Kamiak clamps down when it counts most

EVERETT — In a game that produced more than 700 yards of total offense and three players with well over 100 yards rushing, it took three huge defensive plays to secure the outcome.

Kamiak recorded three quarterback sacks on the final four plays of the game Friday night to preserve a 38-35 Western Conference South Division victory over Meadowdale at Goddard Stadium.

Cory Solberg, Justin Glenn and Caleb Trudgeon made those defensive plays for Kamiak, which had scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:04 remaining when Glenn broke free on a 58-yard run for his third TD of the game.

“Is it over yet?” an exhausted Kamiak coach Dan Mack asked. “That was a terrific game. Up and down. Both teams played their hearts out and we were fortunate to come out with a win.”

Kamiak improved to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference. Meadowdale is 4-4 overall and 4-2 in the league.

Glenn, a senior, rushed for 198 yards on 20 carries and scored on runs of 52, 5 and 58 yards.

Nearly his equal was Meadowdale running back Naji Moore, a sophomore who gained 124 yards on 21 carries and scored four touchdowns. Sophomore Sam Werner gained 123 yards on 15 carries for a Meadowdale team that has turned to its younger players after injuries to upperclassmen.

“We’re playing some young guys and they’re playing well,” Meadowdale coach Mark Stewart said. “We’re getting some of our injured players back, and we’ve got to keep pushing and get to the point where we’re a better football team.”

Kamiak quarterback Jacob Jansen, a senior, completed eight of 12 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Despite heavy rain that fell much of the game, both teams moved the ball well. In fact, the score was 7-7 after just four plays.

Kamiak then went on a 15-play drive that ended with Kaniala Manzano’s 3-yard touchdown plunge for a 14-7 score.

The Knights led 17-14 at the half and twice led by 10 points, including as late as 10:36 remaining in the game when Glenn’s 5-yard touchdown run made the score 31-21.

Meadowdale, as it had most of the game, continued to pound away on the ground and came back. Moore ran 6 yards over left tackle for his third touchdown, making the score 31-28 with 6:47 remaining.

Meadowdale’s Tyler Tallman intercepted a pass with 5:53 left, and Moore scored on the next play, a 24-yard touchdown run that gave the Mavericks a 35-31 lead.

“I felt like we were going to be able to run the ball,” Stewart said. “But I thought we would be able to stop the run a little bit, too.”

Two plays later, Kamiak scored the winning touchdown.

Glenn broke over left tackle and sprinted untouched 58 yards for a touchdown with 5:04 remaining to put the Knights ahead for good.

“Fortunately, we got Justin free,” Mack said.

Of course, the Knights had to stop Meadowdale on its last possession, and that hadn’t been an easy task throughout the game.

However, with no timeouts remaining and forced to throw, Meadowdale quarterback Matt McDonagh was a big target for Kamiak’s aggressive defense. They sacked him three times on the Mavericks’ last possession, including Trudgeon’s tackle on fourth down with 20 seconds remaining.

“They were out of time outs and they needed to throw the ball, and we were able to get after them a little bit,” Mack said.

At Goddard Stadium

Meadowdale77714—35

Kamiak143714—38

Kamiak—Glenn 52 run (Gaddy kick)

Meadowdale—Dysard 80 run (Werner kick)

Kamiak—Manzano 3 run (Gaddy kick)

Kamiak—Gaddy 19 field goal

Meadowdale—Moore 17 run (Werner kick)

Kamiak—Stormo 9 pass from Jansen (Gaddy kick)

Meadowdale—Moore 2 run (Werner kick)

Kamiak—Glenn 5 run (Gaddy kick)