Snohomish not distracted
Published 1:35 am Saturday, October 18, 2008
SNOHOMISH — The Snohomish Panthers football squad quickly made sure that head coach Mark Perry had no reason to be nervous on homecoming night.
The Panthers scored on their first two drives of the game and used two more second-half touchdowns to defeat the Stanwood Spartans 28-14 in a Western Conference North division game Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Snohomish.
“Every coach gets nervous on homecoming. You’re nervous hoping that the kids are ready to play,” Perry said of the Panthers after the homecoming night victory.
The victory gave the Panthers (3-1 in league, 5-2 overall) a cushion in the North Division standings.
The top three teams in the division advance to the district playoffs.
Snohomish now has a 21/2 game lead over Stanwood (2-3, 4-3) and a two game lead over Oak Harbor (2-2, 4-3), winners over Arlington Friday, for the third and final district playoff spot.
“This definitely helps us. It gives us a cushion now and in the future,” Perry said.
Ray Purviance rushed 15 times for 85 yards and three touchdowns, despite missing the third quarter because of a hip pointer, and quarterback Braden Allen and the Panthers continually connected on third-and-longs, three of the passes leading to Snohomish scores.
“We hit the right guys. (Jonathan) McGee and Woolsey made great catches in key situations,” Perry said.
McGee finished with two catches for 24 yards and Woolsey had 54 yards on two catches. Woolsey sprained his ankle on the second Snohomish play of the game, but bounced back to rush for 77 yards on 12 carries.
“It’s amazing,” Woolsey said of the homecoming victory and while having his left ankle taped.
“Everyone played really well. Those plays were huge. They kept the big drives going,” Woolsey added.
The Spartans ate up the first seven minutes of the game, taking a 7-0 lead on a Devon Wooldridge touchdown run. The Panthers answered right back scoring on a 19-yard TD run by Purviance.
Snohomish botched the extra-point attempt, but turned it into a successful 2-point conversion when Luke Perry connected with Jake Adams in the end zone.
Purviance scored the second of his three TDs in the second quarter on a 1-yard run. It came three plays after a 20-yard play-action pass from Allen to Woolsey on a fourth-and-4 that put the Panthers on Stanwood’s 7-yard line.
Allen completed four of six passes for 78 yards in the game. Three of his completions came on third-and-long and one came on fourth-and-4.
Snohomish took a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter when Spencer Caraballo took a pitch from Allen and scampered five yards for a touchdown.
Stanwood made it a one-score deficit by using a combination of running backs Wooldridge and Brad Gee to dive 69 yards. before Gee ran the final eight yards for a score.
The Spartans had a chance at tying the score in the fourth quarter when they recovered a Snohomish fumble on their 37-yard line. But a false start penalty on a third-and-1 forced the Spartans into a punting situation. Stanwood’s defense turned around and forced the Panthers to punt, but the Spartans were called for too many men on the field giving Snohomish an automatic first down.
Another third-and-12 conversion from Allen to Woolsey followed by a Purviance TD run gave the Panthers the cushion they needed for the victory and to move up in the standings.
At Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium
Stanwood7070—14
Snohomish8767—28
Stan—Wooldridge 2 run (Schmidt kick)
Sno—Purviance 19 run (Perry pass to Adams)
Sno—Purviance 1 run (Moe kick)
Sno—Carabello 5 run (pass fail)
Stan—Gee 8 run (Schmidt kick)
Sno—Purviance 1 run (Moe kick)
Records — Stanwood 2-3 in league, 3-3 overall. Snohomish 3-1, 5-2.
