Eastlake holds off Mount Si
September 11, 2008
By Ryan Piersol
Backup QB leads Wolves to win in season-opener
Mount Si defensive lineman Aaron Moetului goes after a pass by Eastlake quarterback Drake Furcini during the first half of the Wildcats’ 24-12 season-opening loss last week. Photo by Ryan Piersol
Two weeks before the football season opener, Eastlake junior Kelby McCorkle was promised nothing more than a spot on the sidelines.For the backup quarterback and free safety, that made all the difference Friday night.
McCorkle came off the bench for injured starting quarterback Drake Furcini and led the Wolves to a 24-12 season-opening win against Mount Si. McCorkle went 9-for-15 for 102 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 61 yards and nabbing a game-sealing interception on defense.
He’d been promoted to starting free safety three days before the game, but the quarterback role only came about when Furcini suffered a concussion early in the second period.
With little time to think about it, McCorkle took the field and took charge.
“This was really unexpected. Two weeks ago, I wasn’t first team in anything, offense or defense,” McCorkle said. “I was just focusing on getting better at free safety, but then Drake gets hurt, and all of a sudden I’m on.
“I think it helped me a lot not having to think it over. I went out there just wanting to help the team win.”
McCorkle seemed to be the spark Eastlake needed. Mount Si scored first on a 69-yard touchdown strike and had a 6-0 lead when the backup signal-caller entered. He started out with a bang, completing seven of his first eight passes and tossing a pair of touchdowns — six-yard strikes to Jeff Grotjahn and Scott Payton — before halftime to give the Wolves a 14-6 advantage.
Eastlake added a 28-yard field goal by Kelly Rockey early in the second half, before McCorkle found Cameron Hunt for a 55-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-6.
Mount Si forged a rally, getting a touchdown on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Tyson Riley to Rossco Castagno. But Eastlake forced turnovers on the Wildcats’ final three possessions, including McCorkle’s pick on the final drive.
“Eastlake’s played more than 30 games in three years, so they’re very experienced. They’re good,” Mount Si head coach Charlie Kinnune said. “They’re a 4A power. And, when (Eastlake head coach) Gene Dales says that KingCo 4A is the SEC of Washington state, he’s right.”
Mount Si entered the game with a seasoned offensive line and a returning starting running back in Sean Snead, who rushed for nearly 800 yards a year ago. But the Wolves stuffed the run early, allowing no yards on Mount Si’s first four attempts.
Eventually, the Wildcats were forced to throw more than they wanted. Riley finished 13-of-33 for 230 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, connecting with junior Rossco Castagno the most. Castagno hauled in both of the touchdowns and finished with more than 100 yards receiving.
“They knew our roster. Rossco Castagno had a nice game, but we’re inexperienced at wide receiver. We had some route issues, some timing issues and they exposed that,” Kinnune said. “We have to be more diverse offensively. We knew at some point we would have to be, but we wanted to get our power game on track. But we found out pretty quickly we couldn’t do that.”
The Eagles still had chances late. Trailing 24-12, they got the ball back with 8:46 to go and had a first-and-10 at their own 43. A quarterback sack, however, resulted in a fumble and a turnover.
Mount Si got the ball back two more times before the end of the game, but each possession resulted in an interception.
Reach Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 246.
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