OAK HARBOR – After a being down 14-7 early in the contest, Ferndale rattled off six unanswered touchdowns and eventually blew out Oak Harbor 51-14 on Thursday night.
The return of wingback Thomas Broselle became celebrated early, when he took his first official carry of the game 65 yards for a touchdown (His prior carry was called back due to a penalty). The 6-foot-1 185-pound senior went on to rush for a team-high 120 yards on eight carries.
The Golden Eagles amassed 368 yards on the ground, and 524 yards of total offense. They averaged over 10 yards per offensive play, and was able to hold the Wildcats to just under four yards per play.
Whatcom County’s leading rusher, Isaiah Carlson, tacked on to his totals with 93 yards rushing, and a touchdown, on 12 carries, and senior fullback Ryan Pelton added 89 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries.
The passing game ignited the offense in the third quarter, as senior quarterback Mark Schlichting and sophomore wide receiver Conner Walcker hooked up three times for 117 yards. Two of which ended up as touchdowns. Schlichting, who completed 8-of-9 passes for 156 yards, also scored on a 1-yard sneak in the fourth quarter.
Walcker led Ferndale with seven tackles, while junior defensive end Jake Mason had two sacks and sophomore cornerback Bishop Ootsey intercepted his second pass of the season. Senior defensive end Xander Castleberry also forced a fumble which was recovered by junior defensive tackle Landen Hatchett. It was a great overall team win for the Golden Eagles.
Ferndale (5-1) will host Stanwood (2-3) at Blaine High School on Friday the 15th at 7:00.
Ferndale 51 Oak Harbor 14 FER 21 0 22 8 - 51 ELM 14 0 0 0 - 14 OH - 6 yard touchdown pass (kick good) FER - Pelton 1 run (Mattingley kick) OH - 5 yard touchdown pass (kick good) FER - Broselle 65 run (Mattingley kick) FER - Carlson 6 run (Mattingley kick) FER - Walcker 32 pass from Schlichting (run failed) FER - Walcker 59 pass from Schlichting (Carlson run) FER - Pelton 35 run (Carlson run) FER - Schlichting 1 run (Schlichting run) FER OH 42-368 Rush Att-Yards 29-85 8-9-1 Comp-Att-Int 21-41-1 156 Passing Yards 185 Individual Leaders RUSHING - FER: Broselle 8-120, Carlson 12-93, Pelton 7-89, McCormick 6-32, Nowack 1-13, Atwood 2-9, Bowen 2-9, Schlichting 2-4, McCoy 1-0, Moore 1-(-1). OH: N/A. PASSING - FER: Schlichting 8-9-1-156. OH: N/A. RECEIVING - FER: Walcker 3-117, Carlson 2-0, McCormick 1-20, Toney 1-11, Pelton 1-8. OH: N/A.
