Edmonds-Woodway beats Jackson to take control of South
Published 11:42 pm Friday, September 30, 2011
EVERETT — Edmonds-Woodway’s self-described two-headed monster tries to impress themselves, but they just never seem able to. They simply know what they can do.
But senior running back Mark Coutee and junior backfield mate Desmond Young may have been the only two in the stadium who weren’t impressed Friday night.
The duo combined for 380 rushing yards on 36 carries and six touchdowns as Edmonds-Woodway steamrolled Jackson 63-42 in a absurdly high-scoring Wesco South game at Everett Memorial Stadium.
With the win, the Warriors (2-0 league, 2-3 overall) seize control of the division from the three-time defending champion Timberwolves (1-1, 3-2).
“We definitely feel like we’re in the driver’s seat now,” Young said.
The game looked more like a basketball game at times than a football game, with each team scoring at will with big plays. Jackson finished with 510 total yards as Sam Brown went 24-for-32 for 312 yards and five touchdown passes, including plays of 50-, 48-, 48- and 20-yards. Meanwhile, Edmonds-Woodway had 489 yards on 46 plays, averaging over 10 yards a play, running for 396 yards on 40 carries.
A year ago, E-W beat Jackson 52-51, so a high-scoring game was not a complete shock.
“I guess both teams need to work on defense,” E-W coach John Gradwohl put it dryly.
While the running game was the most obvious talking point of the game, it was the Warriors’ special teams that really was the difference. Edmonds twice recovered its own kickoff, including a huge recovery in the fourth quarter. After Coutee picked up 69 yards on 8 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown run that made it 44-35 early in the fourth, E-W kicker Alex Hall recovered his own kick deep in Jackson territory after a bad bounce. A play later, Young ran in from 8 yards out to make it 51-35. Kris Delaney then returned a Jackson fumble 55 yards for a touchdown and it was essentially over.
“If it wasn’t for special teams, we’re probably going to overtime,” Gradwohl said. “But when the ball gets on the ground, sometimes it bounces funny and this time it bounced our way.”
Ultimately, though, the game was a showcase for Edmonds’ two backs and a dominant Warrior offensive line.
Running pretty much the same inside trap play over and over and over, the Warriors ran through the Timberwolves defense. Coutee carried 27 times for 240 yards and three touchdowns and Young ran just 9 times but picked up 140 yards and three TDs of his own.
“We just feed off each other,” Coutee said. “If I go off, then he wants to go off, and if he goes off, then I want to go off. We’re never surprised by what we do.”
“We just get down and run through and our line just pushes and opens it up for us,” Young added. “We know we can count on them to make room for us.”
Edmonds-Woodway led 24-21 at the half but Jackson took the lead quickly in the third, scoring on a 48-yard pass from Brown to Trevante Robinson. But Coutee answered right away with a 40-yard TD run and, after the Timberwolves turned it over on downs.
“Our running backs hit the hole hard and our line did a good job of blocking,” Gradwohl said. “But our defense has a lot to work on. So there was good and bad, but of course I’m happy to get the win, because Jackson’s a very good team.”
At Everett Memorial Stadium
Jackson 14 7 14 7 — 42
Edmonds-Woodway 21 3 14 25 — 63
J–Patrick 10 run (Trevor Hodge kick)
E–Horn 45 pass from Giles (Alex Hall kick)
J–Dodd 5 pass from Sam Brown (Hodge kick)
E–Young 21 run (kick failed)
E–Giles 1 run (Robbie Willcock pass from Giles)
J–Plaisance 20 pass from Brown (Hodge kick)
E–Hall 24 FG
J–Robinson 48 pass from Brown (Hodge kick)
E–Mark Coutee 40 run (Hall kick)
E–Young 2 run (Hall kick)
J–Dodd 48 pass from Brown (Hodge kick)
E–Coutee 3 run (kick failed)
E–Young 8 run (Hall kick)
E–Kris Delaney 55 fumble return (kick failed)
J–Joakim Soderquist 50 pass from Brown (Hodge kick)
E–Coutee 3 run (kick failed)
