South silences North at C-league Super Bowl

BREMERTON — The sidelines of the Bremerton Memorial Stadium were dolled up with mini-cheerleaders, rambunctious parents and spirit signs Saturday afternoon; this was it, the C-league Super Bowl. This year’s championship pitted North Kitsap against South Kitsap for prowess of the pee-wees. SK C-Gray’s undefeated record was on the line.

BREMERTON — The sidelines of the Bremerton Memorial Stadium were dolled up with mini-cheerleaders, rambunctious parents and spirit signs Saturday afternoon; this was it, the C-league Super Bowl.

This year’s championship pitted North Kitsap against South Kitsap for prowess of the pee-wees. SK C-Gray’s undefeated record was on the line.

NK C-White earned the right to play after a thrilling victory at Chico Nov. 9. On the back of a fourth-down quarterback sneak for the go-ahead touchdown in overtime, the Bulldogs rallied with the 12-6 victory. SK earned their spot beating NK C-Black the same day by a count of 14-8.

David Ormsby proved to be the engine of the South squad Saturday. He scored all of SK’s points, running the ball for nearly 90 percent of the offense. His first touchdown of the game came half-way into the first quarter.

“I remember him from previous years,” said NK coach Joe McMullen. “He’s tough.”

South also came with a tough defense which limited North’s options, McMullen said.

The Bulldogs were forced to punt, a season-long rarity, numerous times throughout the championship, while South rarely left North’s side of the field.

On the third SK possession, starting near mid-field, Ormsby broke a 43-yard touchdown, devastating the Dogs’ defense. The SK sideline rejoiced as Ormsby nailed the extra point, 14-0.

“They jumped out quick and scored two touchdowns,” McMullen said. “It’s hard to keep up when you get down in a hole like that.”

After an SK fumble, North started picking up momentum in the second frame. NK came with short, quick passes to combat the breeze and a robust South defense.

Kendal Gill hooked up with Austin Morga for a 14-yard first down and JT Nettleton followed with 8-yard plunge carrying North forward.

But Ormsby took momentum into his own hands as he intercepted a fake-reverse-pass at South’s 17-yard line. On the ensuing SK drive, the ball went right back into Ormsby’s hands as he carried for a 13-yard first down.

Neither team scored again before halftime, South leading 14-0.

The NK defense stood strong for most of the game. It rallied to the ball staying diligent on South’s attempts to get outside. NK held South silent for much of the second half.

Then with seconds ticking off the third quarter, NK’s offense strived to get on the board, moving one rush at a time through a murky gray defense. But after an incomplete pass and a fumbled snap, the Bulldogs were doomed, fourth and long.

South took over with poise and broke two long runs courtesy of Ormsby and Evan Carter. Ormsby broke through the middle of the North defense for the 34-yard dagger and followed up with the extra point to preserve SK’s undefeated record (10-0) with a 22-0 victory.

“One of the reasons I got into coaching was the feeling of pride and joy you see in the kids’ faces after a game like Chico,” McMullen said after the game. “This is the other side of it, the agony of defeat.”

The shutout ended a solid season for C-White, which finished 8-2.

Around the NK postgame huddle, there were congratulations, commendations and aspirations as Coach McMullen said, “We’ll be back next year.”

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