Jackson stays unbeaten

MARYSVILLE — The playoffs are months away and both Jackson and Marysville-Pilchuck have a long way to go before wins and losses can define the season, but make no mistake, even on this rainy March evening, a lot was at stake in the minds of the Timberwolves.

In an early-season showdown of Wesco’s top two 4A teams, Jackson landed the first blow, winning 2-0 at Marsville-Pilchuck High School. And in doing so the Timberwolves gained a bit of revenge in the process.

While the Tomahawks have enjoyed three straight trips to state, the Timberwolves are still searching for their first state berth in a decade. A big part of the reason for that drought has been three district tournament losses to Marysville-Pilchuck in as many years. So no, this game won’t make Jackson’s season, but that doesn’t mean the Timberwolves (5-0 league, 6-0 overall) didn’t take a little extra pleasure in handing the Tomahawks (5-1, 6-1) their first loss of the season.

“We were excited,” said Jackson coach Brett Norton. “We were waiting for this matchup all year long, because we knew they were going to be good, we knew we were going to be good, and they’ve beaten us the last three years in the playoffs. So we’ve been waiting for this night.”

Early on it looked like the top teams from the North and South divisions of Wesco were evenly matched, but the tide turned when Jackson jumped ahead on a 21st-minute goal by junior forward Caleb Houvener. Moris Vrachovski, one of only four seniors on Jackson’s roster, set up the goal with a nice run down the right sideline and a cross into the box. Houvener’s finish was unorthodox — he described it as a “Fancy, behind-the-back, leg extended thing”– but it gave the Timberwolves the spark they needed.

Only six minutes after breaking the scoreless tie, Houvener helped the Timberwolves add to the lead when he found Guy Shivley open in the box to make it 2-0. Those quick goals not only gave the Timberwolves the lead, but helped them settle down in their biggest game to date this season.

“For the first five or seven minutes, we were a little jittery, a little nervous,” Norton said. “But once we got that goal we settled in and our style came out. We were knocking the ball around.”

The goal now, the Timberwolves say, is to build off of this win and extend their season past districts for the first time since 2001.

“It feels amazing coming into the season as underdogs and showing what we’re about,” Houvener said. “We’re trying to do our best in playoffs and make it to state.”

And while the result was anything but satisfying for the Tomahawks, some good can come out of the early-season loss, according to coach Geoff Kittle. Kittle has preached the importance of a sound, marking defense to his team, but so far the defensive lapses have not resulted in losses. Giving up two goals on plays where forwards found space in the box should help Kittle get the message across.

“We’ve been lucky that some teams haven’t finished,” Kittle said. “(The Timberwolves) are technically strong and we paid for those mistakes tonight. The fact that we now paid because we weren’t defending appropriately, that should get their attention.”

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.