As it has the entire season, the Lynnwood football team battled to the very end in last week’s regular-season finale against crosstown rival Meadowdale.
Trailing 40-8 in the fourth quarter, the Royals rallied for three late touchdowns but wasn’t quite able to overcome the deficit. Lynnwood fell 40-32 in a Western Conference 4A South Division game Nov. 6 at Edmonds Stadium.
Lynnwood coach Andrew Burton couldn’t have been prouder of his team despite suffering its 38th straight defeat.
“I’m very happy with the way the Royals played,” he said. “Our senior group really played extremely well.”
Senior running back Randall Eldridge rushed for 232 yards on 19 carries and scored on runs of 35 and 7 yards during Lynnwood’s fourth-quarter rally.
Fellow senior Ryan Mulvaney returned a fumble 55 yards for the Royals’ final touchdown with 37 seconds left in the game. Lynnwood then attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Meadowdale, which ran out the clock.
Quarterback Foster Hill scored the Royals’ other touchdown on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.
The future is bright for the Royals, the first-year coach asserted.
“We have a great level of talent and a great level of inner drive that is going to give us something as coaches to build on,” Burton said. “We have a very strong foundation that these seniors set in place for us to build upon.”
When the season started, Lynnwood had about 30 players out for the team. By the end of the regular season, Burton and his staff were working with 74 players. After initially having to suspend the junior varsity program at the start of the season, Lynnwood was able to field a team for the final four weeks of the season.
Burton declined to take any of the credit for the increased numbers.
“I’m a big believer in the type of environment that you foster,” he said. “The kids … have created an environment you want to be a part of. The kids want to be part of a group striving for something and wanting to make a change. The credit goes to the kids.
“The coaches did a nice job setting it in motion. Not much had to be done. They (players) just ran with it. They really drew a lot of kids into it.”
The senior class was a big part of the resurgence in numbers and their effort on and off the field left an indelible impression on Burton.
“It’s not too often you get a group of seniors that just with every ounce believes in what you are trying to accomplish and gives everything they have,” he said. “For my first time out, it was pretty special.”
The seniors set the tone for the underclassmen and Burton expects their hard work will pay off in future seasons.
“Their demonstrated sportsmanship is something we want to carry on,” he said.
The seniors led the way by incorporating some relatively simple concepts into their every day routine, such as being punctual to practices and meetings, adapting to change and playing with courage.
“There are a million different things these seniors set into motion,” Burton said. “You can just see it every day when you go to practice.”
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