Lake Stevens shows it can play 4A football

By Aaron Coe

Herald Writer

SNOHOMISH — For weeks, the Lake Stevens football players have been wearing shirts that read "Wesco 4A, Bring it on!"

And bring it the Vikings did Friday night at Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium in a 14-7 victory over the Snohomish Panthers.

The Vikings (2-0), last year’s Western Conference 3A champions, moved up to Class 4A this season. They showed they belonged by beating perennial power Cascade last week. Friday they looked like the team to beat in the Western Conference North Division after handing Snohomish, last year’s Wesco 4A champ, its second loss in two games.

"This feels great," said fullback-linebacker Joey Daube, whose sack late in the game hampered a Snohomish comeback attempt. "I don’t know what else to say. I love this game."

Lake Stevens shut out the Panthers for three quarters, but the outcome was in doubt until the clock displayed zeroes.

"We made things a bit interesting in the end — a lot more interesting than we wanted to," Lake Stevens coach Ken Collins said. "But I’m proud of the way we played given the events of the past week."

Snohomish, which scored on quarterback John Knutsen’s 1-yard plunge with 6:56 left to pull within a touchdown, sent passes into the end zone twice in the final 1:19, but the Lake Stevens defense withstood both challenges.

The Panthers got the ball back with 4:27 remaining and a chance to tie the score. They had first-and-10 at the Lake Stevens 25-yard line, but wound up facing fourth-and-24 after a four-yard loss, an incomplete pass and Daube’s sack for a 10-yard loss.

Ryan Andrews and Eric Curnett broke up Snohomish’s pass in the end zone to regain possession.

The Vikings intended to let the clock run out by kneeling three times, but two penalties stopped the clock and forced Lake Stevens to punt with seven seconds remaining.

The punt traveled only 14 yards, and Snohomish had one last shot from the Lake Stevens 26 with two seconds left. But Andrews was there again, this time intercepting the pass to secure a victory in front of more than 5,000 fans.

Vikings quarterback Mitch Canham, who completed just four of 12 passing attempts against Cascade last week, was nearly flawless against Snohomish. The junior completed 12 of 16 passes for 125 yards. He threw a first-quarter, 10-yard TD pass to receiver David Johnson on Lake Stevens’ first possession of the game.

Canham also hit Johnson for an apparent 69-yard TD in the second quarter, but the play was erased by a holding penalty.

"The offensive and defensive lines were both great today," Canham said. "Coach (Mike) Hodges told me to relax and throw the ball. That’s what I did."

In the first half, both teams moved the ball well, but Johnson’s TD was the only score.

Neither team punted before the final minute of the half, but Snohomish fumbled twice and Lake Stevens lost a fumble and missed a field goal.

Canham missed only his first and last passing attempts in the half, which he finished 8-for-10 for 89 yards.

Lake Stevens took a 14-0 lead with a minute left in the third quarter on a 7-yard run up the middle by Justin Balunsat.