The senior quarterback completed 17 of 24 pass for 252 yards and a touchdown in Friday’s 21-17 victory over Mercer Island. Perkl did not throw an interception, and almost every pass was right where he intended to put it.
“Nolan did a great job of throwing the ball,” said Lake Stevens coach Ken Collins, who said his coaching philosophy is usually to run the ball and throw only when necessary. “(The Mercer Island defense) was lined up in a way that we had to throw the ball. We didn’t run for a ton of yards, which is what I like to do, but the bottom line is we won the game.”
Perkl overcame a couple of hard hits to deliver Lake Stevens’ first state playoff victory since 1994, including a helmet-to-chin blow from a Islanders defender near the end of the game. But Perkl hung in there, and delivered the ball to his teammates.
“They were really keying on our running game, and we took advantage of that all night long,” Perkl said. “We didn’t know what to expect, so we took advantage of whatever we could.”
Other top football performers: Justin Washington, Kamiak; Kyle Allred, Bothell; Mike McEvoy, Sehome; Ryan Carlson, Kamiak; Justin Balunsat, Lake Stevens; Chris LaPlante, Lake Stevens; Matt Williams, Lake Stevens; Nik Williams, Lake Stevens; Josh Rodland, Snohomish; Eddie Zimmerman, Snohomish; Tim Benjamin, Sultan; Reid Wilson, Kamiak.
The junior won two state titles Friday at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way as the Panthers won their third-consecutive state championship.
Chandler, who overcame a cold earlier in the week, swam the fifth-fastest 200-yard freestyle time in Washington high school history to win the event in 1 minute, 50.94 seconds. She then won the 100 free in 51.90.
“This has to be the most fun I’ve ever had at a meet,” Chandler said. “It was so exciting to have so many people supporting us.”
Chandler, who also swam on Snohomish’s second-place 200-freestyle relay team, credited the senior leadership of the Snohomish swim team for her own success, as well as that of the team’s.
“The seniors this year have been awesome,” Chandler said. “Everybody looks to them for advice and they’ll be very hard to replace.”
Other top girls swimming performers: Christine Neely, Snohomish; Ashley Boxman, Snohomish; Patricia Thrasher, Snohomish; Jo Blue, Snohomish; Jenni Duke, Snohomish, Katie Neely, Snohomish; Mariah Barry, Snohomish; Kyla Meuer, Oak Harbor.
Other top girls soccer performers: Jaci Gutzmer, South Whidbey; Emily Cornwell, Snohomish;
Talk to us
- You can tell us about news and ask us about our journalism by emailing newstips@heraldnet.com or by calling 425-339-3428.
- If you have an opinion you wish to share for publication, send a letter to the editor to letters@heraldnet.com or by regular mail to The Daily Herald, Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.
- More contact information is here.
