Both East County football teams have reason for optimism after their performances last Friday night.

Montesano logged a lopsided win over Sequim at Rottle Field, while Elma notched a victory in a thriller against White Salmon 10 miles down the road at Davis Field.

We are just two weeks into the season and still in the non-league schedule, so we probably shouldn’t read too deep into last week’s games, but it’s always nice to see both teams pick up a “W.”

Bulldogs

The Bulldogs started fast.

A couple of early interceptions and a great first frame for Trevor Ridgway helped Montesano jump out to a 21-0 lead just over seven minutes into the game.

The biggest story of the game for the Bulldogs was the first-quarter injury to senior running back Carson Klinger.

It was a gut-wrenching feeling to see number-31 lying on the field being attended to by the medical staff. The Bulldogs have already seen one key player, Dakoyta Reninger, lose his senior season to an injury, and seeing their most explosive offensive weapon go down was not a comforting sight for Bulldog fans.

Fortunately, Klinger’s injury is not too serious. What was initially believed to be an elbow dislocation was downgraded to a sprain and he should be back in action soon, perhaps even this week.

When Klinger left, the feeling of the game changed. The Bulldogs lost momentum and struggled to get their offense rolling. It was during this stretch that Sequim scored its only touchdown.

With less than four minutes left before halftime, Montesano got its offense going again and put together a solid drive. Teegan Zillyett capped the series with a touchdown run with 1:00 left in the second quarter for a 27-6 lead and the outcome never felt in question after that.

The Bulldogs faced a tough situation with no momentum, no Klinger and no Reninger – their two most productive offensive players – and responded by taking back control of the game.

Ridgway looked sharp. He appeared confident and calm while passing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more. He also intercepted two passes on defense.

Zillyett also stepped up in a big way for Montesano.

When Klinger left the game, Zillyett was left to carry the load out of the backfield for the Bulldogs. He responded with timely runs and finished the game with 146 yards on the ground.

One of my favorite parts of a lopsided game is getting to watch some of the younger players see action.

It’s fun to try to speculate how well this season’s team will do, but I also enjoy watching the sophomores and juniors make plays to see what we may have to look forward to next season.

There are a few sophomores I have my eye on.

The obvious one is Sam Winter, who already is in the mix on both offense and defense. Winter caught a touchdown pass in the season opener and logged an interception against Sequim.

That kid is going to be a star.

Brent Hollatz capped scoring with a touchdown run late in the third quarter. He showed real promise as a runner.

Also, Braden Dohrmann’s interception in the final minute of the contest was a thing of beauty. He read the quarterback and tracked the ball perfectly to come away with the pick.

The Bulldogs will host Castle Rock this week in another non-leaguer. The Rockets are 0-2 so far this season and have lost both games pretty badly.

Eagles

Elma’s win is one I wish I could have witnessed firsthand.

A fourth-quarter comeback capped by a touchdown pass and 2-point conversion with 29 seconds left in the game for a 1-point win.

That’s a football fan’s dream.

Positive things are happening for the Eagles right now.

First-year sophomore quarterback Cody Vollan completed nine of 14 pass attempts for 211 yards and two TDs while rushing for another score.

Getting that kind of production from a sophomore is a very big deal.

Taitum Brumfield, a junior who Elma will depend on as their feature running back, carried 17 times for 125 yards and two scores on the ground.

Brady Shriver, a sophomore running back, caught the final touchdown pass; Cameron Donofrio, a junior tight end, caught the game-winning conversion and sophomore wideout Josiah Wyeth-Jones led the team with 71 receiving yards.

The Eagles are young. With only six seniors listed on the roster, they will need guys like Vollan, Brumfield, Shriver, Donofrio and Wyeth-Jones to continue to make plays this season for the team to be successful.

Regardless of how they finish this season, seeing those youngsters contribute speaks well for the future of the program.

The Eagles will face a tougher test this week when they make the short trip to Aberdeen to take on the Bobcats.

Aberdeen is better than its 0-2 record and Elma will have its hands full trying to contain Bobcat running back Kylan Touch.