The Enumclaw High gridiron gang took to the field at Federal Way Memorial Stadium Friday to play a tough, defensive-minded Decatur group, leaving three hours later on the short end of a 36-7 score.

The cold reality now is the Hornets have four games to play in October, their previous accounting is dismal at best and the most arduous portion of the campaign – four straight SPSL 3A contests – awaits.

The approaching Friday should be a celebratory occasion associated with Homecoming Week. But a 1-4 Enumclaw squad has the specter of Auburn Mountainview hovering over it like an ominous black cloud.

The vastly improved Lions, who handed nearby Bonney Lake its solitary setback Saturday night, promise to be a handful when they invade Pete’s Pool at 7 p.m.

Enumclaw showed little life against Decatur and fell behind 7-0 in the contest’s first few minutes and the Gators never looked back.

There was a brief period midway through the second quarter where there was a glimmer of hope. A Decatur ball carrier lost the handle on the pigskin at the Gators’ own 15-yard line and Enumclaw recovered, leaving the Hornets in optimum field position to tie things with seven minutes remaining until intermission.

Opportunity knocked and  Enumclaw answered a few plays later, as quarterback Tyler Carlson scored the Hornets’ only points of the outing, waltzing into the end zone from four yards out behind a wave of blockers.

Kicker Matthew Wasisco split the uprights to knot the score.

Things quickly began to go south for the maroon and gold, as Decatur got its formidable rushing attack hitting on all cylinders and before the break, the Gators tacked on another tandem of touchdowns on the ground to own a 22-7 halftime advantage.

The downward trend continued for Enumclaw in the second half, as Decatur put up two more scores, one through the air and one via the overland route.