by Dan Ruthemeyer
Anacortes quarterback Chris Stoneham is tackled Saturday night.
BELLINGHAM — The Red Raiders started by running the ball to the right.
Then they went to the left. And up the middle. And to the right again.
That’s the way Bellingham took apart Anacortes on Saturday, beating the Seahawks 40-7 in a Northwest Conference football game at Civic Stadium.
“We knew that that was their game, and we didn’t tackle well,” said Anacortes coach Charlie Bell. “I don’t want to take anything away from them, but I’m not pleased with the way we played the game.”
The Red Raiders gave the ball early in the game to their top three running backs. When those three piled up enough yardage, more came in.
Bellingham had 11 players run the ball. They combined for 58 carries for 411 yards, with Reid Chivers, Jeremy Rick and Michael Gonzales each rushing for more than 100.
“I wish I knew (what it was),” Bell said of his defense. “We weren’t aggressive mentally or physically. We didn’t tackle well, we didn’t read (the offense) well. We didn’t do much of anything well.”
Losing to Bellingham was just another setback in the Seahawks’ season.
They are 0-6 overall and 0-4 against other Class 2A in the conference.
The game against Bellingham, however, started with some promise.
Anacortes took the opening kick and drove 46 yards on 11 plays. The Seahawks made it to the Bellingham 17-yard line when they turned the ball over on downs.
The Red Raiders scored on their first three possessions — Anacortes didn’t get a first down on its next two — and the momentum was Bellingham’s the rest of the way.
“We were trying to play catch-up from there,” Bell said of the 21-0 deficit midway through the second quarter.
Anacortes’ only points came in the third quarter.
After Bellingham scored to go ahead 27-0, Caranza Farrell returned a kick 91 yards for a touchdown.
The game marked the return of Anacortes quarterback Chris Stoneham.
The junior, who missed the previous two games with an ankle injury, had modest numbers.
He completed 10 of 17 passes for 75 yards — 50 of the yards came in the second half — and was held to 49 yards rushing on 19 attempts.
“He was about 90 percent,” said Bell. “He wasn’t as familiar with the offense as he needed to be. We didn’t execute as a team, it was more individualistic.”
Stoneham left the game twice — once in the third quarter to ice his back after taking a hit, and in the final minutes after getting hit in the knee.
Anacortes gained only 167 yards of offense, including rushing the ball 37 times for 70 yards.
Stoneham was the leading ground gainer, while Alec Mavar and Tyler Meigs each caught four passes. Mavar had 23 yards receiving and Meigs 38 yards.
In a difficult season for the Seahawks, Saturday’s loss may have been the worst. Nothing went well for the Seahawks.
Asked if there was anything good he could take from the game, Bell said, “I want to forget it as quickly as I can.”
• Dan Ruthemeyer can be reached at 360-416-2133 or by e-mail at
