EDMONDS – Resilience is an essential skill for any good football team. John Gradwohl sees heaps of it in his squad, as well as its next opponent.
Earlier this week Gradwohl, head coach of the unbeaten Edmonds-Woodway Warriors, took a post-practice break from preparing his team for today’s Class 4A state quarterfinal game against the Woodinville Falcons. He praised Woodinville’s tough defense – a unit that has allowed seven points or less in a game seven times this season.
“They’re well-coached and they do a real good job of running to the ball,” Gradwohl said. “(Offenses) will get a big play on them and it doesn’t affect them. They’ll come and stuff ‘em the next play.” Now that’s resilience.
Woodinville (8-3) doesn’t have a sparkling record or an amazingly productive offense like Edmonds-Woodway (11-0), but E-W players and coaches said they won’t underestimate the Falcons when the teams clash at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell.
“We can’t take them lightly … because if we do we’ll be back in a hole,” said E-W defensive lineman Quinton Harris.
The showdown pits an E-W team that averages 41.3 points per game against a Woodinville squad that allows 10.3 per outing, including seven over its last three games.
E-W quarterback Kyle McCartney, who has passed for 1,760 yards and 26 touchdowns, said he didn’t detect an obvious weak spot in Woodinville’s defense after watching film of the Falcons. “Their D-line looks solid and their linebackers are big and athletic and know what they’re doing,” McCartney said. “Their (defensive backs) look good too, so it will be nice to see what we can do on offense against them.”
Gradwohl said Woodinville’s defense, which generally uses four linemen and three linebackers, is very physical like Kamiak – a team that last month limited E-W to a season-low 24 points, six of which came on an interception return.
Woodinville beat Kamiak 13-7 in the preliminary playoff round. Its losses came against Skyline, Bothell and Eastlake. The latter two teams are fellow 4A quarterfinalists.
“I think we can move the ball (against Woodinville),” said Gradwohl, whose team is in the quarterfinals for the first time ever, “but yards are going to be tough yards. It’s gonna be a hard-fought battle on both sides of the ball.
“I guess it’s who wants it more.”
Josh Heard sure wants it. Last Saturday E-W’s 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior running back displayed his potent combination of speed and brawn in a first-round victory over Curtis. Heard erupted for 256 yards rushing and scored a season-high five touchdowns in a back-and-forth 41-38 triumph.
What motivated Heard?
“It’s all or nothing,” he said. “It’s your season on the line. If you don’t win the game, it’s over for you and it’s over for your high school career, so we all knew that we just gave it 100 percent and all heart.” Heard and the Warriors know they’ll need that same mentality today.
Woodinville, the 2005 state runner-up, has clamped down on several talented backs this season. Last week it was David Bentrott of Tahoma, who entered the game with more than 1,300 yards rushing but had minus-5 yards on 16 carries in Woodinville’s 14-0 triumph.
Can Woodinville stop Heard? It’s a tall order based on the senior’s previous outing. Against Curtis, Heard “picked where he was going and he just went. Anyone who was in his way wasn’t there very long,” McCartney said.
Heard, who had two 66-yard TD sprints, often gave defenders little time to react.
“On a couple of those runs, he hit that hole so fast that he didn’t really (need to) break tackles,” Gradwohl said. “He beat guys to the point of attack.” Heard complimented his offensive line. “No one ever gives (them) credit, but I do,” he said. “Every play I know what they do because I’m running behind ‘em all game. I try to congratulate them as much as possible.”
E-W’s O-line starters are Nic Arnold, Dayne Richards, John Wilczynski, Zack Greenberg and Jonathan Loucks. Chris Routen also rotates in regularly, and tight end Casey Hamlett contributes too.
“We say (the O-line is) the engine that runs the car,” Gradwohl said. “We might have nice shiny rims and a fin on the back, but if the engine doesn’t (work), it doesn’t go anywhere.”
E-W’s “car” has raced in high gear all season, but Woodinville’s stingy defense hopes to run it off the road tonight.
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