By Aaron Coe
Herald Writer
EDMONDS — If there was any doubt that Mariner football is back, it was erased Friday night with a 42-24 victory over the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors.
The Marauders, who played in the 1998 state title game then won only three games combined in 1999 and 2000, improved to 5-1 with the come-from-behind triumph. Mariner can lock up a district playoff spot by beating a struggling Meadowdale team next week.
"We are for real," said Michael Nelson, who was one of three Marauder running backs to rush for over 100 yards. "It feels good (to run well), but it feels even better to win."
Mariner ran, ran and ran some more all night long, but for a while didn’t have much to show for it. They trailed 24-13 with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter when a snap sailed over the Mariner punter’s head and into the end zone, where the Warriors Jake Pipinich recovered for an E-W touchdown.
But then Mariner’s running game really got going.
The Marauders put together four consecutive scoring drives. There were only two passes during the four drives, including Markee Broussard’s catch and run TD from 41 yards out. That play and Mariner quarterback Jacob Braaten’s 2-point conversion pass to Mike Stockl pulled the Marauders within three points, 24-21 with 11:49 remaining.
Stockl, who rushed for 128 yards on 11 carries, set up Mariner’s next score with a 32-yard burst. Fullback Steve "Bear" Jones gave the Marauders a 28-24 lead with 7:35 remaining in the game with a 1-yard plunge.
Nelson, who gained 143 yards on 17 rushes, made it 35-24 with a 31-yard scamper. Broussard (14 carries, 116 yards) finished the scoring with an 8-yard TD late in the game.
"I love to see the other backs go off," Broussard said. "When they key on me, those guys’ll make them pay."
Mariner coach John Ondriezek said the team didn’t panic when it faced an 11-point deficit in the third quarter.
"We stayed with our game plan because we felt we could run the ball on them," Ondriezek said. "We weren’t frustrated (with the early field goals) because we were putting points on the board."
Mariner dominated possession of the ball in the first quarter, but E-W took a 7-6 lead.
Mariner moved down most of the field with relative ease on its first two possessions, but managed a couple of Jason Sampaga field goals to show for it.
The Marauders gained 60 yards on their first three running plays to begin the contest, but faced fourth-and-19 after two rushing losses and a penalty. Sampaga connected from 36 yards out to give Mariner an early 3-0 lead.
Nelson intercepted the Warriors on Edmonds-Woodway’s first possession and the Marauders drove 37 yards to the E-W 5-yard line. The Warriors stopped them on a quarterback sneak on third-and-1 and an illegal procedure penalty kept Mariner from attempting to convert on fourth-and-1. Instead, the Marauders settled for Sampaga’s 28-yard field goal and a 6-0 lead with 2:05 remaining in the quarter.
It took the Marauders 10 minutes to get the lead and only 47 seconds to lose it.
On the second play of the ensuing possession, Kyle Trew hauled in a screen pass from Warriors quarterback Chris Maine, who was being hotly pursued by Jones, and sprinted down the sideline 53 yards to give E-W a 7-6 lead.
Maine completed seven of 19 passes for 114 yards and gained 116 yards on the ground.
Mariner |
6 |
7 |
8 |
21 |
— |
42 |
Edmonds-Woodway |
7 |
3 |
14 |
0 |
— |
24 |
Mariner—FG Sampaga 36
Mariner—FG Sampaga 28
E-W—Trew 63 pass from Maine (Baker kick)
E-W—FG Baker 22
E-W—Smith 19 run (Baker kick)
E-W—Pipinich recovered punt snap in end zone (Baker kick)
Mariner—Broussard 41 pass from Braaten (Stockl pass from Braaten)
Mariner—Jones 1 run (Sampaga kick)
Mariner—Nelson 31 run (Sampaga kick)
Mariner—Broussard 8 run (Sampaga kick)
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