LAKE STEVENS – Both teams had their chances to win and both teams suffered from mistakes in regulation.
But in overtime the Stanwood Spartans came up with the big plays they needed to post a 20-14 Western Conference North Division football victory over the Lake Stevens Vikings. The win pushed Stanwood to a 2-0 record and keeps the Spartans tied for first place in the division. Lake Stevens slipped to 1-1.
The decision came before a crowded stadium at Lake Stevens High School.
After regulation ended 14-14, Stanwood had the first possession in overtime and needed just four plays to reach the end zone. The biggest gainer of the drive, though, came on the second play as quarterback Aaron Boehme linked with wide receiver Johnny Struiksma for a leaping 17-yard reception.
“That was a great catch in the corner by Johnny Struiksma,” grinned Spartans coach Dick Abrams. “He’s very athletic and only a sophomore. He really came through.”
Two plays later, running back Jon Rockstad took a handoff around the left end. Starting from the 5, he evaded a tackler at the 2-yard line and went into the end zone standing for the go-ahead score.
Rockstad attempted the extra point and his kick was wide right, which could have been costly for the Spartans. Instead, the Stanwood defense stepped up handsomely on Lake Stevens’ OT possession. Two plays lost 11 yards and a 6-yard pass gave the Vikings a last-gasp fourth-and-15 try from the 30-yard line.
Quarterback Ricky Bargreen tried to scramble for the first down, but was knocked down by a crowd of defenders well short of the first-down marker.
When it was over, Abrams could take a much-needed sigh of relief.
“Even though the season is young, this is a very big win for us,” he said. “We had to get this win to kind of establish ourselves and to kind of let ourselves know we can play with good teams on the road. Playing here at Lake Stevens is always tough, so this is a big win for us.”
Lake Stevens coach Ken Collins was frustrated by his team’s mistakes, particularly the porous play of his offensive line.
“We couldn’t block anybody,” he sighed. “We couldn’t run the ball and we pretty much couldn’t throw because our quarterback had too much pressure. Stanwood did a good job blitzing, but our guys should be able to pick up the blitz and they didn’t.”
At Lake Stevens
Stanwood70706-20
Lake Stevens70700-14
Stanwood-Boehme 1 run (Rockstad kick)
Lake Stevens-Bargreen 1 run (Ferrucci kick)
Stanwood-Burke 38 interception return (Rockstad kick)
Lake Stevens-Schneider 4 run (Ferrucci kick)
Stanwood-Rockstad 5 run (kick failed)
Records-Stanwood 2-0 in division, 2-0 overall. Lake Stevens 1-1, 1-1.
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