The Enumclaw High Hornets scored a pair of first-half touchdowns, survived a slight scare in the late going and tacked on a last-minute TD to claim a 23-6 victory in the Battle of the Bridge.
The again-annual, nonleague tussle against neighboring White River High was played Friday night on the natural grass surface of historic Sheets Field in downtown Buckley.
Enumclaw first hit the scoreboard with 5:27 remaining in the opening quarter when Mauricio Portillo slashed into the end zone from six yards out. EHS had landed in easy scoring position after Trey Rodarte took a short pass from quarterback Peter Norby and turned it into a big gain.
It was 7-0 in Enumclaw’s favor after Garrett Berquist tacked on the extra-point kick.
With four minutes remaining in the first half, Norby and Rodarte teamed up on a pretty pass play that covered 55 yards and accounted for EHS’s second touchdown of the night.
Two additional points went Enumclaw’s way in the fourth frame when a White River punt attempt went awry. A high snap resulted in a safety and a 16-0 EHS lead.
White River made things a bit interesting when Sean Hayes completed three straight passes, the final one resulting in a short touchdown strike to Dustin France with 7:04 on the game clock. Looking to cut the lead to a manageable eight points, White River attempted a two-point conversion, which failed.
Enumclaw’s final TD came when Norby zipped around the right side with 45 seconds remaining to be played. Garrett Berquist added the PAT to account for the final score.