Mountlake Terrace outmuscled in trench warfare

Published 11:21 pm Saturday, November 7, 2009

EDMONDS — A season of dreams came to a nightmarish end for Mountlake Terrace on Saturday afternoon as the Hawks, in the first football playoff game in school history, were handled by Central Kitsap 35-0 in a 4A quad-district game at Edmonds District Stadium.

Mountlake Terrace was hampered by four turnovers, but even more so by a Central Kitsap team that dominated the line of scrimmage. The Hawks, who moved the ball well last weekend in a playoff-clinching win against Kamiak, were stymied by a big, physical Central Kitsap defense that limited Mountlake Terrace to just 82 yards of offense.

And 57 of those yards came late in the fourth quarter as the Hawks managed their longest — and by that point meaningless — offensive possession of the game.

“(Central Kitsap is) very tough up front,” Mountlake Terrace head coach Tony Umayam said. “They’re very tough defensively. Our offense was stifled pretty good by them. They stopped our running game pretty good and they put pressure on the quarterback off the edge. That really hurt us.”

Mountlake Terrace failed to muster a first down until 1:56 was left in the third quarter when running back Casey Ellersick carried over the right side and managed to pick up 12 yards. He finished with 36 yards on 15 carries.

Also, the Hawks were unable to cross midfield until midway through the fourth quarter during their last possession. That drive ended on downs at the Central Kitsap 23-yard line.

By then, the Cougars had the game well in hand. Central Kitsap, located in Silverdale and representing the Narrows League, scored a touchdown in the first quarter, two more in the second, and then turned the game into a rout with two second-half TDs.

“We might’ve been in over our heads a little bit with Central Kitsap,” Umayam acknowledged. Likewise, his team’s inexperience in the postseason maybe gave them “a little bit of ‘deer in the headlights’ before the game,” he added.

Still, the letdown of one game could hardly erase the joy of an entire season that was one the best in Mountlake Terrace history. This Hawks team galvanized the school and the community with its hard work and determined play, and they got a first-ever taste of the playoffs — disappointing as that experience was.

The season-ending loss “wasn’t the way we would’ve liked it to turn out,” Umayam said. “But we were put in a situation where we played a pretty dang good football team. (Central Kitsap) came out and made some big plays in the first half. They got the momentum and they never let it go, so you’ve got to hand it to Central Kitsap. They did a really good job.”

Mountlake Terrace finished with a 6-4 record, including a 4-2 Western Conference South mark.

“Overall, I’m very pleased with how the season went,” Umayam said. “These (players) have a lot to be proud about. They’ve accomplished something that a Terrace hasn’t ever before.

“It’s been my goal since taking over the program of getting to the playoffs. Obviously you want a better showing once you get there, but this was a very good bunch of kids to coach character-wise. They don’t quit. They keep playing hard,” he said.

The Hawks will lose some stalwart seniors to graduation — among them, quarterback Brandyn Eckhart, receiver and defensive back Jhalen Brown, and Ellersick — but Umayam believes his young players in the program will surely benefit from the successes of this season.

“This is something we can build on,” he said. “Just getting to this point is something that, hopefully, we can continue on, have a good offseason (of training and practice), and be ready next year.

At Edmonds Stadium

Central Kitsap71477—35

Mountlake Terrace0000—0

Central Kitsap — Lewis 12 run (Alvarenga kick)

Central Kitsap — McDonald 2 run (Alvarenga kick)

Central Kitsap — Brown 26 pass from McDonald (Alvarenga kick)

Central Kitsap — Anderson 12 run (Alvarenga kick)

Central Kitsap — Brown 27 pass from McDonald (Alvarenga kick)

Records — Mountlake Terrace is 6-4. Central Kitsap is 7-3.

Records—Central Kitsap 7-3 overall. Mountlake Terrace 6-4.