Gulls’ Challman too much for Monroe

Everett fullback totals 245 yards, four TDs in win

By JOHN McDONALD

Prep Editor

MONROE — Ben Challman, Ben Challman, Ben Challman, Ben Challman.

From the first play to the last, the big Everett fullback dominated the Seagulls’ 27-12 Western Conference 3A victory over the Monroe Bearcats Monday at Monroe Stadium.

The first time the 6-foot-2, 202-pound senior got his hands on the football, he ran 87 yards for a touchdown. He got his hands on the ball 25 more times after that and amassed 245 yards rushing. He also added scoring runs of 4, 5 and 2 yards as he accounted for all four Everett touchdowns.

"We ran inside the tackles all right," Challman said. "All our plays were working tonight."

Fellow back Brian Price almost got 100 yards, settling for 90 on 14 carries, and four other rushers totaled 47 yards, giving Everett, which threw just one incomplete pass, 382 total yards.

Everett improved to 2-0 in league, 3-1 overall as it kept pace with Wesco 3A co-leader Lake Stevens.

A scrappy Monroe (0-2, 0-4) team answered each of the first two Everett touchdowns with Josh Carswell field goals and demonstrated its never-say-die spirit by completing a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cody Armstrong to wide receiver Andrew Darnelle with 40 seconds to go in the game.

The game’s sub-plot was the fact they were playing it Monday. Originally scheduled for Friday, the game was postponed because the officials association failed to assign referees to the contest and no one noticed the oversight in time.

"It was weird," said Everett coach Paul Lawrence. "I didn’t think it would be that bad, but it was hard to get ready to play a critical game on Monday and not think ahead to Friday, which is another critical game."

Both teams play again this week. Everett is at Meadowdale and Monroe is at Stanwood.

"We’ll probably have a short practice tomorrow so the guys can get their legs back," Lawrence said. "But we’ll go in full gear and think about Meadowdale, not Monroe. Normally, we’d watch tape and grade the game. But tomorrow will be different emotionally. We can’t savor Monroe, we’ve got to get ready for Meadowdale."

Everett got a big lift, scoring on its first offensive play, but Monroe kept the game close until the Seagulls took the second-half kickoff and drove to a 21-6 lead.

"I credit our defense," Lawrence said. "We had four sophomores on the field at one time. I told them at halftime to give up two field goals, I have no problem with that."

Everett took the second-half kickoff and scored in six plays from its own 36. The big run was a 35-yarder by Price, which led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Challman.

Everett held Monroe to a three-and-out, but turned the ball over on downs. After causing another three-and-out, the Seagulls, aided by a 14-yard Challman run on fourth down, drove 67 yards in 12 plays to a 2-yard TD run by Challman.

After allowing one first down, the Seagull defense stopped Monroe at its own 46, forcing a punt which the Bearcats downed at the Everett 13. On Everett’s first play from scrimmage, Challman burst off right tackle on a counter trap and raced down the right sideline for a touchdown. Jared Reme’s conversion kick gave Everett a 7-0 lead.

But Monroe responded to the shock with a 10-play drive from its own 36 to the Everett 11, where Everett held and Josh Carswell kicked a 29-yard field goal.

After an exchange of punts, Everett began at its own 33 and drove in 10 plays to a 4-yard touchdown run by Challman. Reme’s PAT kick gave Everett a 14-3 lead. Challman carried for 47 of the 67 yards.

On Monroe’s first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, Carswell broke a 40-yard run to the Everett 25. Seven plays later, Carswell kicked a 32-yard field goal.

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Everett7776—27 Monroe

3

3

0

6

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12

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Everett—Challman 87 run (Reme kick)

Monroe—FG Carswell 29

Everett—Challman 4 run (Reme kick)

Monroe—FG Carswell 32

Everett—Challman 5 run (Reme kick)

Everett—Challman 2 run (kick failed)

Monroe—Darnelle 31 pass from Armstrong (pass failed)

Records—Monroe 0-2 in league, 0-4 overall. Everett 2-0, 3-1.