Like a pair of heavyweight prizefighters, Sequim and Eatonville slugged it out on artificial turf under Friday night lights in Silverdale. In the end, the Cruisers had just enough stamina to outlast the Wolves and Sequim’s state playoff dreams.

Senior quarterback Triston Graf threw for 445 yards and five touchdowns as Eatonville (8-2) held off the Wolves 59-42 on Nov. 5, earning a berth in the class 2A football tournament.

See photos from the game here.

Sequim (7-3) held leads of 14-8, 21-16, 35-30 and 42-38 as late as 1:14 left in the third quarter, but Graf and Eatonville’s quick-strike offense had an answer every time, responding with touchdowns and forcing three second-half turnovers.

“Their quarterback is really good at scrambling and we didn’t stay our our man,” Sequim senior lineman Adrian Klarich said.

Sequim’s Riley Cowan finished 12-of-24 for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Two went to Gavin Velarde, the junior who finished with five catches for 106 yards and now leads the school record book in receiving categories.

Sequim running back Tyler Conn rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, and Velarde had a 95-yard interception for a score.

The Wolves played the majority of the game without receiver/defensive back Payton Glasser, who was injured in the first quarter.

“You guys fought through a lot,” Sequim head coach Erik Wiker said to his Wolves following the loss. “Remember where you are at: a playoff game to get into state. You battled.”

It was the final game for 17 Sequim High seniors.

“(I’ll miss) the team itself, how hard we played throughout the year,” Klarich said. “It was one big family. You could tell the difference (from last season).”

First half slugfest

Eatonville and Sequim opened the game with back-to-back scores. After Graf found Justin Brandt for an 8-yard TD toss to grab an 8-0 lead, Cowan found Velarde on a slant and the receiver raced 36 yards for a score, trimming Eatonville’s lead to 8-7.

The teams traded possessions before Velarde snagged an errant Graf pass near the Wolves’ goal-line and raced nearly the length of the field for a 14-8 Sequim lead.

In the second quarter, the Cruisers used a nine-play, 80-yard drive capped by a Derek Brown rushing touchdown to lead 16-14, aided by a Graf throw that he made while being thrown to the ground by Sequim defensive end Beau Bernsten.

The Wolves responded with a 65-yard drive of their own, capped by Cowan’s 25-yard TD toss to Cody Bell. Sequim held a 21-16 lead for only two plays, however: a long kick return set up Zarak Scruggs’ 38-yard touchdown scamper and a 23-21 Cruiser lead.

Graf added a 12-yard scoring pass to tight end Brooks Moeller with 47 seconds remaining in the first half, giving the Cruisers a 30-21 halftime lead.

Second half exchanges

Sequim took advantage of good field position to open the third quarter, driving 59 yards for a score. Conn raced in from eight yards out and added a two-point conversion, trimming the Eatonville lead to 30-29.

After forcing a Cruiser punt, Cowan connected with Kyler Rollness from 18 yards out and a 35-30 Sequim lead.

Eatonville responded once again, set up by Scruggs’ long kickoff return. Brown plunged in from a yard away to put the Cruisers up 38-35 with 4:12 left in the third quarter.

Velarde put the Wolves near midfield with the ensuing kick return and seven plays later Cowan found his most prolific receiver from 25 yards out on a key third down to give Sequim a 42-38 lead.

The Cruisers needed just five plays to get the lead back — this time for good — as Graf connected with Ryan Antonson from 29 yards out for a 45-42 advantage.

Eatonville then stuffed the next three Sequim drives with turnovers, getting a fumble recovery and back-to-back interceptions by Antonson to close out the game. Graf added a touchdown pass and Brown added his third touchdown run to cap the scoring.

“I think we did a hell of a job,” Rollness said. “They’re physical, but we’re physical, too.”

Game notes

The loss ends Sequim’s four-game winning streak against the Cruisers. It also ends Wiker’s four-game district tourney winning streak … Eatonville scored on a rather unusual drive in the fourth quarter, receiving eight penalties for 65 yards. The drive, which wound up (with penalties) lasting 19 plays, saw the Cruisers charge up 127 yards of offense (and a touchdown). Eatonville racked up 14 total penalties for 116 yards, the Wolves nine for 80 yards … the Cruisers totaled 608 yards in total offense to go with 34 first downs. Sequim had 359 yards of offense and 18 first downs.