Rogers rolls by Lake Stevens
Published 10:47 pm Saturday, November 8, 2008
PUYALLUP — Wes McCann has never been so fortunate to fumble.
The speedy senior dropped the football on the opening kickoff, but when he lunged backward to pick it up, he dodged a defender and a lane opened along the sideline. Seconds later, McCann and the Rams were in the end zone celebrating a 91-yard kick return for a touchdown.
“I hopped out of the way,” McCann said, “went up the sideline and outran them.”
That was the beginning of a Rogers rout. The Rams throttled Lake Stevens, 55-14, in a 4A quad-district playoff game Saturday night at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
The Rams (9-1) will make their first state playoff appearance since 1998 next week when they travel to play at Skyview of Vancouver. The Storm (8-2) edged South Kitsap, 23-21, on Friday.
Rogers was never threatened, surging to a 21-0 lead nine minutes into the game. The Rams followed McCann’s kick return with 10-play drive that quarterback Tyler VanSligtenhorst capped with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. Two minutes later, VanSligtenhorst picked off the first of three Nick Baker interceptions, returning it 61 yards for a touchdown. DeShawn Saxton added a 65-yard interception return in the third quarter.
“We scored in all three phases of the game — special teams, defense and offense,” VanSligtenhorst said. “That’s what you need to do in the playoffs.”
The Vikings (6-4) managed a touchdown early in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 14, but the rally was short-lived. Rogers receiver Jake Steedman turned a short pass into a 72-yard touchdown. Then McCann intercepted Baker on the Vikings’ ensuing possession and four plays later, sophomore Terrance Stubblefield ripped off a 30-yard touchdown run around the right end, giving the Rams a 35-7 lead.
Rogers put plenty of pressure on Baker, sacking him six times and rendering the Vikings’ potent passing attack ineffective. Baker entered the game having completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,577 yards and 29 touchdowns. Against the Rams, he connected on 13 of 27 attempts for 154 yards and one touchdown.
“To win 55-14 against a team with a high-performance offense shows how good our defense is,” VanSligtenhorst said. “And we didn’t have a turnover. We struggle when we turn the ball over and we can’t do that.”
At Sparks Stadium
Lake Stevens01400—14
Rogers2114137—55
R-McCann return kick 91 yards (Tollan kick)
R-VanSligtenhorst 1 run (Tollan kick)
R-VanSligtenhorst 61 interception return (Tollan kick)
LS-Dickinson 2 run (Isaksen kick)
R-VanSligtenhorst 72 pass to Steedman (Tollan kick)
R-Stubblefield 30 run (Tollan kick)
LS-Baker 48 pass to Tupen (Isaksen kick)
R-VanSligtenhorst 1 run (Tollan kick)
R-Saxton 65 interception return (kick blocked)
R-Bontemps 60 run (Tollan kick)
Records—Lake Stevens 6-4 overall. Rogers 9-1.
