At one point in the second half, play was stopped to fill a sinkhole with sand that had formed near midfield.

ILWACO — It’s not how you start, but how you finish.

The Ilwaco varsity football team (1-0) kicked off the 2024 season by exemplifying the old adage with a hard-fought, comeback 16-6 victory over Toutle Lake (0-1) last Friday.

“It was great to see their resilience and comeback as a team,” said Ilwaco head coach Ron Rood.

Fishermen stuff Ducks

Toutle Lake opened the game by gashing Ilwaco with big running plays by junior running back Austin Webber. The Ducks punched in the first points of the season less than five plays later, taking an early 6-0 lead against the Fishermen on their opening drive.

The 6-0 score held until midway through the second quarter, when Ilwaco junior running back Corbin Johnson (23) tied the game with a short touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point conversion that gave the Fishermen their first lead (8-6). Johnson would finish with nine carries for 34 yards.

Both teams traded possessions as they settled into the second quarter, with the Ducks nearly taking the lead on a last-second Hail Mary pass that was stopped inside the five yard line.

A reinvigorated Ilwaco team emerged in the second half, led by the defense.

“The kids settled in at halftime. We made some adjustments and played solid in the second half,” Rood said.

After giving up a touchdown on the opening drive, the Ilwaco defense held the Toutle Lake offense scoreless. The Fishermen defensive front pressured Ducks quarterback Jamison Schelb all night, sacking the junior signal caller several times.

Rood praised the play of the defense, including junior guard/defensive end Cooper Petit (77).

“Our defense saved us several times,” Rood said. “Cooper (Petit) played outstanding.”

The offense got the spark they needed from Ilwaco junior Dylan Pelas (2), whom the coaches call a “Swiss army knife.” The junior back finished with a game-high 126 rushing yards with one touchdown on 19 carries. Pelas also converted a pair of two-point conversions.

Early in the game, when the momentum seesawed between both teams, Pelas took over. The junior running back — listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds — ran with conviction all night long, ripping off chunks of yardage and punctuating each carry by punishing would-be Toutle Lake tacklers, igniting the Ilwaco sideline in the process. Ilwaco would finish with 220 yards total on the ground.

“We didn’t play too good in the first half; they ran over us on the first possession,” Pelas said. “Our defense turned it around in the second half.”

Pelas credited senior tight end/defensive end Robert Sanders (82) for motivating the team in the locker room during halftime.

“He got us all in line,” Pelas said.

Pelas helped cap the comeback with a late interception and return to the nine yard line, setting up a first-and-goal leading to a Corbin Johnson game-sealing touchdown.

“It felt really good” Pelas said. “I tried to return it.”

The Fishermen have 15 freshmen on the roster this season, many of whom saw their first action last Friday in prominent starting roles.

“We had a lot of kids playing their first varsity game. We started six freshmen. They showed flashes and we’re sure they’ll get better,” Rood said.

Up next: Ilwaco (1-0) will travel to take on Winlock (0-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. Winlock lost 40-8 to Pe Ell/Willapa Valley in their first game.