Tailback’s return from injury sparks Tommies

By KEVIN BREIWICK

Herald Writer

MARYSVILLE – Marysville-Pilchuck’s Tino Psaradelis’ return to the field made a huge impact Friday.

Psaradelis returned from an injury to lead the Tomahawks to a 23-13 Western Conference 4A homecoming victory over Oak Harbor.

“We knew we could run the ball,” Marysville-Pilchuck coach Dick Abrams said. “We knew Tino was a force so we wanted to get him the ball and I thought we did a good job of that.”

The 6-foot-1, 185 pound running back ran for 116 yards on 13 carries, running for a touchdown and catching another.

Psaradelis’ return worked right into Abrams’ game plan.

“It’s like any game, if you can go out and run the ball we felt we had a change to win,” Abrams said. “We were trying to establish the run game.”

The Tomahawks (2-4 in league, 2-5 overall) passed on occasion, but for the most part, the running game carried the team.

“We threw the ball a little bit when we had to,” Abrams said. “(Quarterback) Ryan Swobody did a nice job of picking his receivers.”

Psaradelis put M-P on the board first after the Tomahawks and the Wildcats (2-4, 2-5) punted on their opening drives. He ran around the right side for a 47-yard touchdown.

The Tomahawks dangled from a slim lead of 10-0 late in the second quarter. As time wore out, Psaradelis caught a 33-yard pass up the middle from Ryan Swobody, giving the Tomahawks a 17-0 halftime lead.

“We should have been in there (the end zone) a few more times and it was nice to pick up that score right before halftime,” Abrams said. “It was a huge play for us just to get that momentum.

“We told the kids it was 0-0 at halftime and they came out and played that way. They played hard in the second half.”

Marysville’s Noah Davis added another touchdown, a 5-yard run, after Psaradelis picked off an Oak Harbor pass and returned it to the Wildcats 20.

Oak Harbor was held scoreless until Nick Garcia ran for a 13-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Running back Tony Hall, who erupted for 164 yards on seven carries and three touchdowns in last week’s 62-6 victory over Shorecrest, struggled against the Tomahawks defense. Hall scored on a 62-yard swing pass from Brent Lang.

“I thought our defense was very good,” Abrams said. “They (Oak Harbor) were coming off a big win against Shorecrest and we were really concerned about their speed. Our guys did a good job of neutralizing their speed.”

Marysville’s defense was so stifling that Oak Harbor was forced to punt five times.