Snohomish survives Vikings

SNOHOMISH — The stakes couldn’t have been simpler for the Snohomish Panthers: Win and you’re in.

Getting that victory however — not so simple.

In an offensive marathon that produced mind-boggling statistics and not a single punt, the Snohomish High School football team barely held on for a 49-48 triumph over the Lake Stevens Vikings on Friday in a Western Conference North Division showdown at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Snohomish didn’t clinch victory — and a quad-district playoff berth — until Spencer Caraballo recovered an onside kick by Lake Stevens’ Brennan Frost with 44 seconds to go. The ball bounced off Caraballo, but he was able to fall on it, enabling his team to run out the clock.

Fullback Ray Purviance rushed for 235 yards and five touchdowns for Snohomish, which improved to 4-2 in the Wesco North (6-3 overall) and clinched the division’s No. 2 seed for the quad-district playoffs. Snohomish, propelled by offensive linemen who repeatedly opened gaps for Purviance, hosts Narrows League No. 3 seed Central Kitsap at 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Quarterback Nick Baker had an especially prolific outing for Lake Stevens (4-2, 6-3), which will travel to play a quad-district playoff clash against Rogers of Puyallup, the SPSL South No. 2 seed.

Baker completed 21 of 33 passes for 394 yards and five touchdowns. His final completion was a 31-yard score to Colton Tupen (10 receptions, 193 yards), which made it 49-48 in the final minute. But Lake Stevens failed to score on a two-point conversion run.

Purviance was in control all night, pounding his way through the heart of Lake Stevens’ defense. He had 151 yards and three TDs by halftime and finished with 39 carries and a 6.0 yards-per-attempt average.

“He’s a workhorse. They couldn’t stop him. They didn’t slow him down,” Snohomish head coach Mark Perry said. “We weren’t going to start handing it to somebody else till they stopped Ray.”

Lake Stevens was without its top two season-leading tacklers, Jacob Huddle and Sean Stickney. That helped Purviance blast his way to a career-defining performance.

“This is my greatest game ever,” said Purviance, who plowed into the end zone from 2 yards on a fourth-and-1 play that helped Snohomish go ahead 49-42 with 4:49 to go.

On Snohomish’s senior night, Panthers seniors like Purviance, Caraballo, Cameron Woolsey, Conner Moe and Jacob Reinhard repeatedly made key plays. None were bigger than Caraballo’s onside-kick recovery.

“I knew it was coming right at me,” Caraballo said, “because the kicker and I, we made eye contact.”

“Honestly there was not a whole lot going through my head. Just, ‘Don’t drop the ball,’” he said. “Actually, it bounced off me and then I got it on the second one.”

Baker kept the Vikings in it with his arm and his legs. In addition to his passing success, he also rushed for a team-high 127 yards and two scores, giving him a hand in all seven of Lake Stevens’ TDs. Trevor Riecks had four catches for 81 yards and two TDs for the Vikings.

Baker did toss two interceptions. Snohomish’s Moe returned one 48 yards for a TD that gave the Panthers a 14-0 edge less than three minutes into the game. Moe also made five extra-point kicks. Each one obviously turned out to be important.

By defeating Lake Stevens, Snohomish earned a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

“These guys are great for us. … It’s a big plus to get to play here next week,” Perry said after the game as Panthers fans cheered loudly.

At Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium

Lake Stevens714216—48

Snohomish142177—29

S—Purviance 32 run (Perry pass failed)

S—Moe 48 interception return (Purviance run)

LS—Dickinson 15 pass from Baker (Isaksen kick)

S—Purviance 4 run (Moe kick)

LS—Tupen 15 pass from Baker (Isaksen kick)

S—Purviance 11 run (Moe kick)

S—Woolsey 20 pass from Allen (Moe kick)