Quarterback Brandyn Eckhart showed some dual threat abilities against Shorewood Oct. 9, as he rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another in a 35-0 win.
“We got good play out of Brandyn being able to both run and pass which was nice,” Mountlake Terrace coach Tony Umayam said. “The wide receivers did a nice job getting open and the offensive line did a decent job protecting him. We did a little better job in the second half being able to control the ball on the ground. It was a pretty complete game for us.”
Eckhart rushed for 104 yards on nine carries and scored on runs of 15, 68 and one yard, and tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Zach Karels.
Mountlake Terrace improved to 2-1 in the Western Conference South Division and 4-2 overall, its best start in about 25 years, Umayam said.
The Hawks, who have never been to the playoffs since the school opened in 1961, could have a shot this year, but Jackson, Kamiak and Cascade, who have been to the playoffs many times this decade, are in front in the league standings.
An Edmonds-Woodway team that had a rough start is next for the Hawks, after beating Mariner last week.
“We’re expecting a real tough game from them as usual,” Umayam said, calling the Warriors the best 2-4 team in the state. “They have some nice athletes.”
The Hawks defense collected its second shutout of the year and held Shorewood to less than 100 yards of total offense.
The special teams also came through for a score for the Hawks.
In addition to catching the touchdown pass, Karels returned a punt 25 yards for a score in the second quarter.
“It’s been a couple years since we’ve been able to score on special teams we were pretty excited about that,” Umayam said. “The one thing I can say about Shorewood is that their effort level remained high all game long. They kept battling.”
The Hawks mixed up the run and pass especially early on in the game, running offensive sets out of the shotgun and I-formation.
“We want to be able to both run and pass fairly equally which is what we did the first two and half quarters,” Umayam said. “The last quarter and a half we basically ran the ball unless it was by necessity to convert a third and long.”
Shorewood coach Andrew Hershey said the Hawks jumped on the Thunderbirds early and his team didn’t respond well.
“Their defense was very well disciplined they did a good job getting past blocks,” he said. “ We didn’t hold our blocks.”
“There’s four games left,” Hershey said. “Our goal is to be a better football team at the end of the year than at the beginning. Winning a game or two isn’t out of the question yet. I think we’re better than we were.”
Shorewood travels to Cascade (2-1, 5-1) Friday night at 7 p.m.
“We still have to realize it’s called a football game and not football work we can’t lose sight of that,” Hershey said. “We have to do well.”
“I just think we need try to keep it fun but at the same time learn.”
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