Mariner pulls away from Mountlake Terrace

EDMONDS — Attitudes are contagious and Mountlake Terrace’s are catching on.

Although last week’s Western Conference South Division 42-21 loss to Mariner at Edmonds Stadium left the Hawks winless, it hardly dampened their spirits.

Mariner (3-2) started quickly as division rushing leader Aaron Cartwright eluded Terrace defenders and scampered 34 yards for a touchdown on a fourth down play. Raymond Fry ran in the 2-point conversion and the Marauders had the early 8-0 lead.

On their next possession, quarterback Matt Kruse rolled out and found Fry who broke numerous tackles and scored on a 57-yard pass play. Halfway through the first quarter and the score 14-0, Mountlake Terrace’s offense responded as quarterback Anthony Rutherford and tailback Carroll Powell took control.

With 2:08 left in the first quarter, senior wideout Adrian Blake leaped over two defenders in the back of the end zone to haul in a 26-yard touchdown from Rutherford to cut the lead in half.

The Hawks (0-5) were poised to put more points on the board after Bradley Weber recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. However Terrace was unable to capitalize and missed a 34-yard field goal.

“That was a big play as we had the ball inside the 10 and couldn’t put points on the board,” Mountlake Terrace coach Tony Umayam said.

In the second quarter, Mountlake Terrace juniors Sean Yalowicki, Sam Harb and Thomas Welch provided staunch defense, stuffing the Marauders potent running game.

A fumbled punt, however, gave the ball back to the Marauders and with excellent field position, Fry scored from the 1-yard line to give Mariner the 20-7 lead.

“We came up with an excellent defensive stop and then gave them the ball back inside the red zone,” said Umayam. “Plays like that have really hurt us this year.”

The Hawks pulled to within six at 20-14 with 4:57 to go in the half as Rutherford scrambled and threw a 47-yard pass to Blake who soared in the end zone again to make the grab.

“If we can establish the running game, we have some playmakers on the outside,” said Umayam. “We have three very good receivers in Adrian Blake, Tyler Hjort and Michael Wiley.”

Mariner answered back as quarterback Matt Kruse ran 11 yards for the score and with the two-point conversion to take a 28-14 halftime lead.

Starting the third quarter, Powell and Rutherford ignited the Hawks offense, mixing the run and pass effectively. After a 13-yard pass to Blake at the one-yard line, Rutherford ran in for the score on fourth down. Using more than six minutes on the 60-yard drive, Mountlake Terrace cut the deficit to 28-21.

“We had real good balance, both running and passing,” Umayam said.

Mariner responded on the first play of the fourth quarter as tailback Mike DeSimone dashed 7 yards for the score and with the two-point conversion the Marauder lead grew to 36-21.

“We’re not used to being in games,” Yalowicki said. “That’s just going to come with time. A couple of key mistakes and they got us again.”

Capping off the scoring, Kruse scored his second touchdown with 2:43 left to play on a 2-yard run.

“We played really good as a team and each week we’ve improved,” said Yalowicki. “The players were really getting into it, focusing in on the game on the sidelines. It’s the best we played so far.”

Umayam’s message to his team was similar.

“I felt that was probably the best overall offense and defensive game we’ve played,” he said. “We still have to come out and work this week as we’re looking for that elusive first win, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

Looking ahead to tonight’s match-up with rival Lynnwood, Umayam said, “I don’t think focus or preparation are going to be a problem this week in practice. You can throw the records out the door. It’s going to be a fun game for two teams that are real hungry for a win.”