The Snohomish County Vikings pulled out one of their biggest wins of the season thanks to the foot of Larry Moody.
The veteran kicker booted a 30-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lift Snohomish County to a 10-7 victory over the West Sound Saints in a Northwest Football League game July 29 at Silverdale Stadium in Bremerton.
Vikings head coach Wes Fischer was pretty sure Moody would make the kick. Moody was asked where he wanted the ball to be situated.
“We did two runs to make sure that we were right in front of the goalposts,” Fischer said. “Larry wanted it in the middle. We figured we’d better try and run it there.”
Snohomish County trailed 7-0 late in the fourth quarter but tied the score on a 5-yard pass from quarterback Daimino Stewart to wide receiver Davie Beeks. The touchdown was the third that Stewart has thrown to Beeks in the last two games.
West Sound was moving the ball on its ensuing drive, but then one of its receiver was stripped of the ball. Vikings cornerback Brian Carter scooped it up and ran 30 yards to the Saints’ 30 with about two minutes to go.
The winning kick helped Moody erase the memory of his fumble in the first quarter that West Sound’s Jackie Triplett returned 12 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Moody also missed two field goals and had a punted blocked.
West Sound’s offense was unable to move the ball well throughout the game.
“I’d like to think (our defense) was a major part of it,” Fischer said.
The Snohomish County defense forced four turnovers from a high-powered Saints’ offense, which has scored the most points (136) in the league coming into Saturday’s contest.
West Sound running back Malachi DeWalt ran for only 49 yards on 12 carries.
“That’s something to stop that guy for that few yards,” Fischer said.
The Vikings’ running game didn’t fare any better.
“We moved the ball on the ground very sparingly,” Fischer said. “We ended up being able to pass a lot more.”
Stewart completed 16 of 23 passes for 115 yards and ran for 51 yards. Beeks, his favorite target, caught 11 passes for 99 yards.
The victory was the second straight for Stewart, who was named starter two weeks ago.
“He threw the ball pretty well,” Fischer said. “Daimino has really improved. He really understands the offense. He’s starting to feel lot more comfortable.”
Snohomish County (3-2) hosts the Oregon Thunderbolts (3-3) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 at Edmonds Stadium.
Oregon dispatched Washington 41-7 last week. The Thunderbolts’ passing attack appears to be developing well.
“We have a pretty good pass defense,” Fischer said. “We have a good rush and our linebackers do a good job. If we pay attention, we should have a good chance to hold them.”
Fischer said there are no plans to add anymore new wrinkles to the offense since Stewart took the reins.
“We are just going to refine what we have,” Fischer said. “We might have some special surprises for them on special teams. We’ll see about that, see if the opportunity presents itself.”
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