Senior Anthony Kiamco has shown he’s more than capable of contributing to the Tornados in all three phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams. On Friday, Oct. 13, Yelm’s Swiss Army knife returned the opening kick 91 yards for a touchdown, serving as a spark plug for the Tornados special teams early in the contest.
Kiamco has emerged as a major playmaker for the Tornados this season as he’s scored rushing and receiving touchdowns on offense, scored on an interception return while on defense, and now he’s added to his success with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
“It feels great to have these opportunities to find the endzone. I feel like I’m actually being productive,” Kiamco said. “On my kickoff return touchdown, I saw a big opening after catching the kick and when I took it, I knew I had a chance to score. I was excited to get the ball because I never get the ball on kick return.”
After Kiamco’s return touchdown, Yelm led 6-0 after an unsuccessful two-point try. The Tornados forced a quick Timberline three-and-out and marched the ball deep into Blazers’ territory. After facing fourth and medium yardage, Yelm turned the ball over on downs after an incomplete pass, sending Timberline’s offense back onto the field.
The Tornados forced another Blazers punt early in the game, and senior defensive back Arlo Henderson Jr, who caught the ball on Timberline’s 34-yard line, returned the Timberline punt for the defending 3A state champion’s second special team’s touchdown of the contest. The Tornados led 14-0 following a successful two-point conversion.
“It’s about getting the kids to buy in, getting them to care about special teams as much as we do as coaches,” Daniel Caldwell, Yelm’s special teams coordinator, said. “Once we get that done, that’s half the battle. After that, it’s making new installs and tweaks here and there, watching scout film and looking for areas that we can take advantage of.”
After the Tornados forced another fourth down Blazers punt, Kiamco, who caught the kick at Yelm’s 34-yard line, nearly sprung loose for his second special teams touchdown of the game. He was tackled out of bounds at Timberline’s 4-yard line after a 62-yard return. Senior Oregon commit Brayden Platt punched in the Tornados’ first offensive touchdown of the game on a 3- yard carry, extending Yelm’s lead to 22-0 in the second quarter.
“Ultimately, we put our playmakers in positions to make plays. We take it as an offensive mentality, we want to be aggressive. We want to attack,” Caldwell said. “We want to put our playmakers, Kiamco and Henderson, into position to do what they do best.”
The Tornados’ defense joined Yelm’s first-half scoring outburst against the Blazers when Timberline’s running back fumbled the football, which senior Onyx Carter caught mid-air and returned for a 43-yard defensive touchdown. Following a successful two-point try, Yelm led 30-0.
Yelm’s offense closed out the first half by adding two more offensive touchdowns on Platt rushes from 5 yards and from 38 yards. At the break, the Tornados led Timberline 44-0.
The only points of the third quarter were put on the board when Kiamco hauled in a catch from quarterback Damian Aalona, taking it 44 yards for the touchdown. Yelm extended its lead to 51-0.
In the fourth quarter, kicker Jameson Patin scored Yelm’s final points when he drilled a 29-yard field goal making the score 54-0. The Blazers scored their first and only touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter against Yelm’s reserves, when receiver Sunny Nguyen hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass.
Ultimately, the Tornados defeated the Blazers 54-7, behind over 200 yards from special teams.
Yelm will next host the Peninsula Seahawks, South Sound Conference opponent, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20 at Yelm High School. It is also the annual homecoming celebration. Tickets for the contest can be purchased on GoFan.Co.
“Peninsula is a very well-coached team, and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Caldwell said. “We know that their staff puts in the time and effort that we do, so it should be a fun game.”
With the victory over league rivals Timberline, the Tornados’ SSC win streak has improved to 25 consecutive victories.
