By Aaron Coe
Herald Writer
Arlington quarterback Kevin "Spike" McCormack refuses to even consider what losing tonight’s game to Marysville-Pilchuck would mean.
"We have to win," McCormack said. "We don’t think about losing. I have my mind set on winning, and everyone else here does, too."
Well, Spike, it’s pretty simple. Several teams, including your Eagles, must win final regular season games tonight. Lose, and it’s likely all over — just like that. (Insert finger snap sound effect here.)
"It’s do or die," said Snohomish coach Mark Perry, whose team is in the same situation as Arlington.
For Arlington and Snohomish in the Western Conference North Division, and Shorewood in the South Division, victory tonight means the season continues for at least another five days. District crossover games will be played on Tuesday. The winners of those three games will receive state playoff berths.
A month ago, it seemed unlikely that either Arlington or Snohomish would be in a position to make the playoffs heading into their regular season finales.
Both teams suffered humiliating defeats on Sept. 28. Snohomish lost 16-6 to Stanwood, to give the Spartans their first of only two victories this year. Arlington took a 38-14 clubbing from Lake Stevens, the team that could claim the North Division championship with a victory at Oak Harbor tonight.
It was the second league loss for both teams, and the season was not even halfway over yet. Snohomish was 1-3 overall, including an 18-17 home loss to South Kitsap.
The Panthers lost starting quarterback John Knutsen, who had been perhaps the team’s best player to that point, to a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter of the Stanwood game.
Sophomore quarterback Jeff Rodland entered that game and threw an interception on his first pass attempt.
"Since then, it’s been all up hill," said Rodland, whose older brothers Eric and Josh each quarterbacked the Panthers to the state playoffs.
Since that Sept. 28 night when all seemed lost, Arlington (5-2 in the conference, 6-2 overall) and Snohomish (5-2, 5-3) have each won four straight games and resurrected their seasons.
Perry and Arlington coach John Boitano said the following week was the turning point. Both teams practiced well that week and won low-pressure games Oct. 5.
Snohomish played Monroe that night, a team that has lost all eight of its games by a combined score of 381-19. Arlington played well in a 28-13 non-league road victory over Parkrose, Ore.
The Monroe game gave Rodland and the rest of the team a much needed blowout and an accompanying boost of confidence. Arlington’s trip to Parkrose proved to be a team-unifying bus ride and brought an end to much of the in-fighting that had been going on.
"When you lose two in a row, and in one of them you made every mistake you can make, you start thinking, "Oh my God, we’re going to go 2-7," Boitano said. "The best thing that happened was that trip. We had a lot of fun and there wasn’t a lot of pressure. It was just a magical thing that happened right then."
Shortly after that, the Eagles got back two starters from academic suspension. Both players caught touchdown passes in Friday’s 17-7 victory over Mount Vernon. The Bulldogs dropped from first to fourth with that loss. If they win tonight, the Bulldogs would make the playoffs should Arlington or Snohomish falter.
A Lake Stevens loss at Oak Harbor would create a four-team tie at the top of the division if Arlington, Snohomish and Mount Vernon all win. No decision has been made on how the tie would be broken.
Though Snohomish and Arlington play teams far out of the playoff picture, neither game will be easy. The Panthers will travel to Everett Memorial Stadium, where they will play a Cascade team that loves nothing more than beating Snohomish.
Arlington is also on the road, at Marysville-Pilchuck. Though it is the first time in many years the two teams have been in the same conference, a rivalry has existed between the two towns for many years.
"We’ve approached this game like the beginning of the playoffs," Boitano said. "The (Tomahawks) want to win. The playoffs are single elimination, and that’s how we’ve approached it."
Rodland said it would be a shame to lose now after all the work the Panthers put into getting back into the playoff race.
"We had a rough start, but now we’ve got a shot at the playoffs," Rodland said. "We’ve just got to win."
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