RIDGEFIELD – If Ilwaco Coach Kevin McNulty was told that every 13 seconds a catastrophic disaster occurs somewhere on the planet, he only has to look to his team’s 56-12 implosion at Ridgefield in a non-league football game Friday to back up that alleged phenomenon.

A 21-point Ridgefield scoring blast the final 26 seconds of the first half (that’s in two 13-second increments) catapulted the Spudders to their second win in four tries. The Fishermen trailed 7-6 with halftime popcorn already in the bags when the Spudders “knocked the wheels off our cart” according to McNulty.

The Spuds scored on a one-yard plunge with 26 seconds remaining to cap off a 76 yard drive. After Nick Morrison recovered the on-side kick for Ilwaco near mid-field, Jake Nesbitt fired an interception that was returned for a 53 yard gain with 13 seconds to go in the half. A saving tackle by Matt Kaino stopped Ridgefield on the one, but they scored on the next play to go up 21-6.

A Fishermen fumble on the next kick off gave the ball to the Spudders with one second left on the clock and a desperation pass over a stagnant Fishermen defense connected for yet another Ridgefield touchdown and a 28-6 lead for the home folks. Ridgefield kicker Raul Meyer-Junglaussen was “money” on each of his kicks for point after TD.

McNulty said, “The final score did not indicate the type of game we played, but with our group when things go bad, they seem to continue to go bad.” The first 23-plus minutes of the fray Ilwaco had driven for seven first downs to five for the Spuds. With 7:22 remaining in the second quarter Matt Kaino scored on a four yard jaunt on a reverse play after he had three plays earlier reeled in a Nesbitt pass for a 54 yard pickup. Eddie Knick, Trevor Couch and Morrison had run the football with authority and even though Ilwaco trailed 7-6 when the point after kick missed, they had out-gained the 2A Spudders on the ground and in the air.

In the third period the two teams traded punts and then each turned the football over on downs. With 2:19 to go Ridgefield scored from 13 yards out after Jung, their quarterback had rambled for gains of 30 and 16 yards. On the next Ilwaco play from scrimmage Jung intercepted and packed the pigskin 25 yards and across the goal line to put Ridgefield up 42-6 at the 2:06 mark. A thirteen yard score, interception and another score in 13 seconds, for those keeping track of the unlucky number.

To begin the final frame the Fishermen recovered a fumble on the Spudders 39. Knick’s 18 yard pickup was the big play of the drive as it again set up an end-around run by Kaino for a 14 yard TD. The pass failed for a two point conversion, leaving the score 42-12.

With 3:48 left in the game lightening again struck Ilwaco twice within 13 seconds. Ferreira broke free and raced for an 86 yard TD and 13 ticks of the clock later following a Fishermen fumble, their fourth turnover of the contest, Ridgefield scored on a 10 yard run through the heart of a disheartened Ilwaco defense. McNulty said, “After what happened just before halftime we were ‘shell shocked’ and we never did rebound.”

To McNulty’s and Ilwaco’s credit, the banged up squad played extremely well early against a favored opponent. The team had installed a single-wing running attack during the week as Nesbitt’s arm was hurting and the two Fishermen backup quarterbacks were injured and not able to play, as were two other starters. The depleted Ilwaco team was able to grind out a not-so-lucky, but impressive 13 first downs to 17 for the Spudders.

Four turnovers on two lost fumbles and two interceptions was the key statistic for Ilwaco, a team who had turned the football over only four times in their first three contests. Scott Simons, Tyler Starks, and Adam Bundy all played well in the trenches for the Fishermen, who fell to 1-3 and 0-2 in the Trico. Ridgefield is now even at 2-2. Total yards for Ilwaco added up to 238 and Ridgefield gained 390-that’s 30 times that number, 13 for those keeping track.

Things won’t get any easier for Ilwaco as they travel next weekend to LaCenter, who is tied with Kalama atop the Trico with a 2-0 mark and who pummeled Rochester 42-14 Friday, a team that crushed Ilwaco 35-12 two weeks ago. At least the game won’t be played on Friday the Thirteenth.

Ilwaco 0 6 0 6 –12

Ridgefield 7 21 14 14 –56