Sehome sophomore quarterback Nolan Wright’s career-high six touchdown passes powered Sehome to a 44-6 non-league win over Blaine on Thursday, Sept. 7 at Civic Stadium.
Four different receivers caught scores from Wright, while junior wide receiver Andre Watson and senior tight end Braddock Duckworth each pulled in two. Wright finished 12-of-16 passing for 246 yards.
“My coaches trust me a lot. They put the ball in my hands and let me play and so I’m really grateful for that,” Wright said. “Me and my receivers, we built a lot of chemistry in the offseason. So I know what they’re going to do, and they give me suggestions and, you know, it makes it really easy.”
First-year Sehome coach Brian Young said Wright has had a hand in the team’s gameplans, picking out plays to use in key situations — plays the young quarterback feels especially comfortable with.
That player-coach trust was on display in the dominant victory.
“I draw these plays up and they make them spectacular,” Young said. “So, yeah, it makes a guy look pretty good when it’s all working.”
The Mariners, now 2-0 on the season, racked up 408 total yards of offense versus the Borderites (0-2) and didn’t allow Blaine to score until 17 seconds were remaining in the game — after Young had pulled the team’s starters.
Watson, in addition to his pair of touchdown catches, finished with five receptions for 149 yards.
“He’s a great playmaker,” Wright said of Watson. “One of the things that people forget is he’s super smart, and he tells me a lot of things during the game that we should watch out for … He’s just a great player to play with.”
Blaine, which trailed 31-0 at halftime, looked better in the second half, holding the Mariners to just 13 points over the game’s final 24 minutes.
First-year Blaine coach Andy Olson, who previously spent three seasons as the head coach at Burlington-Edison, said his team’s second-half effort was admirable, and something the team can build on.
“We played better this week than we did last week,” Olson said. “There’s still a long way to go, don’t get me wrong. But, I mean, we competed for the full 48 [minutes]. I think anybody here could see that … It’s building that culture.”
Blaine junior quarterback Colin Davis completed 8-of-18 passes for 86 yards and an interception. The Borderites’ rushing attack was led by junior running backs Rommel Paez (10 carries, 70 yards) and Colby Shipp (14 carries, 61 yards, rushing touchdown).
Junior running back Solomon Mcalister led Sehome on the ground, carrying the ball 11 times for 70 yards. Sophomore rusher Xavier Perrin added eight carries for 45 yards.
Next up for Sehome is a road game at Sedro-Woolley (1-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15 — the first league game of the season for the Mariners. Blaine will host Vashon Island (0-1) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 15.
