LAKE STEVENS — The Panthers are in the playoffs.
It’s something the Snohomish High School football team hasn’t accomplished since 2003, but behind the strength of a seemingly unstoppable rushing attack, the Panthers clinched a Class 4A quad-district postseason berth by pounding the Lake Stevens Vikings 45-21 Friday in a rain-soaked Western Conference North Division clash at Lake Stevens Stadium.
“It feels great. It’s kind of a weight off our shoulders,” said Snohomish senior Nick Oglesby, whose team scored 35 points in the first half and clinched the Wesco North No. 2 seed.
Oglesby, a right guard on the offensive line, and his O-line pals helped Snohomish (6-1 in division, 7-1 overall) rush for more than 400 yards. Senior fullback Derek Jones (24 carries, 206 yards, two touchdowns) led the way. Quarterback Brad Perry tallied 116 yards and two scores on the ground, and halfback Miles Semanskee had 70 yards and a TD.
“It’s easy to block for guys that hit the hole so fast. You can’t ask for a better set of backs,” Oglesby said.
No one in the crowd had time to relax in an action-packed first quarter in which the teams combined to score 34 points — 20 by Snohomish.
“The first quarter was like a track meet, up and down,” Snohomish coach Mark Perry said. “You wonder what’s gonna happen, but our kids were ready to play. They came out and made some big plays in that first quarter.”
After hanging with Snohomish early, Lake Stevens (4-3, 5-3) slowed down in the second quarter and was unable to contain Snohomish’s amazingly potent offense. The Panthers scored the final 15 points of the half and led 35-14 entering the third quarter.
Lake Stevens quarterback Nick Baker completed 12 of 29 passes for 228 yards and two TDs, but he also was intercepted twice. The Vikings, who hurt themselves with five turnovers, still have a chance to earn the North’s final playoff berth. They could end up in a three-way tie with Cascade (5-2 in division) and Marysville-Pilchuck (4-3).
As rain drenched the field, Lake Stevens scored a TD on its second drive of the third quarter to cut it to 35-21. But after Snohomish’s Dayton Wiseman converted a 20-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers recovered their own kickoff when Lake Stevens was unable to fall on the ball at its 23-yard line.
“Maybe not the prettiest third quarter, but the rest of the game they knew they kind of had it in the bag,” coach Perry said of his team. “They gotta finish a little harder there in some situations, but (it was) a great game.”
The teams scored five TDs in the first eight minutes, seven seconds as neither defense was able to handle the offenses. Snohomish’s first three TD plays were 38 yards or longer, including an 85-yard run by Brad Perry and a 56-yard burst by Jones.
A good single-game team rushing total is 267 yards. That’s how many Snohomish tallied in the first quarter. Jones (132 yards, two TDs) and Perry (117, two TDs) were the Panthers’ first-half stars.
Cameron Woolsey and Oglesby had interceptions for Snohomish, and Semanksee recovered a second-quarter fumble that set up the Panthers’ fifth TD.
Lake Stevens standouts included Clark Ferrucci (18 tackles and an 11-yard TD catch), Devin Papka (12 tackles) and Dustin Adams (four receptions, 121 yards, one TD; 38 rushing yards). Adams left the game with an apparent leg injury late in the fourth quarter after losing a fumble near the Snohomish 10-yard line.
Lake Stevens back Isaac Molstre rushed 15 times for 82 yards and had a potential long TD run wiped away by a penalty.
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam. At Lake Stevens Stadium
Snohomish2015010—45
Lake Stevens14070—21
Snohomish—Jones 38 run (pass failed)
Lake Stevens—Adams 72 pass from Baker (Frost kick)
Snohomish—Perry 85 run (Jones run)
Snohomish—Jones 56 run (Wiseman kick failed)
Lake Stevens—Dickinson 15 run (Frost kick)
Snohomish—Semanskee 7 run (Perry run)
Snohomish—Perry 4 run (Wiseman kick)
Lake Stevens—Ferrucci 11 pass from Baker (Frost kick)
Snohomish—FG Wiseman 20
Snohomish—Jones 2 run (Wiseman kick)
Records—Snohomish 6-1 in division, 7-1 overall. Lake Stevens 4-3, 5-3.
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