Cruisers Win 45-0 On Historic Day
The Eatonville High School football team, cheerleaders, and support staff pose for a photo with Head Coach Gavin Kralik following their 45-0 win over Castle Rock giving Kralik his 100th career victory. Photo: Trinity Potter.
This past Saturday at B.W. Lyon Field in Eatonville was a special day for many reasons. Not only did the Eatonville Cruiser football team demolish another opponent, but the program also honored their senior class players as it would be their last game on that field. They also got to celebrate their Head Coach Gavin Kralik passing a career milestone.
With the 45-0 shutout of the Castle Rock Rockets, the Cruisers gave Head Coach Gavin Kralik his 100th career victory.
As they have done for most of their games this season, the Cruisers would score first and often.
Dylan Norman would be the first of many to find the end zone for Eatonville. He would take a Kevin Wulff handoff and plow into the end zone from 1 yard out for the early score and those points would be all the Cruisers would need to win the game.
However, the Cruisers wouldn’t stop at just 7 points. They would add 38 more.
Kaden Olsen would also add a 1-yard run for a score. Quarterback Kevin Wulff would keep the ball from 5 yards out for the Cruiser third score of the game. Senior Jake Wood would get in on the action when he took a Wulff handoff 15 yards for the score to give the Cruisers a 28-0 lead into halftime.
Wulff would pick up the scoring again for Eatonville late in the third quarter when he would pick up a bad snap and drive forward in for the score to make it 35-0.
Kaden Olsen would find the end zone again for the Cruisers with a 9-yard scamper for the score to make it 42-0.
Job Kralik would add a 36-yard field goal to round out the scoring for the Cruisers as they would push the score to 45-0 and seal the win.
The defense came to play today, forcing every Castle Rock drive to end in either a punt, turn over on downs, or an interception. When asked about that, Head Coach Gavin Kralik praised his defense’s improved communication as one of the keys. “Our defense has been getting better each week. They are really working well together as a group and communication has improved greatly. “
That defense would hold the Rockets to under 100 yards of offense on the day.
Meanwhile, the Cruiser offense would do all of their damage on the ground.
With the winds swirling, quarterback Kevin Wulff seemed to struggle completing only 3 of his 11 attempts.
“We were trying to get the passing game going but we were having difficulty in doing so. I think the field conditions and wind contributed to that “said Kralik.
Instead, Eatonville took to the ground where they would rush for a season-high 418 yards.
A week after producing their first 100+ rusher in a game, the Cruisers would have 3 players go over the 100-yard mark on the day.
Dylan Norman would record his second game over 100 yards when he ran the ball 16 times for 108 yards and a score. Kaden Olsen would carry 12 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Wulff would run the ball 10 times for 102 yards for two touchdowns as well.
After the big win, Coach Kralik was asked about his thoughts and feelings about achieving such a milestone of 100 career wins. "It is a collective achievement over a long period of time. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to coach alongside a lot of great coaches and fortunate for the kids I have had the privilege of coaching throughout my career. “
When asked who he credits most for his success, Kralik cited his family. “My family, especially my wife. As a coach, you spend a lot of hours investing in people and it takes a commitment from not only the coaches but the coaches' wives. I am thankful especially for the support and commitment from my wife Krista throughout the years. “
When asked about influences in his life on his coaching career, Kralik didn’t hesitate to answer. “Hands down my college coach Sam Rutigliano. He was the most influential person in my life. Without having him as a coach/mentor I wouldn't have gotten into coaching.”
With the Castle Rock Rockets out of the way, the Cruisers now set their sights on their last regular-season game next Friday. Eatonville will travel to Hoquiam to take on the (0-5) Grizzlies. The kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm in historic Olympic Stadium.
A win on Friday night would give the Cruisers their first undefeated regular season since the 2014 team went undefeated in the regular season.
