The last time the Yelm High School football team stepped foot in Sparks Stadium, the Tornados miraculously secured their first 3A state championship in program history against Eastside Catholic on Dec. 3, 2022 to cap off a magical 14-0 season.
The magic was not on the Tornados' side against the Puyallup Vikings on Friday, Nov. 1, as the Vikings held Yelm to a season-low 17 points in a 28-17 win in a 4A South Puget Sound League crossover in which it never led.
Yelm’s offense struggled to finish drives, and the Tornados coughed up two turnovers and turned the ball over on downs on two additional possessions.
“We just weren’t sharp. I don’t know if it was what the defense was doing to us, but we just weren’t on,” head coach Jason Ronquillo said of the offense.
The Tornados defense came to play early as a third-down pressure by edge rusher Bol Bol forced an incompletion by Vikings quarterback Luke Parker and finished off a three-and-out on Puyallup’s opening drive. However, Jacob Ford couldn’t corral the punt, and Puyallup’s offense took over at the Yelm 23.
On the first play of the drive, the Vikings delivered the first jab as Parker burst up the middle for a 23-yard rushing touchdown to make it 7-0. Yelm quickly snapped out of its fog thanks to a 39-yard run by Nathan Ford, but the Tornados were forced to settle for a 31-yard Sterling Temple field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
Yelm’s offense had a golden opportunity to take the lead toward the end of the first quarter. Quarterback Parker Myers used his legs to pick up 14 yards on a fourth and 1 to move his team into the red zone, but his pass to Jameson Patin in the end zone was knocked away on a fourth and 6.
Myers had an uncharacteristically difficult time completing passes in the first half, as he was forced to throw on the run often, and Puyallup flew to the ball. The junior signal-caller didn’t complete his first pass until early in the second quarter after missing on his first six attempts.
The drive didn’t amount to points, but an epic punt by Patin pinned the Vikings back at their own 3-yard line. But the highlight-reel kick didn’t matter, as Parker connected with Jayden Woodland for a 94-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-3 lead with just under five minutes left in the first half.
Despite the deflating play, the Tornados were confident that they were still right in the game as they had one more possession to finish the first half and would get the ball to start the second half.
Yelm’s offense took care of the first possession, using a 13-play, 71-yard drive capped off by a 7-yard Nathan Ford touchdown run and a Tonye Penn 2-point conversion run to slice the Vikings lead to 14-11 at halftime.
But the Tornados failed to take advantage of having the ball to start the third quarter due to a costly holding penalty that moved them behind the chains and forced a punt.
Parker found Lawson Looker for a 24-yard touchdown to extend the Vikings lead to 21-11, completing a 98-yard drive. On the first snap of the ensuing Yelm drive, Myers took a deep shot down the field but was picked off by Jasiah Denmark.
Yelm linebacker Ethan Owens quickly returned the football back to his offense by picking off a Parker pass on Puyallup’s side of the field. The turnover did not lead to points, as Myers missed an open Jacob Ford on a key third down, and his fourth-down pass to Aaron Culler was knocked away at the last moment.
The Vikings stuck the dagger in the heart of the Tornados with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Parker to Kyson Douglas, giving Puyallup a 28-11 lead with 8:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. Yelm mustered up one more touchdown drive in two minutes with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Myers to Patin, but Puyallup prevailed 28-17.
While the Yelm offense, which averaged 38.9 points per contest coming into Friday’s game, was not as effective as normal, the Tornados defense surrendering multiple touchdown drives of over 97 yards was a backbreaker for Ronquillo’s team.
“I felt like we were on defense a lot tonight. They probably owned the time of possession. I’m sure of it,” he said. “It’s tough when you’re on defense that much, and guys get tired and they get caught slipping. They were the better football team tonight.”
Myers completed just 13 of his 30 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown, along with his second interception of the season. He also led the Tornados with 81 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Yelm (7-2, 4-2 SPSL) suffers its second loss in a season for the first time since 2019, and the Tornados will now await their 4A postseason fate as the rankings will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 9 a.m.
