Monroe football coach Andy Haynie had seen it before in his other head coaching jobs: The light comes on, and suddenly a team believes it can win.

No one is sure who said it first, but it resonated around the Monroe practice field last week like a shot heard ‘round the world.

“We just decided this was the week we were going to win,” said wingback-linebacker Jeremy Poff, a three-year varsity player who had never been part of a league victory before Friday’s 34-20 victory over Cascade. “We decided we were here to play. It was homecoming and we were going to win.”

It was the first-ever Western Conference North Division victory for the Bearcats, who had not won a league game since winning their final contest as a Class 3A team in 2000. That victory came against Lynnwood, which has not won a game since 1999.

Poff isn’t sure what made him stick with football. He considered walking away from the sport after his team was thumped 62-0 by Lake Stevens in 2001. The Bearcats were shut out seven times and lost all nine games by a combined score of 388-13 that season, leaving Poff to wonder if all those cold afternoons of football practice were worthwhile.

Friday made every minute pay off.

“My class – the ‘04 class – has grown up starting as a losing community,” said Poff, whose 78-yard TD run in the second quarter gave Monroe a 24-7 lead. “Now we’re turning the program around. The ‘04 class is the one that’s getting it started. It’s the beginning.”

The turnaround began slowly last season. Haynie, who halted Tyee’s 48-game losing streak and led the school to its first winning season in 19 years during his 1992-95 stint, breathed some life into the Bearcats. Monroe finished 0-9 in 2002, but was shut out only twice. He began the 2002 season with 30 players, including three seniors. He had only 21 healthy bodies for the season finale, a 49-20 loss to Mount Vernon.

Monroe began this season with a 20-7, non-conference victory over Cedarcrest. Halting the 18-game skid was sweet, but nothing compared to the school’s first Homecoming victory since 1998 and the fact that it came against the team that owned the 1990s.

The fans counted down the final seconds before erupting along with the players when the game clock expired.

“They were like kids in a candy store,” said Haynie, who led Sumner to the state playoffs in 1998 and ‘99.

Monroe (1-4 in the division, 2-4 overall) is not in last place for the first time since 2000, and is only one game out of fifth place in the nine-team division.

Haynie said he felt a different vibe from his team last week.

“There was a shift in attitude,” said Haynie, who has 43 players this season, including 20 seniors. “You could sense it. I felt like going into the game that it was the first time the kids felt like ‘We’re going to win. Not maybe. We’re going to go out and win.’ “

Haynie praised the effort of his offensive line and quarterback Dan Zeller, who compiled 118 punt returns in the first half and made three tough first-down runs.

Replace your divots: The traditional North County cross country meet will be held on the Cedarcrest Golf Course on Thursday, a shift from the original site of Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

“We are really excited,” said Greg Erickson, the Marysville School District athletic director. “It’s a nice course. You’re not running across pavement. It’s demanding. It’s the perfect scenario for a cross country meet.”

Erickson said the meet was organized by first-year M-P girls coach Randall Edens, who had been an assistant under boys coach Craig Bowen for several years. Erickson said the move has nothing to do with the district’s teacher strike. M-P, Stanwood, Arlington, Snohomish, Lake Stevens, Monroe and Lakewood are among the schools that will participate.

Special deliveries: Lake Stevens volleyball coach Lori Barlow will miss an unspecified portion of the remainder of the season. She is expecting a child any moment. Doug Smith will serve as head coach, though Lake Stevens Athletic Director Ed Bailey said Barlow may help with the team later in the season. Like Lynden Christian soccer coach Becky VanHofwegen, Barlow coached her final game on Thursday. VanHofwegen, however, has a bigger workload in front of her. She is expecting triplets.