season, holding Ilwaco to just 12 points — the other two points came from a defensive safety.
“Oftentimes we come out a little bit flat at first, and we give up chunks and chunks, and then we stiffen up once we get around the 30- or 20-yard line,” Bartell said. “I think we focused up when we knew we might give up a touchdown, and we stayed in our gaps a little bit more. [Sophomore] Dorien Cano led the charge for us. It’s a really good job by those guys on defense.”
Bartell believes that the culture he and the staff developed in the offseason focusing on discipline and accountability is coming to fruition. The fifth-year head coach shouted out the home crowd for making an impact as well.
“It feels great to be 3-2,” he said. “The crowd again was super hyped. We had some moments where it’s hard to hear each other on the headset. That’s the type of culture that we’re trying to build, and it’s finally starting to get there. Our fan base has something to cheer for, and we’re gonna keep trying to give them something to cheer for.”
With the win, the Mountaineers improve to 3-2 and surpass their win total from the 2022 season. They next face Ocosta High School at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6 in a home conference game.
