Well, it’s over.

The Grays Harbor Red Rivalry is in the books and it did not disappoint.

In a contest that had just about everything you could ask for from a high school football game, the Montesano Bulldogs took control of the Evergreen 1A League with a thrilling 20-14 win over the Hoquiam Grizzlies.

The game was complete with crazy weather changes, momentum swings, missed opportunities, timely brilliant defense, explosive plays and great performances by star players, and the deciding plays were a Montesano touchdown pass with 12 seconds left to take the lead and a Bulldog interception to seal the deal.

I want to start by talking about a guy who was involved in both of those game clinching plays, junior quarterback Trevor Ridgway.

First of all, for those of you who weren’t able to make it to the game, the weather in the second half was pretty treacherous, and not conducive to a successful passing game, to say the least. It was cold, windy and giant raindrops were falling hard onto the already wet and muddy surface at Olympic Stadium.

Secondly, Ridgway had not exactly played his best game under center up to that point, likely because the Grizzly defense is tough and the conditions made passing the ball very difficult. He had completed less than 50-percent of his passes and had been picked off twice deep in Hoquiam territory.

In his post-game comments to The Daily World, Montesano head coach Terry Jensen indicated that Ridgway had audibled out of the play called by the coach before targeting his best wideout, Nick Chapman, for the winning score.

Take a moment to wrap your mind around that thought and, in the process, gain a tremendous amount of respect for Trevor Ridgway.

That means that this teenage kid….this junior quarterback in his first season as a starter, in the biggest game of the regular season and in the moment all Bulldog and Grizzly fans had been waiting for, after throwing two interceptions in a similar spot on the field earlier in the same game, saw something in the defense and had the confidence to make his own call and make the biggest play of his young high school career.

Bravo, Trevor.

I see you in a different light now.

In my eyes, you went from being a very good arm talent who was learning to be a leader to a bold playmaker who doesn’t shy away from the biggest moments on a big stage.

The other thing that really stood out to me in this game was two star Bulldog players who stepped up and came through for their team in a big way, Taylor Rupe and Carson Klinger.

Rupe seemed to make a play on defense every time the Bulldogs needed a boost. He played with great emotion and was the last player off the field well after the game was over. That’s a senior who is playing with passion and wants to see this season last as long as possible.

I started out trying to keep track of how many times Rupe busted up a Hoquiam play either by making a tackle in the backfield or by pushing the line back, but my photography duties slightly complicated that task and I lost track after five.

Klinger went up against the best defense and the best counterpart, Hoquiam running back Artimus Johnson, he has faced this season. The junior responded by making plays on both sides of the ball.

From his safety position, Klinger laid punishing hits and swarmed to the ball with regularity. On offense, he led the team with 149 yards and a score on the ground and added a 30-yard touchdown catch.

Now all Montesano has to do to lock up the league title is finish the regular season with wins over Tenino and Elma, both games in which the Bulldogs will be heavily favored.

Tenino is 0-3 in league play, including losses to Hoquiam and Forks, who Montesano beat 62-6.

Elma, while young and improving, provided no real competition for Hoquiam on Oct. 7 in a 46-7 loss and enjoyed a tight, 50-36 win over Rochester, who the Bulldogs routed, 63-7.

Again I’m relying on the law of transitive property, and who knows what could happen, but it’s reasonable to say that the Bulldogs should have a good chance to close out the regular season undefeated.

Hoquiam can lock down second place with a win at Forks on Oct. 28.

If Monte and Hoquiam were to meet again this season, it would be in a state semifinal game at the Tacoma Dome in late November. Let’s all cross our fingers and hope with all our might that scenario will come to pass.

Here’s hoping for a second edition of the 2016 Grays Harbor Red Rivalry.