SNOHOMISH – Saying it was a seesaw battle would be putting it too nicely. It was more of a tug-of-war, two teams tugging back-and-forth not only with the score but with big plays and postseason hopes dashing in and out of the other’s heads.
The Lake Stevens Vikings got the final tug they needed in the form of a 92-yard kickoff return by David McMurray, eliminating the Snohomish Panthers from postseason contention with a 26-21 Western Conference North win on Senior Night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Vikings (5-2 in league, 6-2 overall) control their own destiny, needing a win against Everett in the final game of the season to clinch their first postseason trip in five years.
Snohomish (3-4, 3-5) meanwhile is struggling to get back into a winning rhythm, losing five straight.
McMurray’s remarkable run came moments after Snohomish fullback Brian Goodrich ran 73 yards to the Lake Stevens 8-yard line. That set up Derek Jones’ touchdown run to give Snohomish a 21-20 lead, one of six lead changes in the game.
“What a game!” Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri said. “It seemed like in the second half neither team could stop the other.”
And neither team could.
The Vikings, picking up right where they left off after their upset of then No.4-ranked Oak Harbor last Friday, took a 6-0 lead three minutes into the game.
Snohomish bounced back in the second quarter to take a 7-6 lead on quarterback Michael Low’s 12-yard run on 4th-and-goal.
Low finished with 71 yards on 12 attempts – including 47 yards in the first half – causing the Vikings defense fits.
“At halftime I chewed them out a little bit and told them that this was our year to go to the playoffs and the only way to get it done was to score one more point than them, and we barely did that,” Tri said.
McMurray, who could put together a highlight reel from this game alone, believed the Vikings entered the game still thinking about last week’s win.
“We came into the game a little hot-headed after beating Oak Harbor. They got us in the first half which was like a reality check. We came out in the second half fired up,” McMurray said.
The senior wide receiver finished with four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 33-yard TD reception in the first quarter, the game-winning TD kickoff return in the fourth quarter and – in perhaps his finest play of the night – made a diving 31-yard catch along the sideline, making sure to keep his feet inbounds.
“I tried to get my feet down as fast as I could. I knew I could catch it, I just wanted to get them down,” McMurray said.
Still it was the kickoff return that stuck in the minds of the Vikings fans and players.
“He shows flashes of it all the time in practice,” Tri said of McMurray, who had seven kickoff returns for touchdowns as a freshman but has failed to get one since. “Tonight he picked the perfect time to get it done.”
The Vikings were also led by running back Isaac Molstre, who rushed for 145 yards and two TDs on 21 attempts. Quarterback Paxton Paynter was 9-for-11 passing for 142 yards.
The Vikings defense, which has been the catalyst for this team all season, also played a big part in the victory, stopping the Panthers on a critical 4th-and-one with 1:22 remaining in the game.
“It was a battle of will power tonight. They wanted it more in the first half and we came out and matched their intensity in the second half which really was the difference in the game,” Tri said. “They’re a good football team.”
Goodrich led the Panthers with 132 yards rushing.
Jones, the Wesco North rushing leader, had 71 yards but reached a milestone Friday with over 1,000 yards rushing (1,068 yards).
Jones ran for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown, connecting with Mark Bailey for a 34-yard score.
At Veterans Memorial Stadium
Lake Stevens60146-26
Snohomish0777-21
Lake Stevens-McMurray 33 pass from Paynter (kick blocked)
Snohomish-Low 1 run (Wiseman kick)
Lake Stevens-Molstre 17 run (Steinruck kick)
Snohomish-Bailey 34 pass from Jones (Wiseman kick)
Lake Stevens-Molstre 3 run (Steinruck kick)
Snohomish-Jones 8 run (Wiseman kick)
Lake Stevens-McMurray 92 kickoff return (run failed)
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