Bearcats pass major EvCo test

HIGH SCHOOLS: Ben Ternan's 5 TD throws help Chehalis top Tumwater, 34-14

• AARON WASSER; For The Olympian | • Published October 03, 2009

TUMWATER - If the Chehalis Bearcats are going to put together the special year they believe this season can be, Friday night's game featured one of the big hurdles they needed to clear on their way to achieving that goal.

Bearcats coach Bob Wollan and his team were winless against Tumwater during Wollan’s four-year tenure at the school. That drought ended in convincing fashion Friday as Chehalis upended its Class 2A Evergreen Conference rival, 34-14.

Wollan can thank his offensive line and defense for putting an end to his 0-3 record against the Thunderbirds, but he can save his biggest pat on the back for quarterback Ben Ternan. The senior put together an outstanding performance, completing 18 of 26 passes for 253 yards and five touchdowns. All of those numbers were posted before Ternan took a seat during the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.

“Ben was amazing tonight,” Wollan said. “He had time, but he had to improvise a few times, and he just made so many tremendous decisions for a high school kid.

“Granted, our guys went out and made plays for him, but you’ve got to have somebody deliver it.”

Junior receivers Erik Forgione and Nolan Lininger made the biggest plays, recording two touchdowns each and combining to reel in 10 passes for 160 yards.

They weren’t alone, however, as Ternan completed passes to six different receivers.

As potent as the Bearcats’ offense was, the T-Birds’ offense was just the opposite.

Tumwater (3-2, 2-1) entered the game averaging 292 yards on the ground through its first four games and finished relatively close to that total with 231 on Friday. The difference was that 60 of those yards came on one Kyle Warner run during the first half, and the T-Birds were unable to complete passes when they fell behind.

Warner, the T-Birds’ junior quarterback, again was solid on the ground with 87 yards rushing, but he had trouble finding his receivers. He completed just 5 of 12 attempts for 19 yards.

Warner did find some early success when he hooked up with Jake Dowers in the end zone to tie the game at seven in the second quarter. Chehalis took off from there and put up 27 unanswered points.

“They deserved to win, they outplayed us and out coached us,” Tumwater coach Sid Otton said. “We’ll be fine. We just need to bounce back and get things rolling here again. These kids aren’t used to losing, and I don’t want them getting used to it.”

The Bearcats, who entered the game ranked eighth in the latest Associated Press statewide poll, remain undefeated at 5-0 and 3-0 in league play. Beating Tumwater, Wollan said, was a big step forward.

“They’re the standard-bearers,” he said. “They’ve been so good for so long and so consistent. It’s always a measuring stick when you come and play these guys, because you know you’re going to have to bring your best effort.”