EDMONDS — There were enough miscues that afterward Edmonds-Woodway coach John Gradwohl was not completely pleased.
But for a football team badly in need of a victory — and coming off three consecutive defeats, the Warriors surely needed a win — a 21-6 Western Conference 3A decision against Lynnwood on Friday night was a welcome outcome indeed.
The Warriors shrugged off an early 6-0 deficit by scoring three quick touchdowns in the second quarter at Edmonds District Stadium, and then held on through a scoreless second half to post their first league victory against two losses this season. Edmonds-Woodway is 2-3 overall.
After three consecutive setbacks, “this will help in getting the kids back to practice and getting them fired up,” Gradwohl said. “Winning always helps. So I’m real happy for them.
“But we had a lot of mistakes. Penalties are killing us, so we need to clean that up. … I think we can play with a lot of teams. But can we do it consistently and cleanly, that’s the key,” he said.
The turning point came in the second quarter, and it was the Edmonds-Woodway defense that was the catalyst. Trailing 6-0, the Warriors pushed Lynnwood inside its own 10-yard line with a punt and then shoved the Royals back to the 2 on three plays, plus a Royals penalty.
A good punt return put gave Edmonds-Woodway the ball at the Lynnwood 26, and running back Chantz Justice carried twice to reach the end zone, including a 4-yard burst through a nice hole in the middle of the line for a touchdown.
Moments later the Warriors’ defense forced another punt, and Edmonds-Woodway commenced an eight-play, 82-yard march for another TD, with running back Tyler Rheinford scoring on a 2-yard run by extending the ball across the goal line as he fell.
An interception by Edmonds-Woodway’s Brendan Davis stopped Lynnwood’s next possession, and on the first play Justice shot through a hole on the right side of the line, cut to the outside and went untouched the rest of the way to the end zone, an 80-yard TD run.
“I was able to use my speed to get into the end zone, but (the big hole) was because of the offensive line,” Justice said. “(Offensive lineman) Thomas Matulovich made a hell of a block and I just thought, ‘I’d better score so I can see my linemen in the end zone.’ … They did a great job all night.”
Going forward, Justice added, “we just need to build on this and I think we’ll be good the rest of the year.”
But the win was not without flaws for the Warriors. Edmonds-Woodway committed 13 penalties and turned the ball over three times, and they were mistakes that had Gradwohl shaking his head with dismay.
“I love the way the defense played and the offense had some shining moments at times, but we have to clean up what we’re doing,” he said.
Lynnwood, meanwhile, made plenty of its own mistakes, including 11 penalties and six turnovers. In one particularly costly sequence, the Royals had a first-and-goal opportunity taken away on their opening possession and then fumbled the ball away on the next play.
“We had some good drives, but then we’d get a penalty that would back us up,” said Royals head coach Keauntea Bankhead, whose team slipped to 1-2 in league, 3-2 overall. “Or we’d get a penalty on defense that would give them a first down. When you have that many penalties, it kills you.
“For us, it’s all about eliminating the turnovers, the penalties and executing,” he said. “If we can get those three things down, we’ll be all right.”
At Edmonds Stadium
Lynnwood 6 0 0 0 — 6
Edmonds-Woodway 021 00 — 21
L—Andrew Katzenberger 82 pass from Justin Cachopo (kick failed)
EW—Chantz Justice 4 run (Ebrima Fatty kick)
EW—Tyler Rheinford 2 run (Fatty kick)
EW—Justice 80 run (Fatty kick)
Records—Lynnwood 1-2 league, 3-2 overall. Edmonds-Woodway 1-2, 2-3.
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