Football: Mt. Si takes advantage of sidelined quarterback to beat Juanita

The Juanita High football team got the news on Monday that senior quarterback Dexter Mell wouldn't be able to start — or play — in the opening game for academic reasons.

By John William Howard • September 3, 2016 6:07 am
Juanita senior Salvon Ahmed (2) runs past tight end Ravi Regan-Hughes (85) and toward the end zone as a penalty flag flies in the second half of Friday’s 42-22 loss to Mt. Si. The Rebels had two touchdowns called back on penalties. Photo courtesy of Clifford Crawford.
Juanita senior Salvon Ahmed (2) runs past tight end Ravi Regan-Hughes (85) and toward the end zone as a penalty flag flies in the second half of Friday’s 42-22 loss to Mt. Si. The Rebels had two touchdowns called back on penalties. Photo courtesy of Clifford Crawford.

The Juanita High football team got the news on Monday that senior quarterback Dexter Mell wouldn’t be able to start — or play — in the opening game for academic reasons.

The result was a 42-22 nonconference loss to Mt. Si on Friday, Sept. 2, at Juanita High School, a game which saw the visiting Wildcats lead by as many as 32 points before a string of successful Juanita drives late in the game.

“We weren’t really prepared for it, but when we found out, [junior JD Worchester] stepped in,” said Juanita coach Lele Te’o. “He’s played some quarterback for us in the past, so he’s the natural guy to give those reps.”

Worchester’s first extensive reps of the season came the same day the Rebels (0-1) learned they’d need a stand-in.

“Monday during warm ups, [offensive coordinator Craig Peterson] came over to me and told me I was starting,” Worchester said. “It was kind of a shock, but I was up to the challenge. I did what I had to do.”

Worchester completed 13 of 25 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns despite stagnant offense in the first half. The Wildcats (1-0) led 21-3 before Worchester hit Salvon Ahmed and the senior All-American ran up the sideline for a 32-yard touchdown with eight seconds left in the second quarter.

Initially, the Rebel offensive line bent under pressure from Mt. Si’s defense, going three-and-out on the first two posses ions of the game. Ahmed finished with 31 yards on eight carries in the first half, rarely finding room to run.

“[Ahmed is] one of the best players in the country and one of the fastest players in the country, (and) we felt like we needed to make somebody else beat us, not him,” said Mt. Si coach Charlie Kinnune. “Absolutely, he was a focal point.”

The line regrouped at halftime, and with big success.

“Early on, it was just getting used to the first game,” Ahmed said. “In the second half, we came out and were getting great [drives] — it’s just a matter of scoring.”

Ahmed finished with 82 hard-fought yards on 17 carries, and without a rushing touchdown. It’s far from the standard set in his 2015 season, but the Rebels are still working in three new pieces on the offensive line.

“It’s just that getting to game speed took a little bit,” Te’o said. “Once [the offensive line] got there, things started opening up for [Ahmed]. It was a little too little, too late.”

Despite a shift in signal caller, senior Dean Sise made four receptions for 94 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. Sise’s score came with just over six minutes to play in the game, and was part of a high-tempo stretch for the Rebels.

Worchester found Christian Blackburn for a 24-yard touchdown, and the Rebels recovered the resulting onside kick. Worchester then hit Sise on a fade route for the Rebels’ second touchdown in just over a minute.

Juanita senior defensive end Trevor Williams had a big series late in the fourth quarter. Williams sacked Mt. Si sophomore Cale Millen for a nine-yard loss, and on the next play, Williams recovered a fumble on the Wildcat 37 yard-line.

Mt. Si used three quarterbacks in the game, led by Millen’s eight completions for 208 yards. Jesiah Irish, who completed four of five passes, also caught three passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Jack Weidenbach was the game’s leading rusher with 104 yards on three carries.

Next, Juanita is scheduled to play Garfield at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle — and with Mell back under center.

“JD stepped up and did some great things for the team, but Dexter’s our guy and he’s one of our captains,” Ahmed said. “We’re looking forward to getting him back and getting back to normal.”

“We adjusted this week,” Sise said. “[Losing Mell] definitely hurt us, but we’ll be ready to play on Monday. We’ve got a little chip on our shoulder. We can’t let that game get to us and we’ve got to get better.”

SUMMARY

at Juanita High School

MS — 7 14 15 6 — 42

J — 0 10 0 12 — 22

Scoring

First quarter

MS — Jesiah Irish 1 run (Reed Paradissis kick), 7:06

Second quarter

J — Calum Garrigan 21 fieldgoal, 9:48

MS — Alex Rendon 3 pass from Cale Millen (Paradissis kick), 2:18

MS — Irish 53 pass from Millen (Paradissis kick), 1:11

J — Salvon Ahmed 32 pass from JD Worchester (Garigan kick), :08

Third quarter

MS — Austin Ross 1 run (Paradissis from Zeke Barden), 7:59

MS — Max Bonda 28 run (Paradissis kick), 4:20

Fourth quarter

MS — Jack Weidenback 36 run (kick blocked), 11:49

J — Christian Blackburn 24 pass from Worchester (pass intercepted), 7:08

J — Sise 19 pass from Worchester (pass failed), 6:03

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Mt. Si: Weidenbach 3-104, Max Bonda 11-57, Austin Ross 5-23, Jake Bailey 1-7, Irish 4-1, Millen 2-(minus 3), Barden, 2-(minus 6). Juanita: Ahmed 17-82, Blackburn 1-24, Worchester 6-11, Sise 3-(minus 7), Andrez Trahan 6-(minus 4).

PASSING—Mt. Si: Millen, 8-12-0-206, Irish, 4-5-0-37, Zeke Barden, 1-4-0-7. Juanita: JD Worchester, 13-25-2-190.

RECEIVING—Mt. Si: Irish 3-133, Bonda 3-46, Jonny Barrett 2-32, Eric Daniels 3-27, Garrett Stiller 1-10, Alex Reardon 3-8. Juanita: Sise 4-94, Sam Rice 3-37, Ahmed 2-36, Blackburn 1-8, Ravi Regan-Hughes 1-6, Kamil Ettaki 2-2.