Seagulls’ season ends in loss to Sedro-Woolley

Published 5:39 pm Wednesday, November 5, 2008

SEDRO-WOOLLEY — On a cold night in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, members of the Everett Seagulls football team trudged off the field, their uniforms caked in mud and facing the inevitable realization that their season was over.

A hot Sedro-Woolley team, winners of five of their past six games, proved too much to overcome, handing Everett a season-ending 17-14 loss in a Class 3A District 1 play-in game Tuesday at Sedro-Woolley High School.

It was a disappointing end to a season that had looked so promising after Everett rushed out to a 4-1 start.

“We finished the season playing some good football teams,” Everett head coach Will Soren said. “Obviously we would have liked to have won all of those but sometimes that just doesn’t happen.”

Sedro-Woolley (6-4) advances to play at top-ranked Bellevue (9-0) at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It has been a remarkable turnaround for a Cubs squad that went 1-9 a year ago.

“It’s a great win for our program against a quality Everett football team,” said first-year Sedro-Woolley head coach Bryan Alexander. x Everett ends its season 5-5.

The Cubs didn’t try to fool the Seagulls as quarterback Derek Garcia handed the ball to running back Cody Pohren or kept it himself on all but nine plays. The potent duo combined to rush 43 times and rack up 223 yards as they ground up the sloppy turf and ground out the clock.

“They’re different than what were used to,” Soren said of the muddy field conditions. “It’s dirty, but both teams are playing in the same conditions and both teams have to overcome that.”

The pair combined to rush 12 times for 92 yards on the Cubs first scoring drive that ate up nearly the final six minutes of the opening quarter. Pohren capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds to play for the 7-0 lead.

After taking the early lead, Sedro-Woolley had a pair of timely interceptions in the second quarter. The first came on a tipped pass that Garcia snatched out of the air with 4:25 to play in the half. The second was far more devastating as Dustin O’Bryan intercepted Everett’s Chase Herrick on the Cubs goalline with 51 seconds remaining in the half after Everett had produced its first sustained drive of the night.

“We had momentum going there and it would have been great to score some points there, so that was a blow,” Soren said.

Everett tied the contest with an 11-yard touchdown run from George Posadas with 7:31 to play in the third quarter, but Sedro-Woolley returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards. Seven plays later, Pohren scored his second touchdown of the night.

The Cubs added a 22-yard field goal with 6:21 to play in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the difference.

The Seagulls added a late 1-yard touchdown run with seven seconds to play in the contest, but Sedro-Woolley recovered the onside kick, then took a knee and ended the game.

“What we saw is kind of what we thought we were going to get,” Soren said of Sedro-Woolley. “We battled back and we got some stops when needed to in the second half, but it just didnt work.”

Herrick completed 14 of 23 passes for 178 yards and two interceptions. Seagulls senior wide receiver Jake Frauenholtz, playing in his final game, caught 10 passes for 145 yards.

At Sedro-Woolley High School

Everett0077—14

Sedro-Woolley70100—17

SW—Pohren 15 run (Trout kick)

E—Posadas 11 run (Barhanovich kick)

SW—Pohren 14 run (Trout kick)

SW—FG Trout 22

E—Steeves 1 run (Barhanovich kick)

Records—Everett 5-5 overall. Sedro-Woolley 6-4.

Squalicum 26, Granite Falls 7: At Bellingham, Jacob Howard completed eight of 12 passes for 184 yards and ran for a 24-yard touchdown but it wasn’t enough for Granite Falls which fell to Squalicum in the 2A play-in game at Bellingham Civic Stadium. Squalicum moves on to face Lynden on Saturday. Dylan Wold had 65 yards on 11 carries for the Tigers, who finished the season at 5-5 overall.

At Bellingham Civic Stadium

Granite Falls0700—7

Squalicum6866—26

Squalicum—B. Miller 4 run (kick failed)

Squalicum—B. Miller 26 run (E. Fenton pass from Victor)

Granite Falls—Howard 24 run (Howard kick)

Squalicum—Sanford 82 pass from Victor (kick failed)

Squalicum—Sanford fumble recovery in end zone (run failed)

Records—Granite Falls 5-5 overall. Squalicum 5-5.