Penalties hamper Marysville-Pilchuck

By Morris Malakoff

Herald Writer

MOUNT VERNON – Flags flew in the air Friday night at Mount Vernon. Unfortunately they weren’t the red, white and blue of old glory. They were the screaming yellow of penalty flags.

Those flags, combined with defensive lapses, allowed the Mount Vernon Bulldogs to post a 22-0 shutout of the Marysville-Pilchuck Tommies in a Western Conference North Division battle of unbeatens.

Marysville-Pilchuck coach Dick Abrams, though not happy with his team’s first loss, saw it as a learning experience for his young charges.

“We lacked discipline. We are young and these players have not faced adversity,” said Abrams. “We had a down game and Mount Vernon is a good team.”

That inexperience and lack of discipline was best illustrated by 10 second-half penalties, including a quick series of unsportsmanlike conduct, holding and roughing the passer calls against Marysville-Pilchuck.

The evening started well for the Tommies, as they took the opening kickoff down field before fumbling the ball away to end a 10-play, 48-yard drive. From then on it was a long night for Marysville-Pilchuck.

The host Bulldogs got on the scoreboard in the closing seconds of the first quarter when Brook Caudill ran 6 yards to score. A fumbled snap on the point after attempt led to a two-point conversion on a pass to Stanley Johnson. The Bulldogs led 8-0, a score that would stand until the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Caudill broke open a 30-yard run for his second touchdown of the game with just under five minutes remaining. Two minutes later, Bulldog quarterback Kyle Kendrick kept the ball on a 2-yard dive to cap off the Bulldog scoring.

Kendrick, in addition to scoring the final touchdown, intercepted a Ryan Swobody pass near midfield, opening the way for the final scoring drive.