Marauders blank Mavs 33-0 to remain atop Wesco standings

EDMONDS — The Mariner Marauders had mangled the opening kickoff return and lined up on their own 1-yard line to start last week’s game against Meadowdale.

Coach John Ondriezek’s thoughts?

“At that point, I just wanted to get out of there and hope to punt the football,” Ondriezek said.

The Marauders punted it all right. With about seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.

In between, Mariner put on a defensive and offensive exhibition in a 33-0 Western Conference 4A South Division victory over Meadowdale Oct. 3 Edmonds Stadium.

Mariner scored the first five times it had the ball — and once on a Meadowdale possession when a punt snap went out of the end zone for a safety — rolled to a 26-0 halftime lead, and kept up the defense in the second half to record the shutout.

The Marauders improved to 4-0 in the division and 5-0 overall. Meadowdale is 2-2, 2-3 and impressed with what it experienced.

“They physically took us apart,” Meadowdale coach Mark Stewart said. “They just controlled the game. Their defense is quick and we just couldn’t get anything going all night. They handed it to us.”

There was no better example than Mariner’s first drive.

The Marauders started on their own 1-yard-line and, while Ondriezek prayed for room to punt, they gave him much more than that.

Aaron Cartwright broke away on a 16-yard run on the first play from scrimmage to dig Mariner out of its hole. Six plays later, the Marauders were celebrating their first touchdown, Sinna Srei’s 1-yard plunge to complete the 99-yard drive.

Srei had the biggest play of the drive, catching a 52-yard pass from quarterback Moa Palepale to move the ball to the Meadowdale 29. After a penalty, Mike DeSimone ran 23 yards, Cartwright another 13 and Srei the final yard.

“That set the tempo for the rest of the game,” Ondriezek said. “We needed an early score, and to get a 99-yard drive, it fired up our entire team.”

Mariner held Meadowdale to three plays and a punt, then continued to roll with an offensive line that blew open big holes.

Behind Jess Tate, Tony O’Dell, Chris Miller, Michael Bell, Robin Wang (making his first start) and tight end Trenton Tuisasosopo, Mariner made it a runaway.

• An 11-play drive finished with Ken Mishima’s 23-yard field goal.

• A bad snap as Meadowdale tried to punt from deep in its own end resulted in a safety, giving Mariner a 12-0 lead.

• Srei scored on a 4-yard run on Mariner’s next possession, 19-0.

• Palepale intercepted a tipped Meadowdale pass, then directed another touchdown drive that ended with Cartwright’s 28-yard burst up the middle, making it 26-0.

Cartwright gained 113 yards on 14 carries, DeSimone 99 yards on 11 carries and Srei 75 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Srei scored the only touchdown of the second half on a 1-yard dive early in the fourth quarter.

Justin Lucero gained 71 yards on 10 carries as Meadowdale used his speed in an effort to get around Mariner when the Mavericks struggled to plow through.

“At some level, we try to be a physical football team,” Stewart said. “But tonight, we met our match. We usually feel pretty good about what we’ve got up front, but they were good on both sides of the ball up front. That’s the best team we’ve played.”

Kirby Arnold writes for The Herald in Everett.