Refilong’s four touchdowns lead Central Kitsap to victory

EAST BREMERTON — One of Alex Refilong’s final touches in the game against Lakes exemplified the kind of night he had.

The senior running back made an over-the-shoulder catch while falling to the ground on a ball that had bounced off the hands of a teammate.

Refilong had everything going his way, rushing for 275 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns as Central Kitsap took down Lakes, 30-23, on Sept. 7 at Silverdale Stadium. He also caught three passes for 23 yards.

His 63-yard touchdown run was the turning point in the game. The Lancers had opened up a 14-point lead, and the Cougars offense was off to a slow start. But once Refilong burst through the line, he was in the clear to reach the end zone. Refilong would score a very similar 66-yard touchdown later in the game.

“They were identical,” head coach Mark Keel said. “We ran the same play. It was working for us, so we kept running it.”

The Lancers looked unstoppable early on, moving the ball with ease against the Central Kitsap defense. Quarterback Liam Bladow threw the ball all over the field, completing 27 of 38 passes for 332 yards. But after Refilong’s long run, the defense was able to step up and keep Lakes at bay.

“They moved the ball down the field, but when we had to stop them, we stopped them,” Keel said. “We slowed them down enough, and we kept them out of the end zone.”

Central Kitsap took a lead on Refilong’s second touchdown of the day, a two-yard run. Refilong scored again on a 10-yard rush in the third.

The win moves the Cougars to 2-0 as they head into their South Sound Conference schedule.

“We’re going to have a lot of momentum going into our next game,” Refilong said.

Up first for Central Kitsap is Yelm. The Cougars dropped this matchup, 35-28, a year ago with a spot in the playoffs on the line. They will look to make amends for that loss.

“It starts for real now,” Keel said. “We definitely have things we can build on.”

Central Kitsap 30, Lakes 23

LA 6 8 0 9 — 23

CK 0 16 7 7 — 30

First Quarter

LA — Pe’a 12 pass from Bladlow (kick failed)

Second Quarter

LA — Wayne 5 run (Nofoa-Masoe run)

CK — Refilong 63 run (Cannon kick)

CK — Safety

CK — Refilong 2 run (Cannon kick)

Third Quarter

CK — Refilong 10 run (Cannon kick)

Fourth Quarter

LA — Bladow 1 run (kick failed)

CK — Refilong 66 run (Cannon kick)

LA — Bladow 33 field goal

Individual Stats

Rushing — CK: Refilong 26-275, 4 TDs; McGee 7-24, Blue 3-23, Willis 1-5. LA: Gaulke 4-52, Nofoa-Masoe 14-45, Wayne 2-17, TD; Segarra 1-13, Bladow 3-2, TD.

Passing — CK: McGee 8-13-79. LA: Bladow 27-38-332, TD.

Receiving — CK: Almonte 2-43, Refilong 3-23, Webb 2-13, Keel 1-0. LA: Riley 8-117, Wayne 9-108, Mbuja 5-59, Pe’a 4-43, TD; Segarra 1-5.