Celebration of life of Gilbertson dampened by Snohomish’s loss to Monroe
Published 10:07 pm Friday, September 30, 2011
SNOHOMISH — After a ceremony honoring former football coach and Snohomish legend Keith Gilbertson Sr. at halftime, Monroe jumped ahead in a tie game and held on for a 17-14 Wesco North win at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Snohomish jumped out to an early lead thanks to an 80-yard run by Russell
Crippen in the first quarter, but the Panthers (0-2 league, 0-5 overall) couldn’t get much going against a Monroe (2-0, 4-1) defense that held the Bearcats scoreless until the fourth quarter. Monroe scored 17 unanswered points.
Conner McDonald scored on a 48-yard run in the fourth quarter for Snohomish, but time ran out with the offense at midfield. Snohomish coach Mark Perry said a few first-half interceptions and inconsistency run blocking kept his team from capturing its first win of the year.
“Give Monroe’s defense some credit,” Perry said. “It was just a matter of making one more play and getting a first down.”
The win puts Monroe in a tie for first place in the Wesco North standings with unbeaten Lake Stevens.
The halftime ceremony meant that it was still a special night for Snohomish faithful. Snohomish Principal Dr. Beth Porter and District AD Mark Albertine read a statement about coach Gilbertson and his 61 years of service to the community. Born and raised in Snohomish, Gilbertson’s only departure from the area was four years of college at Washington State University.
The school announced that the new sports and fitness center that houses the weight room, basketball gym, wrestling rooms and training facilities will be named Keith Gilbertson Sr. sports and fitness center.
Four or five generations of Panthers impacted by Gilbertson stood and were recognized. Then everyone sang the fight song, which was one of Gilbertson’s favorite parts of game days.
“It was a great tribute to a man that dedicated his entire life to athletics and teaching in the Snohomish School District,” Perry said. “I’ve spent the last 29 years with him and a lot of what I learned and do I learned from him.
“He’s made a great impact on our program.”
At Snohomish Veteran’s Memorial Stadium
Monroe 0 7 10 0 — 17
Snohomish 7 0 0 7 — 14
S–Russell Crippen 80 run (Melander kick)
M–Mullholland 4 pass from Bingham (kick good)
M–J. Moore 6 run (kick good)
M–Trujillo 29 Field Goal
S–Conner McDonald 48 run (Melander kick)
Records– Monroe 2-0 league, 4-1 overall. Snohomish 0-2, 0-5.
