Glacier Peak powers past rival Snohomish
Published 11:13 pm Friday, September 5, 2014
SNOHOMISH — In a season of high expectations, Glacier Peak’s football team took an emphatic first step on Friday night, powering past crosstown rival Snohomish 33-6 in the non-conference opener for both teams.
Glacier Peak quarterback Brady Southard threw for one touchdown, his backup, Devyn Rainbow, ran for another, and place-kicker Spencer Pettit added field goals of 45 and 36 yards along with three PATs.
The Grizzlies, a Western Conference Class 3A school, jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead and then put the game away early in the third quarter with touchdowns on two consecutive plays.
Glacier Peak added a final touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter for a 33-0 lead. At that point, the Grizzlies had hopes of a first-game shutout, but Snohomish finally found the end zone a few minutes later for its first and only touchdown.
The Grizzlies shared the ball offensively with nine different players carrying the ball, and six with four or more carries. The leading rusher was Dexter Carter with 45 yards on four carries, highlighted by a 32-yard scamper around right end in the second quarter.
Southard was Glacier Peak’s starting quarterback, but he and Rainbow had almost the same number of snaps. It was Rainbow who carried on a 1-yard keeper late in the first period for the team’s first touchdown. Early in the third quarter, Southard threw a 30-yard strike to wide receiver Justin Guffey on a slant route for a touchdown.
And then on Snohomish’s first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, the Glacier Peak defense got into the act, with defensive back Matthew Darling snagging an errant pass from Snohomish QB Kobe McDaniel and returning it 22 yards for a touchdown.
Indeed, as good as the Grizzlies were offensively, the defense was equally impressive. In addition to Darling’s touchdown, Glacier Peak denied Snohomish three times on possessions that began or drove inside the Glacier Peak 25-yard line through the first three quarters. Only on their fourth deep drive did the Panthers reach the end zone.
Snohomish’s best play — or at least its best yards-producing play _ came on special teams. Late in the second quarter a Glacier Peak possession reached the Snohomish 13-yard line, where the Grizzlies faced a fourth-and-7. Pettit was summoned to attempt his third field goal of the first half, but big Nathan Jacobson — he is a 6-foot-5, 270-pound tackle — came free in the middle to block the kick.
The ball bounded toward the Panther sideline where it was fielded by defensive back Zack Marshall, and he returned it 59 yards to the Glacier Peak 26. It was Snohomish’s best field position to that point, but the drive advanced just 5 yards before it ended on downs.
Snohomish got the ball back moments later on an interception by defensive back Aidan Kutsch, and the Panthers reached the Glacier Peak 14 for a first down with a half-minute to play before halftime. But three straight passes fell incomplete, and kicker Joel Williamson missed a 32-yard field goal in the late seconds.
The Panthers’ sole touchdown came with nine minutes to play in the game on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Kobe McDaniel to wide receiver Ty Roth for a sprawling catch in the end zone.
At Veterans Memorial Stadium
Snohomish 0 0 0 6 — 6
Glacier Peak 10 3 13 7 — 33
GP—FG Spencer Pettit 44
GP—Devyn Rainbow 1 run (Pettit kick)
GP—FG Pettit 37
GP—Justin Guffey 30 pass from Brady Southard (pass failed)
GP—Matthew Darling interception return (Pettit kick)
GP—Devin Woellhof 3 run (Pettit kick)
S—Ty Roth 12 pass from Kobe McDaniel (kick failed)
Records—Snohomish 0-1. Glacier Peak 1-0.
