Braves steamroll Concrete in key league road test

No one expected a ride down Easy Street for the La Conner Braves in Concrete on Friday night.

Quite the opposite, actually.

A few road bumps were expected as the Braves opened their 2015 grid campaign against the defending league champions in a pairing of longtime rivals all the more crucial since the NW2B has been allotted just one State playoff berth this year.

Turns out, the only potholes jolting the Braves were ones the team bus hit en route to the Lion’s den, where La Conner paved the way for a quick start to the league title race with a convincing 40-23 triumph.

La Conner signal caller James Hulbert, making his debut under center, had a hand in three scores, including long TD strikes to Harrison Orkney and Budda Luna, while Cameron Hansen reeled off a 67-yard dash to paydirt.

Seth Schuh and Luna added short touchdown blasts for the victors, whose roster — featuring 10 returning starters on offense — appeared deeper than that of the Lions, who saw standouts Randall Beacham and Dylan Clark sidelined with injuries.

Beacham ran 37 yards for a score, and Clark converted a two-yard TD flip before exiting.

La Conner head coach Johnny Lee knew Friday’s season opener at Concrete loomed large, and geared his club’s preseason workouts accordingly.

There would be no mere cruising into the first of a two-game regular season series with the Lions, Lee assured “La Conner Weekly News” in August.

“Concrete is always tough,” he noted, “and should have another excellent squad this year.”

While viewing the NW2B chase as a toss-up, with Orcas and Friday Harbor on track for trophy contention, Lee predicted a playoff atmosphere in Concrete on Opening Night.

His forecast proved correct.

“As far as our Week One matchup at Concrete,” he said going in, “it doesn’t get any better. (You have) the two teams that finished atop the league last year in a Week One matchup that could already have State playoff implications on the line.

“We only have one allocation to State this year,” Lee stressed, “so unless we win the league, we will have no post-season.”

La Conner took a big step in that direction with the double-digit win at Concrete, where the Braves showed an ability to both ground-and-pound and score quickly.

Hulbert capped one TD march with a six-yard burst. He also connected for 44 yards on a touchdown pass to Orkney, and hooked up on a 67-yarder with the versatile Luna.

At times, La Conner seemed in mid-season form — which Lee saw as the key to his club jump-starting its playoff aspirations.

“We try not to look too far ahead,” he said, “but the way our league is structured, there’s a lot of importance on the winner of our first game if we hope to accomplish our goals.”

The Oct. 9 La Conner-Concrete rematch at Whittaker Field promises to be equally important.

But that meeting remains a long way down the road.

Next stop for the Braves, meanwhile, is Kittitas for a non-conference clash with Wilbur-Creston — one of two Eastern Washington trips built into the La Conner schedule due to Darrington not fielding a varsity team this year.