Offensive line paves way for Glacier Peak’s victory

Published 11:38 pm Saturday, September 19, 2009

SEATTLE — Late in the fourth quarter a Glacier Peak snap bounced off quarterback Zach Richter’s hands and toward running back Alex Stepanchenko.

Stepanchenko somehow corralled the ball with one hand, then hurdled over a defender for a gain of five yards.

The lesson? One way or another, Glacier Peak wasn’t going to lose the football game.

Stepanchenko ran for 140 yards on 19 carries, Richter threw for 256 yards and a touchdown and Glacier Peak defeated California’s Miramonte High School 14-10 during the 2009 Nike CBA Football Classic at Seattle Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“It feels great,” Stepanchenko said of defeating Miramonte, which reached California’s Division 3 state semifinals last year. “… We all got pumped up at halftime. The line did an amazing job. The holes were just there.”

Glacier Peak, which entered Saturday’s game averaging 39.5 points per contest and tied with O’Dea High School for sixth place in the 3A state Associated Press poll, is best known for putting up a lot of points with its spread offense and doing it quickly.

None of that happened Saturday.

In fact, Stepanchenko and the rest of the Grizzlies put the game away thanks to clock control.

Clinging to a 14-10 lead with 4:38 remaining in the game, Glacier Peak went on a 10 play drive into Miramonte’s red zone to run out the clock and end the game. Stepanchenko — with a health assist from the offensive line — ran virtually every meaningful down, picking up 47 yards and enabling Glacier Peak to kneel out the clock in the final minute.

“It was really the big five up front,” Glacier Peak head coach Rory Rosenbach said. “They challenged themselves and said: ‘They’re not getting the ball back. Those five minutes are gone.’ Those guys were making some big holes.”

If it was out of character for a Glacier Peak team whose quarterback entered Saturday’s contest leading 3A Wesco in passing yards, it certainly got the job done.

“We were kind of getting a lot of yards but not getting a lot of points,” Rosenbach said of his team.

For Glacier Peak, receiver Tommy Rollins had 12 catches for 115 yards with a 12-yard rushing touchdown, Tanner Southard had seven catches for 96 yards, and Dustin Verdin had four catches for 19 yards and a touchdown.

Glacier Peak moved the ball successfully most of the game but failed to capitalize on some opportunities in the first half — Southard couldn’t hang on to an early touchdown pass, a holding penalty pushed the Grizzlies out of field goal range, and — to top it off — Glacier Peak couldn’t convert a 35-yard field goal attempt when the ball was snapped a little wide as time expired in the second quarter.

The result was a 10-7 Miramonte lead at the half.

Stepanchenko said his team came out after the break determined to turn things around, and it didn’t take long.

Richter, who completed 27 of 41 pass attempts, put Glacier Peak ahead for good to start the second half with an 11-play 3:30 minute drive that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown pass to Verdin.

A light misting of rain made it a little difficult to hang on to the ball. Miramonte, which left behind 102 degree weather in California according to head coach John Wade, bungled four snaps in the game.

Glacier Peak only recovered one of them, but it was key: senior Tanner May picked up a bobbled snap with 8:40 remaining in the second quarter to halt a Miramonte drive at the Glacier Peak 36.

The Grizzlies were without senior linebacker Brandon States, after States broke his arm — a season-ending injury — during Wednesday’s practice. The team put the number 56 on its helmets to honor States, who was present with the captains for the game’s opening.

“He gave a great motivational speech,” Stepanchenko said of States.

“He’s an amazing player and person off the field.”

For Miramonte, Kevin Paulsen had 54 rushing yards on 12 attempts, and had a 14-yard rushing touchdown to put the Matadors up 10-7 in the second quarter. Quarterback Brett Collins — who split time with Ross Anderson — completed 11 of 15 pass attempts for 125 yards. John Coupin led Miramonte defensively with two big sacks to halt Glacier Peak drives.

Rosenbach said the rain doesn’t bother his team:

“We practice in the rain,” Rosenbach said. “We like the rain actually.

We know where we’re going — they don’t.”

At Seattle Memorial Stadium

Miramonte3700—10

Glacier peak0770—14

Miramonte — Piganelli 35 FG

GP — Rollins 12 rush (Miller kick)

Miramonte — Paulsen 14 yard rush (Piganelli kick)

GP — Verdin 7 pass from Richter (Miller kick)

Records — Miramonte 2-1 overall. Glacier Peak 3-0.