Statement made: Yelm clobbers 4A power Camas, 44-14 in season opener

There were very few questions about Yelm High School’s ability to justify its lofty preseason rankings – second in one poll in 3A, third among all classifications in another.

The Tornados have a stellar defense filled with returning stars. Their offense features a receiver signed with a Division I school and a running back prized by many D1s nationally.

How junior quarterback Damian Aalona, who only played the position briefly in Yelm’s win over Lincoln last season, would fare when Yelm hosted 4A power Camas on Friday night was one of the few questions. Quite well turned out to be the answer.

Aalona completed all four of his passes for 67 yards on the Tornados first drive, finished the game 12-for-19 for 189 yards and a touchdown. He was never intercepted as the Tornados ultimately crushed Camas, 44-14.

“Damian managed the offense well,” said Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo. “He knows what our offensive coordinator is thinking. For his first game starting, he did a good job.”

Meanwhile, Yelm’s defense succumbed to two lengthy Camas scoring drives, the second allowing the Papermakers to tie the score, 14-14, with just over four minutes gone in the second half. Bur Camas wouldn’t score again and would gain only 68 yards the rest of the way against Yelm’s hard-hitting defense.

Painstaking drives were the order of the day early.

Yelm needed nine plays to go 80 yards after Camas kicker Ethan Ouchi boomed the first of three touchbacks on the opening kickoff. Junior Brayden Platt, one of the nation’s most sought-after Class of ’24 recruits, fought through the left side of the line and went 14 yards to give the Tornados an 8-0 lead when he added a two-point conversion.

The Papermakers countered with a 16-play, 76-yard drive ending in a three-yard touchdown run by Reid Tennant, to make it 8-7.

Yelm went 80 yards, this time across 16 plays with William Carreto scoring from three yards out to put the Tornados up 14-7. Camas opened the second half with a 12-play, 55-yard drive despite stellar quarterback Taylor Ioane throwing five incompletions in seven plays.

He atoned by hitting Trenton Swanson with a 14-yard, game tying touchdown pass thrown away from the Yelm defensive back, allowing Swanson to make a brilliant diving catch for the score.

But as the night changed from smoky and still to windy and chilly, the game sped up, to Yelm’s advantage. The Tornados broke the tie and pulled away on three touchdown runs of increasing length by Platt of 1, 11 and 85 yards.

“We stuck to the game plan and the execution was far better in the second half, particularly on defense,” Ronquillo said. “When you can get a three-and-out against a good football team like that it pays dividends.”

Aalona also hit Kyler Ronquillo for a 48-yard touchdown pass that highlighted the speed of Ronquillo, a state decathlon champ as well as a Portland State football signee. Ronquillo also put an exclamation point on one of the few bleak spots his dad saw by running the last few yards backward, taunting the Camas defense.

The resulting flag was one of seven against Yelm on the night.

“I’m happy we came out with a victory, not so happy with the penalties,” Jason Ronquillo said. “We had some selfish play happening, but the kids played hard. We executed well, particularly during the second half.”

Aalona wasn’t surprised by the final margin.

“We had all the confidence in the world,” he said.

BROTHER ACT

With Yelm running a two-minute drill at the end of the first half, trying to eke out one last score before intermission, Aalona, who wears number 8, threw three times to number 7 for 5, 11 and 15 yards, the receiver alertly stepping out of bounds to stop the clock.

It’s no coincidence the numbers of the two players were so close together. Number 7 is Marius Aalona, Damian’s brother, also a junior.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The play of the game was its first from scrimmage.

Aalona, seconds into his debut as starting quarterback, threaded the needle between two Camas defenders to hit veteran Ronquillo for a 30-yard gain.

Although Camas would later tie the game and other plays would account for decisive points, the Aalona-to-Ronquillo pass set the tone, that Yelm had a variety of weapons and would use them all.

“That started the game for us,” said Aalona. “It got us all going, that’s what matters.”

NEXT UP

Yelm goes for the championship of the City of Camas when it visits the Papermakers crosstown rival Union Titans next week. Union was 6-3 a year ago and opens its 2022 season Saturday at 4 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium against visiting Eastlake.

The Tornados have not played Union in recent years.