SEATTLE – The Pioneers had a tough time matching up with the size of Kelso, and as a result, the Hilanders came away with the 35-7 victory over Nooksack Valley at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
Kelso had a very balanced attack (199 yards rushing, 182 yards passing), and the consistent long drives went a long way. The Hilanders also picked off three passes to help set up short fields.
Senior Jordan Silva scored the lone Pioneer touchdown of the game on a 95-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. It was the first touchdown that Kelso had allowed all season.
Silva also led Nooksack Valley on the ground with 48 yards on 18 carries, and senior tight end Caleb Kingma hauled in three passes for 70 yards.
Defensively, the Pioneers were led by seniors Gerrit Bruland and Jet Triplett, both of whom registered 8.5 tackles. Safeties Dawson Kimball and Cory Olney each totaled eight tackles.
Nooksack Valley (2-1) will travel to King’s (3-0) on Friday to take on the Knights at 7:45.
Nooksack Valley 7 Kelso 35 NV 0 0 0 7 - 7 KEL 7 7 7 14 - 35 KEL - 15 yard touchdown pass (kick good) KEL - 3 yard touchdown run (kick good) KEL - 26 yard touchdown run (kick good) KEL - 4 yard touchdown run (kick good) NV - Silva 95 kickoff return (Kingma kick) KEL - 25 yard touchdown pass (kick good) NV KEL 24-38 Rush Att-Yards 36-199 5-13-3 Comp-Att-Int 14-19-0 89 Passing Yards 182 Individual Leaders RUSHING - NV: Silva 18-48, Perez 1-7, Olney 1-6, Kimball 1-(-3), Brown 3-(-20). KEL: N/A. PASSING - NV: Brown 5-13-3-89. KEL: N/A. RECEIVING - NV: Kingma 3-70, Kimball 2-19. KEL: N/A.
