EVERETT — Mariner scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter and used a steady scoring drive in the fourth to send Shorecrest home with its third consecutive loss by four or fewer points.
The Marauders came back from a 10-7 halftime deficit to beat the Scots 28-25 Oct. 6 at Goddard Stadium.
“We gave up field position, fumbled and had some bad penalties,” Shorecrest co-captain Grady Small said.
Shorecrest (1-5 Western Conference South Division, 1-5 overall) lost its fourth straight game overall while Mariner (4-1, 5-1) won its fourth in a row. The Scots play Everett at 5 p.m. tonight (Friday, Oct. 13) at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Mariner’s Mike Schmaus, who had 107 yards on 12 carries, scored on a 39-yard touchdown run with 3:08 left in the third quarter to give the Marauders the lead for good, 21-17, after Corey Hendrickson’s extra point. Schmaus’ run came immediately after Mariner got the ball at the Shorecrest 39.
“He ran the ball hard, he got some crucial yards,” Mariner coach John Ondriezek said of Schmaus.
The Scots had recovered a fumble by Mariner’s Matt Jones at their own 19, but had to punt after a holding penalty forced them into a third-and-17 situation that they couldn’t convert.
After a Mariner punt early in the fourth quarter, Shorecrest had a chance to retake the lead with the ball in good field position at the Mariner 48.
But on third-and-two at the Mariner 40, the Marauders’ pass rush flushed Rankin out of the pocket. He threw the ball away with no receiver in the area and was called for intentional grounding. That set up fourth-and-long and the Scots had to punt. Shorecrest was penalized nine times for 80 yards.
In its losses the last two weeks to Jackson and Meadowdale, Shorecrest had run the ball on potential game-winning drives on fourth-and-short and been stopped.
Small said the Scots expected Mariner to stack the line of scrimmage and blitz so they figured they could beat them with the short pass.
With the ball and the lead, Mariner embarked on a 10-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 10-yard gallop by Jerrel Grant (six carries, 51 yards). The Marauders, who ran the ball on every play of the drive, converted three third-down plays in a row as they chewed up the clock, leaving Shorecrest only 2:49 to work with.
Ondriezek credited his offensive line with controlling the line of scrimmage on the drive and throughout the game. Mariner’s three pronged attack of Jones, Schmaus and Grant racked up 283 yards on 38 carries.
“They went to their bread and butter and that was runnin’ and we had a couple of chances to make some stops and we didn’t get it done,” Shorecrest head coach Mike Wollan said.
Shorecrest did answer nine plays later when Rankin hit Lamonte Edwards on a 6-yard screen pass for a TD. Rankin ran the ball in for the two-point conversion but Hendrickson recovered the onside kick and Mariner ran out the clock.
Mariner came up with a big defensive play on the first series of the second half. Rankin dropped back to pass inside his own 5-yard line and waited for a receiver to get open but Tyler Tuiasosopo hit him from behind, knocked the ball loose and Mariner recovered at the 3.
On the next play, Jones (20 carries, 125 yards) ran up the middle for the touchdown and the lead.
“They’ve got some good backs. They run the ball hard,” said Small, who had 133 yards on 20 carries, scored a touchdown and lost a fumble. “They’re a pretty good team. They’re better than I thought they’d be.”
Shorecrest took a brief 17-14 lead when Rankin (15 for 19, 206 yards, 2 TDs) threw a perfect pass to Kevin Ramos (five catches, 111 yards) down the right sideline for a 34-yard score. Meanwhile, Scots’ receiver Ian Wright had his best game of the year catching five passes for 62 yards.
“Our offense, we were able to throw a lot of different looks at them and create some matchups that were more favorable for us,” Wollan said. “Guys made plays. Our receivers are starting to click. … Hopefully it’s not too late, depending on how some scores go.”
Shorecrest is expected to get a district playoff berth but trails Meadowdale by 2 1/2 games for the Wesco South’s top seed.
The Scots went into the half with a 10-7 lead, thanks to a 33-yard field goal by Elliott Richards. Small’s 54-yard run on a third down-and-23 play put the Scots in scoring position.
Mariner struck first with an eight-play opening drive capped by a 16-yard touchdown run by fullback Matt Jones.
Shorecrest answered when Small scored from 3 yards out almost touched to finish off an 11-play drive. The drive started on Shorecrest’s own 3-yard line after Edwards had trouble fielding the kick off. Rankin’s 39-yard pass play to Ramos streaking down field got the Scots breathing room.
The Scots held the Tuiasosopo, the Marauders’ quarterback, to five completions and 25 yards passing. Mariner did not attempt a pass in the second half.
“Our coverage is excellent,” Wollan said. “Those guys played their best game of the year.”
Shorecrest had some players banged up including Riley Reynolds, a starter at and strong safety, who sat out the game because of a injury to his left shoulder. Reynolds could play tonight against Everett.
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