Edmonds-Woodway kept its postseason hopes alive with a key victory.
Junior running back Zack Berg scored all four of his team’s touchdowns as the Warriors defeated Cascade 28-7 in a Western Conference 4A South Division football game Oct. 23 at Edmonds Stadium.
Berg rushed for 89 yards on nine carries and also recorded seven tackles, seven assists and four sacks on defense.
“Our kids just played hard,” said Edmonds-Woodway coach John Gradwohl. “They came out with some energy. They did a good job. They didn’t play a perfect game by any means. There was a lot of hustle.”
The Warriors (2-3 in the league, 3-5 overall) take on Shorewood at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30 at Shoreline Stadium. If Jackson beats Cascade (3-2, 6-2) and Kamiak defeats Mountlake Terrace (3-2, 5-3) and Edmonds-Woodway prevails over the Thunderbirds, then a three-way tie for the third and final berth to the quad-district playoffs would exist among the Bruins, Hawks and Warriors.
Edmonds-Woodway made some changes on defense that enabled the Warriors to shut down the Bruins.
“We moved some kids around and that helped our defense quite a bit,” Gradwohl said. “That was probably the biggest key.”
Berg was shifted from the secondary to outside linebacker and Ryan Brown was moved from linebacker to the defensive line.
“It was a good effort by everybody,” Gradwohl said.
Edmonds-Woodway took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 7-yard run by Berg. Cascade tied the score with just under a minute left in the second quarter when Brandon Blinn scored on a 5-yard run.
“We struggled running the ball (in the first half),” Gradwohl said. “We completed some passes and got the ball in the end zone. In the second half we found some opening and we ran the ball a lot more. Scott Douglas ran the ball well. We were able to throw the ball when we needed to.
“The defense got some good turnovers. We really had them jammed back in their side of the field for most of the game.”
Edmonds-Woodway recovered two fumbles and intercepted two passes.
Berg had touchdown runs of 8 and 3 yards in the third quarter and then capped off his night with a 50-yard scoring run less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Andy Willcock completed 9 of 17 passes for 141 yards.
“The guys were flying around and having a good time,” Gradwohl said.
The victory not only means the Warriors are still alive for the playoffs but they also have an opportunity to finish .500 this season.
The season hasn’t gone the way Gradwohl and his players had hoped it would.
“Obviously, a win gives you a boost,” Gradwohl said. “We were able to beat a good team. Our kids are still working hard. That says a lot. We hope to have another great win and finish the season strong.”
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