South Whidbey runs wild over Lakewood
Published 3:31 pm Sunday, September 19, 2010
LAKEWOOD — With pass-happy quarterback Justin Lane of Lakewood on the other side of the ball, South Whidbey co-head coach Andy Davis didn’t feel that any lead was all that safe on Friday night.
But nine South Whidbey touchdowns did provide a nice little cushion.
Countering another prolific outing by Lane, who completed 24 of 40 passes for 333 yards, the visiting Falcons used a punishing ground game to post a 59-32 Cascade Conference football victory at Lakewood’s Cardinal Stadium.
Leading the way for South Whidbey was senior running back Henry Mead who carried 20 times for 228 yards and four touchdowns. All of his touchdowns and most of his rushing yards came in the first two quarters as the Falcons built a 32-20 margin at halftime.
Mead, a speedy 5-8, 187-pound senior, had a stellar night, reaching the end zone on scampers of 11, 52, 43 and 24 yards.
“He’s a real good cutback runner and he understands zone lanes,” Davis said. “He’s a smart, smart kid.”
Mead totaled about 1,500 rushing yards a year ago, “so he was one of our big horses last year, too.”
“Offensively, we played real well,” he added. “We ran the ball better than we’ve run the ball all year, so that was really nice to see. We didn’t even really need to throw the ball.”
Coming on the heels of season-opening losses to Grandview and Mount Vernon, “this was a great win for us,” Davis said. And 59 points “might be a high for us for a long time. Decades, probably.”
On a night of big offense by both teams, one of the game’s biggest plays — and certainly the most unusual — came early in the second quarter. With South Whidbey holding a 12-0 lead, Lakewood mounted an impressive march that reached the Falcons 6-yard line.
On fourth-and-1, Lane tried a quarterback sneak, but in the pile the ball was wrenched free by South Whidbey linebacker Dustin Varney. The ball popped into the air and was grabbed by cornerback Danny Zuver, who dashed 95 yards for a touchdown.
That play, Davis said, “was deflating to them. … It was a real interesting play. I was thinking, ‘Oh, touchdown (for Lakewood).’ And then, ‘No, here we go the other way.’”
Still, even with a three-touchdown margin, “I didn’t feel very comfortable with that Lane kid,” he said. “He can just chuck it. He’s the real deal.”
Lane, a 6-2, 195-pound junior, went on to complete 24 of 40 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target was wide receiver Justin Peterson, a freshman, who caught eight passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Lakewood saw its record drop to 2-1, following wins against Lakeside and Lynden Christian.
“I knew we were going to have a bit of a measuring stick tonight,” said Lakewood coach Dan Teeter. “Our kids had gotten a little confident, and I was worried that we might be a little bit overconfident.
“I knew that South Whidbey was going to come out physical and they dominated the line of scrimmage. But when our kids got down 18-0, I was proud of the way they came back and got a couple of touchdowns.”
At Lakewood H.S.
South Whidbey 1220621—59
Lakewood02066—32
South Whidbey — Mead 11 run (kick blocked)
South Whidbey — Mead 52 run (run failed)
South Whidbey — Zuver 95 fumble return (run failed)
Lakewood — Johnston 24 pass from Lane (kick failed)
Lakewood — Melton 3 run (Hawkins kick)
South Whidbey — Mead 43 run (Zuver run)
Lakewood — Peterson 10 pass from Lane (Hawkins kick)
South Whidbey — Mead 24 run (run failed)
South Whidbey — Varney 5 pass from Rawls (pass failed)
Lakewood — Lane 1 run (run failed)
South Whidbey — Zuver 2 run (Poolman run)
South Whidbey — Varney 40 pass from Russell (Russell kick)
Lakewood — Peterson 23 pass from Lane (pass failed)
South Whidbey — Lee 62 run (kick failed)
Records — South Whidbey 1-2, Lakewood 2-1.
