BELLEVUE — He has no official nickname.
But if South Kitsap senior Bryce Broome continues to make big plays at crucial moments, expect that to change soon.
Broome intercepted quarterback Isaac Dotson with about 30 seconds remaining to secure the Wolves’ 33-27 nonleague win Friday at Newport.
“It was an amazing feeling to finish the game, said Broome, who was carried off the field by senior linebacker Michael Beard after the play. “It was a great game to be in.”
Earlier in the quarter, Broome appeared to have broken a 27-all tie when he took a pass from senior Kevin Whatley 63 yards into the end zone. But an illegal block in the back penalty negated the touchdown.
That is when Broome responded — again.
Two plays later, Broome broke right and then cut back inside past a defender whom he stiff-armed en route to the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown.
“I know he’s going to make a play when we need it,” Whatley said.
Broome, who had 80 yards on five carries and added 44 hashes on three receptions, said his playmaking ability was the result of “great blocking.”
South (2-0) needed it to fend off the Knights’ offense. Newport (0-2) rushed for 414 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry.
“I told the kids all week that if their staff realizes how much better they are running the ball than throwing it, we’re going to be in for a difficult night,” South coach Eric Canton said. “That came to fruition.”
The offensive output did not translate into points during the first half. The Knights scored first on a 3-yard run by Paul Wells and the Wolves responded on the following possession when Whatley found Broome for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Neither team scored during the second quarter and entered halftime with a 6-all tie.
It only took both schools 96 seconds into the second half to exceed that scoring production. After Newport recovered a muffed kickoff at South’s 20-yard line, senior Eric Rodan rushed for a touchdown on the ensuing play. The Wolves immediately responded when Whatley, who completed 8 of 13 passes for 172 yards, found senior wide receiver Tom Simpson open for an 81-yard touchdown.
But the Knights again responded with a seven-play drive that culminated with an 8-yard touchdown run by Wells to take a 20-13 lead.
Then, as Canton put it, the seniors stepped up. Gascoyne returned the kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. South’s defense stopped Newport on fourth-and-6 at the Wolves’ 20. And, after the extra point was blocked during the previous score, Broome finished a seven-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run and then carried it in again for the two-point conversion that gave South a 27-20 lead.
“The offensive line dominated,” Canton said. “It was a wonderful team effort.”
Despite that, the teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 27 when Newport needed just three plays to finish a drive on a 6-yard Dotson scramble.After Broome’s touchdown to open the final period, the Wolves stopped the Knights on three consecutive possessions to secure the win.
South overcame seven penalties and two turnovers — the latter was a fumble at the Newport 10 after a 52-yard run by sophomore Marshaud DeWalt — that could have resulted in a 14-point swing.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Canton said. “They’re mistakes of heart and effort.”
He added that he understands some of that. After all, two of the best teams in school history lost in the 1992 and ’93 state playoffs at Newport. The Wolves won the previous meeting between the programs in the 1994 state semifinals at the Kingdome.
“It’s a long trip and the first week of school,” Canton said. “There’s so many distractions. We had every reason in the book not to come out on the right side.
“I’m so proud of these kids.”
