South Kitsap coach Eric Canton did not need any reminders.

As he walked off the field during the Wolves’ 40-7 win Friday to earn their first Class 4A Narrows League victory of the season against Yelm, he rehashed an ominous fact.

“That’s the first time we’ve had the lead since the first quarter of Newport,” said Canton, referencing his team’s 35-15 loss on Sept. 13.

Not only did junior Marshaud DeWalt’s 5-yard run give South its first advantage in 15 quarters, it was the Wolves’ first victory since their season-opening 40-0 win Sept. 5 at Kentridge.

And, outside of its own issues, South had little difficulty accomplishing it. The Wolves (2-4 overall, 1-3 league) conceivably were in position to have their first set of siblings, Terro and Corey Bell, rush for 100 yards during a game in program history. DeWalt also was approaching that milestone – South never has had three 100-yard rushers in one game – when Canton pulled his starters and other key players during the third quarter.

“It’s about making sure things are done the right way,” Canton said. “It was pretty obvious that we were controlling the line of scrimmage and I’m not going to rub it in someone’s face.”

Instead, only sophomore Corey Bell, who had 138 yards and two touchdowns on six first-half carries, reached that benchmark. Bell’s 16- and 49-yard scoring runs during the second quarter gave the Wolves a 34-7 halftime lead.

“Been waiting for that,” said Canton, adding that Bell still is developing as a runner. “He needs to trust things that are going on. It’s coming.”

DeWalt, who scored South’s first and final touchdowns, finished with 85 yards on six carries. Meanwhile, Terro Bell had 75 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. The Wolves finished with 354 yards on 38 carries. They also had 493 yards of total offense.

That does not mean the presentation was aesthetically pleasing as South was penalized nine times. After Corey Bell’s first touchdown run gave the Wolves a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter, one of his teammates drew a personal foul on the kickoff. The penalty enraged Canton, who immediately called a timeout and yelled for his team to huddle on the sideline.

“It’s unacceptable,” Canton said. “That’s not football. That’s just being a punk. That’s not how we play.

“We made lots of mistakes, especially the mental ones and the penalties. That is inexcusable. Sometimes emotion leads to penalties like that, but that’s something we need to figure out.”

Yelm had larger issues. The Tornados (3-3, 1-2) nearly had their opening punt blocked after a high snap and then South junior linebacker Ramon Marin recovered a fumble by running back Aaron Rivera on Yelm’s ensuing possession. Those mistakes gave the Wolves the ball inside of the Tornados’ 30-yard line on their first two possessions. They translated both into touchdowns.

The early deficit forced Yelm quarterback Quentin Buck to throw the ball against a South defense that did not have an interception in its first five games. That changed against the Tornados as the Wolves picked off Buck four times.

“That’s nice,” Canton said. “We’ve got to create turnovers.”

South’s playoff hopes also were bolstered Friday night when Central Kitsap defeated Olympia 28-21. For the Wolves to earn 4A Narrows’ third playoff spot, they need to win their three remaining league games, while the Bears must lose the rest of their contests. South already has lost against Bellarmine Prep and Gig Harbor and cannot move ahead of either school in the playoff race as both are 3-0 in 4A Narrows.

“It feels great,” said Corey Bell, referring to ending the four-game losing streak. “We’ve just got to keep it going. Consistency is the main key.”

Playoff concerns will take a reprieve for a week as the Wolves play a nonleague contest at 7 p.m. Friday against Lincoln. The Abes are coached by former NFL signal-caller Jon Kitna, whose son, Jordan, quarterbacks 3A Narrows’ most prolific offense. It also is South’s homecoming game.

“It will be a great challenge,” Canton said. “It’s homecoming, so these kids need to understand our tradition. There’s going to be people coming to watch them play and see if they can uphold what has been established here.”

At South Kitsap 40, Yelm 7

Yelm                0          7          0          0          –           7

South Kitsap    14        20        6          0          –           40

First Quarter

SK-Marshaud DeWalt 5 run (Nolan Souza kick)

SK-Terro Bell 27 run (Souza kick)

Second Quarter

SK-Corey Bell 16 run (Souza kick)

Y-Quentin Buck 1 run (Vernon Parker kick)

SK-T. Bell 19 run (Souza kick)

SK-C. Bell 49 run (kick failed)

Third Quarter

SK-DeWalt 22 run (kick failed)

Individual statistics

Passing-Quentin Buck (Y) 7-18-4-77, Cooper Canton (SK) 9-16-0-114, Conner Reed (SK) 0-1-0-0, Craner Cole (SK) 2-2-0-25.

Rushing-Greg Martin (Y) 1-3, Aaron Rivera (Y) 14-73, Buck (Y) 13-51, Brandon Thompson (Y) 16-79, Jacob Rash (Y) 3-9, Marshaud DeWalt (SK) 6-85, Terro Bell (SK) 10-75, Corey Bell (SK) 6-138, Deion Anderson (SK) 1-9, Isaiah Cotton (SK) 13-31, Angelo Vigil (SK) 1-10, Jonah Davis (SK) 1-6.

Receiving-Caleb Harris (Y) 1-10, Bo Campbell (Y) 3-7, Rivera (Y) 1-8, Kollin Crown (Y) 1-35, Rash (Y) 1-17, T. Bell (SK) 1-10, Logan Knowles (SK) 4-45, DeWalt (SK) 1-12, Brayden Maynard (SK) 1-16, Dylan Garcia (SK) 1-12, Joshua Franklin (SK) 1-19, Tanner Paulson (SK) 1-18, Josh Osborn (SK) 1-7.