Lake Stevens could lose senior co-captain for as much as 6 weeks

Published 5:06 pm Friday, September 26, 2008

The Lake Stevens football team is unbeaten, but on Friday the Vikings suffered a major loss.

Bo Dickinson, a senior co-captain, suffered a back injury while returning a punt in the third quarter of the Vikings’ 35-0 win against Stanwood. Dickinson, a running back/safety/returner, could miss six weeks, Lake Stevens head coach Tom Tri said.

Dickinson scored two touchdowns versus Stanwood before going down. He was injured after he bobbled the ball on a punt return, covered the ball and was hit in the back by a defender. The impact broke two small bones attached to vertebrae in Dickinson’s lower back.

Said Tri, “You hate to see a kid like Bo who has done nothing but work, work, work since last December or November … go down.”

Dickinson left the field on a stretcher and rode in an ambulance to the Colby Campus of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett — the same place Lake Stevens assistant coach Kyle Bigham went Sept. 5, the night of the team’s season-opening game. Bigham, who collapsed because of an irregular heart beat, had a defibrillator implanted in his chest and is recovering.

“It was pretty scary, to say the least — just having (someone) go off in an ambulance again,” Tri said.

Dickinson scored seven TDs in a variety of ways in three games this season: two rushing, two receiving, one kickoff return, one fumble return and one punt return. Tri said Dickinson is probably the best all-around player for Lake Stevens, which plays at Arlington (3-0) Friday in a key Wesco North game.

Dickinson said the pain from his injury is the worst he’s ever had. At times it feels like getting stabbed in the back, he said.

If Dickinson misses six weeks he could return for the playoffs, if Lake Stevens makes it. He said he hopes to recover faster and play in Lake Stevens’ homecoming contest Oct. 10 versus Marysville-Pilchuck (3-0).

E-W back shines in debut

With star tailback Tony Heard getting a chance to rest for a week, Edmonds-Woodway junior Jimmy Spears made the most of his playing time Friday against Lynnwood. In his first varsity game, Spears erupted for 241 rushing yards and four TDs, highlighting the Warriors’ 40-0 triumph over Lynnwood. “I thought he did an awesome job,” E-W head coach John Gradwohl said. Heard needed some rest and should return this week, Gradwohl said.

Mountlake Terrace savors ‘emotional’ win over Mavs

From 2003 through last year, the Mountlake Terrace football team was 0-5 against Meadowdale, losing by a combined score of 166-66. But Terrace ended its skid Friday by rallying for a 23-17 overtime triumph against the Mavericks. “It was quite an emotional game because it was such a big win for our kids,” said fifth-year Terrace head coach Tony Umayam. He called it a landmark victory for the program, which won only one game in 2007. Terrace can use the win as a springboard to make everyone on the team believe they can compete with anyone in the league, he said.

Mike Cane, Herald Writer