EVERETT – The big boys up front led the Kamiak football team to a 19-7 victory over Mukilteo School District rival Mariner on Friday night at Goddard Stadium.
Running backs Bryson Kelly and Justin Glenn combined for 262 yards behind a strong effort from their offensive line as the Knights clinched second place in the Western Conference South Division. The victory gives the Knights an all-time 7-5 lead in their cross-district series with the Marauders.
The Knights, who finished the regular season 7-1 in the South Division and 8-1 overall, play Woodinville in a winner-to-state, quad-district playoff game next week. Mariner (6-2, 7-2) finished third in the division and plays at Kentwood.
“Bryson and Justin did a wonderful job,” said Kamiak coach Dan Mack, whose only loss of the season was to Edmonds-Woodway, ranked second by WashingtonPreps.com. “But, I thought our offensive line set the tempo tonight.”
Kamiak, known for its balanced offense, didn’t need to use the pass much on Friday. Kelly, the team’s inside power rusher compiled a game-high 151 yards and two TD’s on 25 carries, while outside speedster Glenn contributed 16 rushes for 111 yards and a score. The Knights threw the ball only nine times and were intercepted by Mariner defenders Jerrel Grant and Ryan Haight.
The starting offensive line of Scott McCoy, Corey Solberg, Pierce Loften, Chris Dugovich and JJ Stewart made certain that there was little need for the forward pass.
“I felt that we had perfect push,” said McCoy, a 6-1, 215-pound senior. “We just got ‘em all night. We had so much confidence.”
Beyond Kelly’s and Glenn’s success, here’s another good measure of how well Kamiak’s offensive line played: The Knights lost yardage on just two of its first 51 plays in the game.
Though both teams had postseason berths in the bag before game time, it was a big game for the district rivals, who share the same home stadium on Mariner’s campus. Mariner had won two of the past three meetings, but Kamiak – the home team this year – quelled Mariner’s potent offense. The Marauders managed 74 yards on the ground. Quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo completed seven of 16 passes for 55 yards.
“We wanted to get bragging rights from Mariner and that second seed going into the playoffs,” Kelly said.
Kamiak put together drives to end each of the first two quarters for a 13-7 halftime edge.
The Knights drove 61 yards to open the scoring, on Glenn’s 12-yard reverse. Glenn kept the drive alive on third-and-nine when he spun out of a tackle on his way to a 14-yard gain.
Tuiasosopo found Jade Beavin open in the back of the end zone for a 23-yard TD and a 7-7 tie with 48 seconds remaining in the half.
Kamiak stunned the Marauders before halftime, using four plays to travel 60 yards in 26 seconds.
David Matthews gave the Knights good field position by stopping Mariner’s squib kickoff. A wrap-around draw to Kelly netted 15 yards. After quarterback Cub Jansen found Ben Iddens for an 11-yard gain, Glenn used another reverse to travel 31 yards to the Mariner 3. Kelly finished the drive with a 3-yard burst, and Mariner blocked Kamiak’s extra point try for a 13-7 halftime score.
In addition to kickoff alertness, Matthews also recovered a Mariner fumble that halted a 14-play drive just after Kamiak’s first TD. Iddens intercepted a pass to damage Mariner’s hopes of a fourth-quarter comeback.
Kamiak ran the ball 12 straight times in a 64-yard TD drive to open the second half. Kelly compiled 44 yards on eight carries during the drive. Stuffed twice inside the 3, Kelly drove the pile into the end zone on third-and-goal from the 2. Kamiak misfired on a 2-point conversion try, but the Knights led 19-7 with 5:49 to go in the third quarter.
At Goddard Stadium, Everett
Mariner0700-7
Kamiak7660-19
Kamiak-Glenn 12 run (Gaddy kick)
Mariner-Beavin 23 pass from Tuiasosopo (Hendrickson kick)
Kamiak-Kelly 3 run (kick blocked)
Kamiak-Kelly 2 run (pass failed)
Mariner 6-2 in division, 7-2 overall. Kamiak 7-1, 8-1.
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