LYNNWOOD – On a particularly frigid, soggy, dreary day the world got a bit brighter for the Lynnwood High School football team.
Lynnwood’s state-record tying 46-game losing streak ceased to exist. A decision Thursday by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association forced Kamiak to forfeit victories over Lynnwood and Mariner due to the use of an academically ineligible player. The ruling wiped out Kamiak’s 49-7 Oct. 1 victory over Lynnwood (1-7), meaning the Royals’ streak that started in 1999 ended at 42 consecutive defeats.
“That’s pretty cool,” Lynnwood senior captain Brian Hill said after finishing practice late Thursday afternoon. “But my take is … the streak’s over, but there’s no reason to go out and say ‘Oh, we beat Kamiak, we beat Kamiak.’
“(But) I think it’s good just to get the thing off our chest.”
“We’re obviously happy to hear that we don’t have the state record of losses,” said Luke St. Marie, a junior running back/linebacker. “We never really dwelled on that, but it’s definitely easier to come out here knowing you’re not playing for the state (consecutive-loss) record again.”
There’s no happy ending just yet. Lynnwood would much rather earn a victory on the field. The Royals came extremely close Oct. 8 against Mountlake Terrace (1-7) but they eventually suffered a stomach-churning 28-26 defeat. Getting that elusive victory would soften the blow of any previous disappointment, Hill said.
“That would mean just like the world, basically,” said Hill, who has two more chances to earn a non-forfeit victory. Lynnwood plays Class 3A Shorecrest (3-5) tonight at Shoreline Stadium before finishing its season next Thursday with a Class 3A Wesco South-Cascade Conference crossover game against South Whidbey (3-5 overall) at Edmonds District Stadium.
“Shorecrest is a good team but they’re 3A so we match up a little bit better than with, say, a Kamiak or Edmonds-Woodway (both Class 4A),” Hill said. “We’re just gonna go out there and compete with them and hopefully go and bring it to South Whidbey, too.”
St. Marie said he wants to get a victory for his senior teammates. “(Seniors like) Brian Hill, Josh Petersen…they all mean a lot to us. It would actually mean a lot, almost like the Kamiak game never happened.”
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