As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I will cover the Marsyville-Pilchuck vs. Snohomish football game tonight.
I spoke to M-P coach Brandon Carson after his team’s practice on Thursday. Check out what’s going on with the Tomahawks heading into tonight’s key battle at Snohomish.
Marysville-Pilchuck football coach Brandon Carson
*Being the hunted instead of the hunter
“We know we’ve got a big target on our back. We won the league last year and it was kind of a little bit unexpected. The kids understand that everybody’s gunning for them.”
“It’s the little things. We’ve got to execute, we’ve got to block, we’ve got to tackle — do the little things that are going to help us win. We’re not good enough to just show up on a Friday night and beat anybody. We’ve still got to do (the little things) to win the game.”
*Rare chance to play in front of a huge crowd AND get widespread media coverage (print/online, radio and TV)
“It’s a neat experience because not every high school kid gets to play in a game of that magnitude, at least not very often. And it’s kind of a rivalry for us. I know our kids are excited.”
“It’s going to be a dogfight.”
*What Carson expects the Panthers to do
“They’re going to run the ball. Their offensive line is really good and they stay low and they get off the ball fast. Their quarterback (Luke Perry) does a good job of running the option.”
“We’ve got our hands full. We’re going to have to be fundamentally sound on the defensive side of the ball.”
*Recap of 23-0 victory over Shorecrest last week
“We made some mistakes inside the red zone on offense (two lost fumbles inside Shorecrest’s 10-yard line) that we’ve got to get cleaned up. It was the first varsity start for a lot of our kids; we start a few juniors. The first half was kind of sloppy but I was pleased with the performance in the second half.”
*Did any newcomers shine against Shorecrest?
“No, it was still the usual suspects. We’re hoping some new guys step up. But we play well together as a team. Obviously everybody’s going to look at (FB Austin Denton) and yeah, sure, he had a great game last week (236 yards rushing on 22 carries), but we believe we’ve got other guys that play well. Brennen Steinbaugh played great on defense last week, but I expect that out of him. He was an All-Area performer last year.”
Steinbaugh and Jarrett Finau start at DE for M-P. They are a talented combo, Carson said: “We’ve got some decent D-ends. When they read it right, they’re pretty good.” Steinbaugh (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) also started last year. Finau (6-3, 220) rotated in last season but now starts both ways.
*Finau is also a weapon on offense
Finau, a smooth, sure-handed junior, made three receptions for 54 yards and a TD against Shorecrest, accounting for all of M-P’s receiving yards. “He’s a talented kid. He’s just a year older. He’s a little bit bigger, a little more confident. He’s athletic for how big he is.”
*What’s up with the two huge linemen who transferred to M-P?
C/DT Robbie Fulilangi (6-4, 325) and OT/DT Nephi Wily (6-3, 320) moved to Marysville over the summer. They are cousins, Carson said, who have family ties to New Zealand. Fulilangi moved here from New Zealand with his guardian, said Carson. It’s not every day that two 320-pound dudes show up. So what kind of players are they? Fulilangi, a junior, played some against Shorecrest and might play DT tonight versus Snohomish. Wily, however, isn’t very mobile and the senior isn’t quite ready to contribute. “We’re hoping to get something out of them in the near future,” Carson said.
*How will soccer star John Crenshaw help M-P football?
“We’re trying to work him in here this season as it progresses because he is incredibly fast. We’re trying to find a place for him but we’ve got to get him healthy first,” Carson said of Crenshaw, who hurt his hamstring early in fall practice and is still recovering. Crenshaw, a senior RB/DB, was The Herald’s 2008 All-Area boys soccer player of the year. He verbally committed to play soccer for the University of Washington.
*M-P’s team captains
QB/DB Zack Hanson, OT/DT Brett Parsons, OG/DE Kyle Bossom, RB/OLB AJ Kvangnes.
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