Panthers focus on line play to reach 6-0
By AARON COE
Herald Writer
SNOHOMISH — A week after a shocking blowout of Cascade, it was the Kamiak Knights who were stunned, 37-14, by Snohomish.
From the early moments at Veterans Memorial Stadium, it was clear that the Panthers (5-0 in the Western Conference 4A, 6-0 overall) were going to try to out-muscle the Knights. And for nearly all of the game’s 48 minutes, that’s exactly what they did.
"We came out with a game plan," Snohomish coach Mark Perry said. "We wanted to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides. Both lines played very well."
Kamiak seemed ready to make a game of it in the second half, when the Knights cut Snohomish’s lead to 23-8 after scoring on their first possession.
The Knights forced a Snohomish punt on the second half’s first drive, then struck quickly. Ryan Jones passed to Scott Haight, who got a block from Jason Mullavey on his way to a 59-yard TD. Mike Boyle then caught a 2-point conversion from Jones as Kamiak closed the gap to 23-8.
"They came out and proved themselves, and tossed the ball on us a couple of times," Perry said. "But we did our work and got right back into it."
Doubt of the outcome would soon be erased. Snohomish would strike twice in less than two minutes.
The Panthers ran the ball 10 times after Kamiak’s kickoff. On the 11th play, Snohomish tight end Andy Heater was alone in the end zone. Josh Rodland saw him, and hit him with a 23-yard TD pass to put the Panthers ahead 30-8 late in the third.
Kamiak began driving down the field on its ensuing possession, but Snohomish’s Eddie Zimmerman intercepted a pass and returned it 44 yards. The 37-8 lead with 29 seconds left in the third was just too much for the Knights to overcome, even with their potent passing attack.
Kamiak’s Robert Washington completed the scoring when he picked up a Snohomish fumble and returned it 50 yards for a score.
All evening long, mistakes costs the Knights. Defensive coverage mixups led to easy touchdowns, and penalties seemed to come at the worst possible times.
In the first half, Kamiak had poor field position and went three-and-out on three of its first four drives.
Kamiak used a reverse to return the opening kick to its 33, but the Knights were flagged for holding. Kamiak was unable to move the ball from its own 11, which gave the Panthers excellent field position at the Kamiak 42. Three straight 10-yard carries set up an eventual 2-yard plunge by Joe Plucker and a 7-0 Snohomish first-quarter lead.
"I didn’t think that they’d be able to stop our offense," said fullback Lockhart, who rushed for 84 yards on 19 carries. "We’ve been playing good all year, why stop now?"
A second three-and-out by the Kamiak offense gave Snohomish good field position again. The Panthers took advantage, and Plucker scored off an excellent option pitch from quarterback Josh Rodland. The 17-yard TD run put the Panthers up 14-0 with 2:14 remaining in the opening quarter. Rodland completed four of five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
Kamiak finally gave Snohomish unfavorable field position on the Panthers third drive, but it wouldn’t matter.
Rodland faked a handoff to Lockhart, then threw a bomb to a wide open Zimmerman, who broke a tackle on his way to an 84-yard score.
After a Snohomish defensive stops, the Knights snapped the ball over the punter’s head on fourth down for a safety. The gaffe gave Snohomish a 23-0 lead with 9:18 left in the half.
Snohomish gained 224 yards in the first half, and held the Knights to just 76.
| Kamiak0080—14
Snohomish |
14 |
9 |
14 |
0 |
— |
37 |
Snohomish—Plucker 2 run (Bennion kick)
Snohomish—Plucker 17 run (Bennion kick)
Snohomish—Zimmerman 84 pass from Rodland (Bennion kick)
Snohomish—Safety, ball snapped out of end zone
Kamiak—Haight pass from Jones (Boyle pass from Jones)
Snohomish—Heater 23 pass from Lockhart (Bennion kick)
Snohomish—Zimmerman 44 interception return (Bennion kick)
Kamiak—R. Washington 50 fumble return (run failed)
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