Depleted Heritage can’t keep up with W.F. West as Bearcats win 48-7

Dennis Moody was beet red in the face following Heritage’s game Saturday afternoon with W.F. West of Chehalis.

It’s unclear if that was an effect of the bright September sun or frustration from the Timberwolves coach.

The latter would be understandable after Heritage fell to 0-2 with a 48-7 loss to W.F. West on Saturday at McKenzie Stadium. That followed a 45-0 loss to Ridgefield last week.

“We have to be more aggressive,” Moody said. “We have great guys who work hard. We’ve just got to coach them up more. They’re coachable. … But we have a lot of attrition. If someone goes down, there’s not a lot to follow it up. There’s a drop-off there. We’re still missing six or seven starters.”

The Timberwolves got off a rough start. By four minutes into the second quarter, W.F. West had more touchdowns (3) than the Timberwolves had first downs (1), as the Bearcats led 22-0.

There were bright spots for Heritage. Vitaliy Melnyk’s 32-yard pass from Khalil Osborn set up LaDaimien McCord’s 10-yard TD catch for Heritage’s first score of the season in the second quarter.

“We saw more guys kind of battling, going both ways and all that good stuff,” Moody said. “The guys are just exhausted because we have to go both ways. And they keep fighting. I saw an improvement in that area.”

Key players

Gavin Fugate, W.F. West – The Bearcats quarterback, who left the game in the second quarter with an injury but returned after halftime, rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another score.

Brock Guyette, W.F. West – Guyette rushed for 126 yards.

LaDaimien McCord, Heritage – McCord caught four passes for 33 yards and a touchdown. He also had an interception.

Key moments

After McCord’s TD pass in the second, the junior got a quick interception to put Heritage in position to get back in the game. But W.F. West’s Daniel Matagi intercepted a ball that was batted up into the air by a Heritage receiver, and the Bearcats drove for a touchdown before half to go up 28-7.

Down 34-7 in the third, the Timberwolves recovered a Bearcat fumble at the Heritage 29. But two plays later, Tanner Wallin intercepted another pass to set up W.F. West’s sixth touchdown of the day.

Quotable

“Our guys aren’t giving up. They aren’t quitting. They’re giving all that they have. It’s just that what they have isn’t as much as we would like it to be. That’s the reality of it. And we’ll just keep loving them up and coaching them up, because they’re great kids,” Heritage coach Dennis Moody

W.F. WEST 48, HERITAGE 7

WF West 15 13 13 7—48
Heritage 0 7 0 0—7

First quarter

WF—Gavin Fugate 1 run (Fugate run)

WF—Cameron Amoroso 60 pass from Fugate (Cameron Kunz kick)

Second quarter

WF—Evan Stajduhar 2 run (Kunz kick)

H—LaDaimien McCord 10 pass from Khalil Osborn (Pablo Barbosa Sanchez kick)

WF—Gage Brumfield 11 pass from Logan Moore (kick blocked)

Third quarter

WF—Jacob Fuller 8 run (kick failed)

WF—Fuller 18 run (Kunz kick)

Fourth quarter

WF—Fugate 1 run (Kunz kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — W.F. West: Brock Guyette 16-126, Fugate 7-105, Blake Ely 6-18, Stajduhar 3-4, Moore 1-14, Fuller 5-67, Declan McDonald 3-4; Heritage: Barbosa Sanchez 9-31, Bailey 6-14, Sincere Scruggs 4-29, Kedyn Bolds 2-7, Aiden Miller 1-1, McCord 2-11, Osborn 1-1, Arthur Trukhlinskiy 1-0, team 1-(-4).

PASSING — W.F. West: Fugate 6-15-1-73; Moore 1-2-0-11. Heritage: Osborn 8-18-2-117; Austin Marsh 1-2-0-4.

RECEIVING — W.F. West: Stajduhar 2-8, Brumfield 2-15, Amoroso 1-60, Moore 2-1; Heritage: Vitaliy Melnyk 2-65, McCord 4-33, Miller 2-18, Hunter Renteria 1-5.