Royals fall to T-wolves

EDMONDS — The Jackson locomotive train stopped in Edmonds last week and despite a valiant second-half effort, the Lynnwood Royals were derailed.

Scoring all of its points in the first half, Jackson won its fourth game in a row, cruising to a 50-20 victory in an Oct. 22 Western Conference South Division football clash at Edmonds Stadium.

“The spotlight should be shined on Jackson. They’re a well-schooled offensive and defensive machine,” said Royals coach Andrew Burton. “I was thoroughly impressed by their offense. They’ve put together an awesome squad. To go along with that, our kids ran the offense and defense better in the second half.”

The Timberwolves (6-2) capitalized early and often in the first half. Jackson tailback Shawn Klaus did most of the damage with 15 carries for 163 yards and four touchdowns.

“Shaun ran hard and had huge holes to run through. The offensive line did a magnificent job,” said Jackson coach Joel Vincent.

In the second quarter, a stunned crowd looked on as Lynnwood senior Peter Doan laid flat on his back after a pileup at the 10-yard line.

“From what I understand, the ball was loose and he dived into the pile like any other good football player. He ended up getting hit hard and the ground was unforgiving,” said Burton.

After 30 minutes and a standing ovation, an emergency aid car took Doan to nearby Stevens Hospital.

Jackson’s first-half dominance was evident on both sides of the ball. Never attempting a pass, the Timberwolves ran the ball 24 times for 323 yards. Lynnwood had one first down and 14 total yards.

“The weather to a large degree dictated what we were going to be able to do. I credit our offensive line, they did a great job,” said Vincent. “After pregame was over, I said, ‘Unless we get some kind of radical change in the weather, we’re going to run the ball, so offensive line, this is on your shoulders right now.’”

Lynnwood came out blazing in the second half, dominating time of possession. After recovering a fumble, senior Brian Hill dashed 35 yards for the first Royals touchdown.

Solid blocking by junior lineman Mike Clapper helped running back Luke St. Marie sprint 22 yards for another touchdown.

On Jackson’s next possession, junior defensive lineman Richard Crist sacked Jake Gelakoska, forcing the Timberwolves to punt. Driving 53 yards, Hill scored his second touchdown on a 7-yard run.

Lynnwood’s offense had the ball over 30 minutes and finished with 13 first downs and 175 total yards. St. Marie led the Royals with 103 yards rushing.

The Royals stalwart defense was led by Derek Stong who finished the game with a team-high 11 tackles.

About his team’s gutsy second half effort, Burton said, “That’s what is so neat about these kids is that we come into a halftime and we make our adjustments, talk about how we can improve and then we go out and do it. They did what we have talked about since we started — don’t give up.”

The best news of the evening came with 15 seconds left when it was announced that Doan’s X-rays were negative and he had been released to his family.

“That was tremendous news for us, ” Burton said. “He was our MVP for defense last year. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t have an on-off switch. I wouldn’t trade him for the world. He’s a senior leader and I love having him out there.”