South Sound football is back. The Tumwater High School football team defeated Rochester High School 64-0 Monday night, February 15 at Tumwater District Stadium to begin season one of the WIAA football play for local South Sound schools. Due to COVID-19 protocols the crowd of less than 200 included only players, team personal and cheer teams from both high schools. Tumwater, the defending 2A State Champions, dominated play: rushing for over 200 yards and limiting Rochester to 51 total yards.
Opening play for all South Sound schools was scheduled for Friday and Saturday but the weekend snow storm caused all local weekend games to be canceled or rescheduled. Centralia defeated Black Hills 14-6 in other 2A EVCO play on Monday.
For Tumwater Head Coach Bill Beatie, the game was just exciting to finally have the kids be able to play. Beatie praised the 30 to 40 parents and kids in the community that came to plow the snow off the field on Sunday. “There are two things I never thought I would do in the State of Washington, which was to play football in February and plow snow off a field to get a game in,” Beatie remarked.
The T-Birds scored 28 points in the first quarter followed by two more touchdowns in the second and third quarters and a final touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jack Jones scored three times including a 26-yard rushing TD, 45-yard pass reception from quarterback Cody Whalen and then an 85-yard kickoff return to begin the third quarter. Whalen was 3 for 4 with 89 yards passing, including a TD and a 2-pt conversion to Austin Terry in the second quarter.
