‘All I saw was green all night long’

Matt Williams runs for 171 yards as Lake Stevens beats Jackson 42-10

By AARON COE

Herald Writer

EVERETT — The Lake Stevens Vikings stumbled early, but found their footing and ran away from Jackson, 42-10, Friday night at Everett Memorial Stadium.

Two early turnovers and more penalties than coach Ken Collins would care to remember kept Jackson in the Western Conference 3A game for a while, but the Vikings proved to have too many weapons to allow the Timberwolves a happy Homecoming.

"We tend to start out a little slow sometimes, for whatever reason," said Lake Stevens running back Matt Williams, who gained 171 yards on 21 carries. "But I was never worried."

Lake Stevens remained at the top of the Wesco 3A standings at 5-0 after the victory, and is 6-1 overall. Jackson fell to 2-3, 3-4.

The two teams combined for three turnovers in the game’s first three minutes, including two fumbles by the Vikings.

But led by the running of Williams and the accurate passing of Nolan Perkl, who completed 10 of 14 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, the Vikings more than overcame their sluggish start.

"We knew they were going to challenge us to throw," Collins said. "(Perkl) threw the ball really well. He has the ability to put some zip on his passes."

After the early struggles, Lake Stevens found a grip on the ball and drove 73 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 first quarter lead. Perkl kept the drive alive with a 35-yard completion to Nik Williams on third-and-11. Williams had four receptions for 117 yards and caught both of Perkl’s touchdown passes.

Jackson seemed ready to tie the score late in the first half. The Timberwolves had a first-and-5 at the Lake Stevens 25, but a 16-yard clipping penalty and three plays that went nowhere left the Wolves empty-handed.

"Our defense played OK tonight," Collins said. "We’ve played better, but we were able to slow them down when they got to the 20."

Lake Stevens got the ball back with 1:52 remaining in the half, and it wouldn’t take long to extend its lead to 13-0.

Perkl was hit while throwing on the drive’s first play, but the ball floated into the hands of Matt Williams. After an 11-yard run by Matt Williams, his twin brother Nik hauled in a 46-yard pass from Perkl despite a extremely close coverage from a Jackson defender.

The Vikings out-gained Jackson 229 yards to 65 in the first half, but were flagged for 65 yards, including four offside penalties. Lake Stevens had 450 yards of total offense in the game.

Jackson gained as many yards on its first possession of the second half as it did in the entire first half, but had to settle for an Aaron Moore 29-yard field goal and a 13-3 deficit.

Jackson running back C.J. Marsh gained 42 of his 101 yards during the drive.

Lake Stevens extended its lead to 21-3 with a 5-yard touchdown run by Joey Daube. The scamper capped a 61-yard drive with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter.

The Vikings then forced a Jackson three-and-out, and drove right back down the field.

Daube started the drive with a 19-yard run, and Matt Williams put the Vikings up 28-3 with a 5-yard touchdown carry late in the third quarter.

"Our offensive line was awesome," Matt Williams said. "All I saw was green all night long."

Perkl and Nik Williams struck again with 7:23 remaining when they hooked up for a 35-yard score.

Jackson’s Bobby Brush’s 5-yard TD run pulled Jackson within 35-10 with 3:48 remaining, but Lake Stevens’ Justin Balunsat added a 32-yard TD scamper with 2:28 left.

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Lake Stevens761514—42 Jackson

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Lake Stevens—Balunsat 8 run (Balunsat kick)

Lake Stevens—N. Williams 46 pass from Perkl (kick failed)

Jackson—Moore 29 field goal

Lake Stevens—Daube 5 run (M. Williams run)

Lake Stevens—M. Williams 5 run (Balunsat kick)

Lake Stevens—N. Williams 35 pass from Perkl (Balunsat kick)

Jackson—Brush 6 run (Moore kick)

Lake Stevens—Balunsat 32 run (Balunsat kick)