Each time you look at the scoreboard at the Monroe High School football field, you see the Washington State Reformatory several hundred yards beyond the school boundary. That’s a reminder to the teams that don’t like the totals on the board that things could be worse.
Such was the case for the Oak Harbor High School football team and its fans when Monroe mauled the Wildcats 55-6 in the season opener Friday, Sept. 4.
The tone of the game was set immediately. It was three and out for Oak Harbor on the game’s first possession; the punt was partially blocked; and Monroe took over at the Wildcat 31-yard line and scored on its first play.
It was that kind of night.
Like ripping off a band aid quickly, let’s zip through the painful details. Monroe out gained Oak Harbor 382-190, the Wildcats passed for only 10 yards, Oak Harbor lost three fumbles and created zero turnovers, Monroe started eight drives in Oak Harbor territory, the Bearcats blocked a punt and a PAT, Oak Harbor muffed a punt snap, Monroe scored on the first play of three drives, the Wildcats had only one first down in the second half, and Oak Harbor lost its best offensive weapon, Princeton Lollar, who rushed for 1,000 yards last year, to an injury just three plays into the second quarter.
Monroe is deep in talent and alliteration. Zach Zimmerman completed nine of 18 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns, JJ Jerome rushed 14 times for 128 yards and three scores, and Jake Jerome and Jesse Jorasky each scored touchdowns. Those without rhyming names also contributed. Jake Morelli (66 yards) and Isaiah Cole (71 yards) each caught long TD passes.
Lollar led Oak Harbor with 59 yards on nine carries. Jordan Washington finished with 51 yards on seven carries and Savion Passmore had 32 yards on eight rushes.
Taylor Kolste hit two of seven passes for 10 yards. Tyler Snavley QB’ed the second quarter and the final series, throwing one incompletion.
Next up for Oak Harbor is the home opener at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, with Ferndale. The Golden Eagles start the season with Kamiakin Saturday, Sept. 5.
For those who would like to suffer through a more detailed look of Oak Harbor’s loss at Monroe, here you go……
JJ Jerome ran 31 yards for a touchdown on Monroe’s first play of the game after the Bearcats partially blocked Oak Harbor’s punt.
Thanks to a 25-yard run by Washington, Oak Harbor moved the ball past midfield before turning the ball over on downs at the Monroe 42.
The Wildcats held and got the ball back, but mishandled its own punt snap and the Bearcats began at the Oak Harbor 31. Several plays later, JJ Jerome scored from the 5 and it was 14-0.
Again Oak Harbor was forced to punt, and on the first play after the boot, Zimmerman hooked up with Cole for a 71-yard TD strike with 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Wildcats then mounted their only scoring drive. Back-to-back Lollar runs of 15 and 12 yards carried the ball to midfield, but Lollar was injured on the second run and left the game. Washington ran for 18 yards, Taeson Hardin picked up seven and Passmore finished the drive with a 26-yard TD. The PAT was blocked, and Oak Harbor trailed 21-6.
For a moment, it looked like the Wildcats might get back into the game. First they forced the Bearcats to turn the ball over and downs, then they started a promising drive. But a fumble ended the threat. Still, the Wildcats held the momentum and pushed Monroe into a third-and-27 hole. Zimmerman took care of that with a 66-yard touchdown throw to Morelli with just over a minute left in the half.
Monroe led 28-6 at the break.
After opening the second half with a punt, Monroe scored on its next four possessions, two coming after Oak Harbor fumbles at the Wildcats’ 17- and 19-yard lines.
When the Bearcats went up 48-6 with 3:15 left in the third quarter, the remainder of the game was played with a running clock.
A 16-yard run by Mackenzie Nuanez midway through the fourth quarter gave Oak Harbor its only first down of the second half.
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Oak Harbor’s Jordan Washington picks up yardage for the Wildcats. Photo by John Fisken.
