The Snohomish County high school football regular season is entering its stretch run. Here are three takeaways following the Week 6 action:
LAKE STEVENS HOPES CHALLENGING NON-LEAGUE SLATE PAYS DIVIDENDS
With the flexibility offered by playing in a five-team league, perennial powerhouse Lake Stevens challenged itself by compiling likely the most daunting non-league schedule in program history. The Vikings put together a five-game non-league slate that included an Oregon Class 6A juggernaut, a pair of Washington 3A top-five teams and a Washington 4A top-10 team.
Along the way, Lake Stevens (4-2) certainly took some lumps. In Week 1, the Vikings committed four second-half turnovers in a mistake-filled 26-16 loss to 3A fourth-ranked Garfield. In Week 4, they traveled to the Portland area and got walloped by Oregon powerhouse West Linn, suffering a stunning 45-6 loss that marked their largest defeat in a decade. But they bounced back from both losses with impressive victories, beating defending 3A state champion Bellevue 37-28 in Week 2 and routing 4A 10th-ranked Eastlake 41-16 in a state semifinal rematch last Friday night. “We like to think that by playing some of the best teams from around the area, we are gaining that playoff experience, we are becoming battle-tested and we are continuing to get better, even in the face of adversity,” Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri said.
For Snohomish County prep football fans, it’s probably a bit strange to see the Vikings without a zero in the loss column. Over the previous six full-length seasons, Lake Stevens went a combined 51-1 in the regular season. This fall, the Vikings already had two losses before the end of September. But as the reigning 4A state runners-up look to get over the hump and capture their first-ever state title, they hope the punches they took last month pay dividends down the road. “We may not know some of the problems that we might have, had we played some (different) teams,” Tri said. “And then we relax at practice a little bit because we think we’re better than we are, and then we don’t work as hard. So that loss to West Linn was a little bit of an eye-opener to us. And I thought our kids responded really well.”
With its non-league gauntlet complete, eight-time defending Wesco 4A champion Lake Stevens now dives into league play. The Vikings, who technically opened their league slate with a Week 5 forfeit win over Jackson, face Mariner and Kamiak the next two weeks. Then comes the colossal Oct. 28 regular-season finale against 4A top-ranked Glacier Peak, which is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated Snohomish County prep football matchups in decades. But Lake Stevens isn’t looking too far ahead. “We know what’s going on at Glacier Peak and we are excited to get ready to play them,” Tri said. “But we’ve got some other work to do before we focus too much on Glacier Peak.”
ARLINGTON PICKS UP KEY LEAGUE WIN, BUT AT A COST
In Week 5, Arlington saw its 12-game Stilly Cup win streak come to an end with a 37-6 blowout loss to 3A ninth-ranked Stanwood. It certainly wasn’t a fun night for the Eagles, who had to endure watching their archrival celebrate with the Stilly Cup trophy on their home turf. But Arlington rebounded in a big way last Friday night, rolling past Marysville Pilchuck 44-23 in a matchup of teams vying for the Wesco 3A North’s No. 3 seed. The victory gave the Eagles (4-2, 3-2 Wesco 3A North) sole possession of third place in the league standings, as well as the head-to-head tiebreaker over the fourth-place Tomahawks (3-3, 2-3). Arlington closes league play next week against Oak Harbor (1-5, 1-3).
However, the win came at a cost for the Eagles. Sophomore quarterback Leyton Martin suffered a broken arm in the third quarter, Arlington coach Greg Dailer said Monday night on KRKO 1380 AM’s “Prep Sports Weekly.” The injury dampened what was otherwise a big step forward for the Eagles’ offense. Arlington had experienced some growing pains after graduating nine offensive starters from last year’s 3A state playoff team, including standout quarterback Trent Nobach and a trio of all-league receivers. Through the first five weeks, the Eagles had averaged just 20 points per game. But on Friday, they broke out for season highs of 449 total yards and 44 points — the most points Marysville Pilchuck has allowed all season. Martin tossed three TD passes and added 54 yards rushing. Versatile junior Jacoby Falor provided 123 total yards and a TD. And the Eagles had a big night on the ground, running for a season-high 249 yards and 6.9 yards per carry.
With Martin out, Dailer said Arlington will go back to Falor at quarterback. Falor played the first two and a half games at quarterback before moving to receiver. “Jacoby’s our best athlete on the team,” Dailer said. “We could put him at running back or quarterback or wide receiver.” Falor’s versatility and experience at quarterback allows him to step right in. But the Martin injury is a double whammy, as it essentially takes away the Eagles’ top receiver too. Despite playing just three and a half games at receiver, Falor has a team-high 312 receiving yards and three TD catches.
STANWOOD’S OFFENSE RUNS WILD IN ANOTHER SIGNATURE WIN
Speaking of offense, Stanwood unleashed an absolutely jaw-dropping offensive display in a wild 69-47 non-league triumph over perennial 4A state contender Union last Friday night. The 3A ninth-ranked Spartans (6-0) have been putting up points all season with their high-powered Wing-T rushing attack. But this was something else.
Stanwood’s offense was unstoppable, scoring TDs on all nine of its possessions. The Spartans raced to 42 first-half points. They reached the 69-point mark with more than nine minutes still left to play. They piled up 556 total yards, including 491 yards on the ground. They averaged a whopping 14.3 yards per play and 13.6 yards per carry. And they broke six TDs of at least 30 yards. Star senior back Ryder Bumgarner topped the 200-yard mark for the fourth time in six games, rushing for 272 yards and four TDs on 20 carries. But fellow senior back Carson Beckt also had a massive performance. Beckt ran for 175 yards and three TDs and added a 30-yard TD reception. He also had an 80-yard pick-six on defense, giving him five total TDs. By the time the three-hour shootout came to an end, the Spartans had earned their first 6-0 start since 1973, according to Evan Caldwell of the Stanwood Camano News. And the Spartans’ 69 points were the most Union (2-4) had allowed in its strong 16-year program history, which includes a 4A state title in 2018.
On the flip side, it was a tough night for Stanwood’s defense. After surrendering just 39 points combined through their first five games, the Spartans gave up 47 points and 593 total yards to Union. Surely, they’ll look to clean up some things on that side of the ball. But the story of this game was Stanwood’s offense. When executed well, the Wing-T is awfully tough to defend. And on Friday, the Spartans’ execution was off the charts. For a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run, Stanwood showed just how dangerous its Wing-T attack can be.
This story was updated with the news of Arlington quarterback Leyton Martin’s injury.
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