Holding the line at Mariner

Published 11:01 pm Wednesday, October 15, 2008

EVERETT — Its a chicken-and-the-egg argument. Does tradition breed success or does success breed tradition?

However you choose to look at that question, pride — call it the progeny of tradition and success — abounds at Mariner High School.

“Mariner pride,” head football coach John Ondriezek said, is why the Marauders are 3-1 this season and in second place in the Wesco South, despite returning just two starters on offense and six on defense.

“We have some kids who have paid their dues. We have some seniors who havent started and its their opportunity to go out and be successful,” explained Ondriezek, who’s spent 16 years as Mariner’s football coach.

“The kids have been a part of a playoff team for the past couple of years and they’ve had fun, winning is important to them, and we just try to continue on a winning tradition.”

Carrying on that winning tradition is especially important to the team’s seniors. Despite last-week’s loss, a Wesco South title is still a possibility for Mariner and Friday’s matchup with first-place Jackson could go a long way to determining the eventual division champion. Kickoff is 8 p.m. at Everett Memorial Stadium.

“The class of ‘09, we’ve all been playing together for eight years, youth leagues and all the way up,” senior running back Adrien Black said. “(A Wesco South championship) is a dream for all of us. Ever since we were little, we’ve been saying, “class of ‘09, this is our year.’”

The class of ‘09 also would like to put two first-round state tournament exits in two years behind them.

Mariner finished third in the Wesco South in 2006. They crushed Kentridge 42-6 in the qualifying round only to lose a heart-breaking, 43-42, double-overtime contest to eventual state champion Oak Harbor.

Last season, the Marauders finished second in the Wesco South and beat Kentridge again in the qualifying round before bowing out 13-10 to Inglemoor in the first round.

“We just feel like we have something to pay back,” senior wide receiver Tevin Dillon said. “(The) last two years, we just held our heads down walking out because we lost. That’s hard. We want to get it, especially since its our senior year.

Black and Dillon have been instrumental in Mariners’ success this fall. Black has rushed 57 times for 484 yards, six touchdowns and enters Friday’s contest averaging 96.8 yards per contest on the ground. Dillon has caught 19 passes for 313 yards and eight scores.

Quarterback A.J. VanWieringen has completed 45 of 73 passes for 583 yards (an average of 97.2 yards per game) and nine touchdowns. He has been intercepted just twice.

“We have a lot of kids who are responsible for the success were having this year, but Tevin and A.J. and Adrien, they’re game-breakers, they’re athletes,” Ondriezek said. “They’re athletes who can make big plays. And they’ve been able to do that for us this year. They’re playmakers and when you have athletes like that, you count on them to go out and be successful. Our kids rally around them.”

The Marauders have rallied to the tune of 288.3 yards of total offense per game while holding opponents to 96.7 yards. That should set up an epic battle as they attempt to contain Jackson running backs Taylor Cox (130 ypg) and Riley Carr (94.6 ypg).

Still, that’s not something that much concerns VanWieringen.

“I think we’ve studied their playbook enough and we’ve got a good game plan to shut down their backs,” he said. “We have a strong defense and I think we can hold them.”

In Week 3, in what Ondriezek and his players dubbed a rivalry game, Mariner’s defense blanked Cascade 14-0. But the Marauders received a taste of the same last week when they were shut out 17-0 by three-time defending Wesco South champ Edmonds-Woodway.

Mariner will have to improve on last Friday’s performance to cement its third straight postseason berth, needing victories against rivals Jackson this week and Kamiak on Oct. 24.

“Right now our destiny is in our hands,” Ondriezek said. “We’re the ones that have to go out and perform and put ourselves into the playoffs. We cant count on someone beating someone else and sneaking in through the back door. The next two games will determine if we get into the state playoffs or not.”

Two wins certainly would give the Mariner class of ‘09 something to be proud of — like a third consecutive playoff appearance and possibly a Wesco South title.