Power football was at the forefront of South Kitsap’s success of a generation ago.
But that brand of play returned Friday night as the Wolves imposed their physicality in a 21-3 nonleague win against Central Kitsap at Silverdale Stadium.
Senior Marshaud DeWalt rushed for more than 140 yards and scored three touchdowns to help South build a 14-0 lead entering the second quarter. While the Wolves (1-0) have not used a lead back since Robert Issa in 2009, coach Eric Canton said DeWalt will fill that role. Because of that, he said DeWalt will not play defense and will only participate on one special-teams unit.
“We said all along that we were going to make sure he was fresh,” Canton said. “He’s carrying the load.”
He also was impressed with the work of an offensive line that possesses size, but lacks experience.
“Our offensive line made [DeWalt] look fantastic,” Canton said.
Despite that, Canton wants to see his team execute better when they host Peninsula at 7 p.m. Friday. The Wolves had several issues with low snaps throughout the game.
“The thing I didn’t like was the problems — the issues — with the exchange,” Canton said. “You can’t run a play if you don’t have a center-quarterback exchange. That got frustrating.”
In addition to the turnover risk that issue presents, Canton said it disrupts the offense’s timing.
“If we can do that it will give [quarterback Cooper Canton] an opportunity to actually read the defense and make an educated throw,” he said, adding that correcting that issue will be a focal point during practice.
The other issue was South’s 14 penalties.
“I expect the penalties just because we’re early,” Canton said. “Things have a tendency to be sloppy early.”
The Wolves might have produced more points without the penalties. But some within the program felt the team became complacent last year after they defeated Kentridge 40-0 in the opener. South finished with a 4-6 record last season.
“I think we might have been a little big-headed,” DeWalt said. “We’re not going to do that this year. We’re going to build.”
Canton shared similar sentiments.
“Because of our youth, if we hadn’t left as many points on the board as we did … it may in the end have been a distraction,” he said. “On the bus ride home all of the kids said we have a lot to work on to get better.”
With the exception of the penalties, Canton said the defense played “really well.” After last year’s opener, the Wolves surrendered an average of 28 points per game. But CK’s only points came on a 23-yard field goal by Kevin White during the second quarter.
One player, in particular, that stood out to Canton was senior outside linebacker Ramon Marin. Last year, the 6-foot-2 Marin had a team-high 63 tackles (45 solo) and added six tackles-for-loss and recovered a pair of fumbles. Canton said he is even better this year.
“He was magnificent,” he said. “He just let his athletic ability take over. Last year, I would say there was a lot of paralysis by analysis on his part.”
Canton said his team will need Marin and others to continue progressing as the Seahawks (0-1) arrive. Peninsula, which competes in the Class 3A South Puget Sound League, squandered a 17-point lead during last week’s 30-29 in the Fish Bowl rivalry contest against Gig Harbor.
“They’re a preseason number six team in the state with some good players,” Canton said. “If we’re looking past them that’s a huge mistake.”
• South’s victory marked its first against the Cougars at Silverdale Stadium since a 49-42 victory on Oct. 20, 2005. The Wolves also snapped a two-game losing streak in the series.
