The Yelm Tornados (9-0) secured their fourth South Sound Conference championship on Friday, Oct. 27, in a highly anticipated title game against the Gig Harbor Tides (7-2). Entering the matchup, neither program had suffered a SSC loss, so the stakes were high for the rivalry game.
The contest, announced as Ford Sports Performance and King 5’s high school football game of the week, was all Yelm as the Tornados blew out the Tides, 57-7, to win the school’s fourth consecutive South Sound Conference league championship.
“Each SSC championship is special in its own unique way,” offensive coordinator Bryan Irion said. “This one meant a lot to the seniors to go out never losing a South Sound Conference game over four years. The standard is the standard.”
Prior to the dominant performance over Gig Harbor, Yelm celebrated 22 soon-to-be graduates as the league championship game also marked senior night for the Tornados. The class of seniors includes: Arlo Henderson, Isaiah Patterson, Jordan Lasher, Marius Aalona, Damian Aalona, Latrel Fabian, Gio Sanchez, William Olivas, Brayden Platt, Nik DeJiacomo, Anthony Kiamco, Ace Youckton, Kenji Scanlan, Onyx Carter, Damien Williams-Butler, Kyle Kaaiwela, Dallas Mitchell, Landen Barger, Tyler Blevins, Collin West, Clarence Nunley and Inigo Peguero Morey.
“The class of 2024 is complete from top to bottom. You won’t find a closer group of friends in the state of Washington,” Irion added. “The legacy they leave will be remembered forever in the Yelm football program. They are not only great on Friday nights, they hold high GPAs in school, and are leaders in the community.”
The left tackle Blevins was thrilled with the senior night victory over Gig Harbor and said he’s proud to be part of Yelm’s four-peat as league champion.
“From where the program was when Q (Jason Ronquillo) first entered the program to now, we’ve come a long way,” Blevins said after the contest. “Q has developed this program, and for us to win this fourth-straight title, it means a lot, especially in a big win over Gig Harbor.”
The Tides had no answer for All-American Brayden Platt in the first quarter as the future Oregon Duck scored both of Yelm’s touchdowns early in the contest. After trading punts with Gig Harbor, Platt found the end zone from 6 yards out for his first touchdown of the day. He scored again on a 19-yard rush during the Tornados’ next offensive drive to give his team an early 14-0 lead, with Jameson Patin booting both extra points through the uprights.
The Aalona twins — Damian and Marius — connected early in the second quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass where Damian did his best Caleb Williams impression by shaking a blitzing defender off of him before scrambling to pass to Marius in the back corner of the end zone. The Tornados led 21-0.
Platt continued his strong showing in the first half by finding the end zone from 14 yards out, completing another “touchdown hat trick.” The Tornados led 28-0. He finished the first half with 18 carries for 179 yards and three touchdowns.
Damian Aalona then connected with sophomore Jacob Ford for the Tornados’ final touchdown of the half — extending the lead to 35-0. Aalona once again showed his awareness within the pocket on the touchdown as he stepped up and rolled to his right to find Ford in the end zone.
After halftime concluded, Yelm scored once in the third quarter when Damian Aalona connected with Patterson through the air for a 9-yard touchdown. Patterson, UCLA football commit, caught and scored his first touchdown as a Tornado to extend his team’s lead to 41-0. Patterson also punched in the two-point try on a carry to give Yelm a 43-0 lead.
Gig Harbor then found the end zone for the first and only time in the game early in the fourth quarter when Nick Lang caught a 6-yard touchdown pass against Tornado reserves. A successful PAT try cut the lead down to 43-7.
The Tornados immediately responded with an 80-yard kickoff return touchdown. Junior Nathan Ford caught the kick at his own 20 and followed his lead blocker Henderson to the end zone, extending the Tornados’ lead to 49-7. After a successful Sterling Temple PAT, Yelm led 50-7.
Sophomore Tornado Sam DeJiacomo made a flashy defensive play the next time the Tornados were on defense as he strip-sacked the Tides’ quarterback and recovered the fumble, setting Yelm’s offense up deep in Tides’ territory.
The senior quarterback Olivas scored his first varsity touchdown as a Tornado, following offensive linemen Jonah Smith and Damien Williams-Butler into the end zone for the 1-yard score. Yelm led 57-7 after a successful Temple kick, defeating the Tides in dominating fashion.
The Tornados totalled 429 yards of offense against the Tides, while their defense allowed just 137 on the night. Blevins said putting up high yardage numbers against an SSC-undefeated opponent meant a lot to the group and credited his teammates Barger, Kaaiwela, Shane Creegan and Chris Hauss with having strong performances on the offensive line that night, too.
“That shows as a whole we’re doing our job,” Blevins said. “We expect those numbers every night. It’s the O-line’s job. It’s expected.”
Up next for the Tornados, the team will host Kent-Meridian at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3.
