BOTHELL – A pair of Low blows led the Woodinville football team to a 13-7 victory over Kamiak on Friday night in a Class 4A quad-district playoff game.
Two fumble recoveries by Woodinville’s Steve Low aided the Falcons, who scored all 13 of their points in the final 3 minutes, 22 seconds of the first half at Pop Keeney Field in Bothell.
Woodinville, which played in the Class 4A state title game last season, faces Tahoma in the first round of the 4A state playoffs. The loss eliminated Kamiak, which had lost only to Edmonds-Woodway (ranked second in the WashingtonPreps.com poll) prior to Friday.
“I’d have to say that’s probably my best minute of football so far,” said Low, who recovered two fumbles in a span of 7 seconds. “It feels great.”
After Jered Leslie’s 24-yard field goal gave Woodinville a 3-0 lead with 3:22 to go in the half, Low’s recoveries put Kamiak in a 13-0 hole.
Woodinville’s Jordan Todesco was on his way to scoring a TD on a reverse, but he fumbled the ball just short of the goal line. The ball bounced off several players in the rain-soaked end zone before Low fell on it for a 10-0 lead.
“It literally fell right into my lap,” said Low, a senior wide receiver and linebacker.
On Kamiak’s next offensive play, Low sacked the Knights, forced a fumbled and recovered the loose ball at the Kamiak 20. The Knights’ defense held strong, but Leslie booted a 35-yard field goal to give Woodinville a 13-0 halftime lead.
“Steve is a very strong player for us,” said Woodinville coach Wayne Maxwell, whose team improved to 7-3 after losing two of its previous four games. “He’s a very smart player. … He did his job and went a little beyond it.”
Woodinville sacked the Knights four times, including two by junior defensive lineman Miles Brownell.
Kamiak threatened late in the game, but Woodinville defensive back Eric Ninomiya intercepted a pass at the Falcons’ 5-yard line with 1 1/2 minutes remaining.
Kamiak running back Bryson Kelley rushed for 77 of his 132 yards in the second half to lead Kamiak’s comeback attempt. His 1-yard TD plunge with 3:21 remaining in the third completed the scoring. Kelley, a senior, finished the season with 1,081 yards.
“I thought both teams played well,” said Kamiak coach Dan Mack, whose team finished the season 8-2 after missing the postseason in 2005. “It was a hard-fought high school football game. We just came up short.
“We didn’t get it done. We had a couple of chances in the red zone, and we couldn’t get it into the end zone.”
Both teams slogged through most of the first half before Woodinville’s lone outburst.
Kamiak’s passing attack managed just seven yards in the half as Woodinville continued its season-long streak of not allowing any points in the first quarter. The Knights finished with 20 passing yards.
Falcons quarterback Peter Roberts completed eight of 21 passes for 110 yards in the half despite constant rain and six drops by Woodinville receivers.
Riley Henricks intercepted a pass for Kamiak, and teammate JJ Stewart added a sack.
At Pop Keeney Field, Bothell
Kamiak0070-7
Woodinville01300-13
Woodinville-FG Leslie 24
Woodinville-Low fumble recovery in end zone (Leslie kick)
Woodinville-FG Leslie 24
Kamiak-Kelly 1 run (Gaddy kick)
Records-Kamiak 8-2 overall. Woodinville 7-3.
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