Second-half rally lifts Vikings to victory

TUKWILA

A late touchdown in the first half provided the boost Snohomish County needed against Renton.

The Vikings came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Ravens 21-12 en route to a 28-24 victory in a Northwest Football League game at Werner L. Neudoft Stadium on the campus of Foster High School.

“We’re just shaking the rust off and pulling it together,” said Snohomish County quarterback Hal Bisnett. “It was a good team effort tonight.”

Early on it didn’t appear that Snohomish County (2-1 overall) was headed for its second straight victory as the Vikings offense punted the ball four times and fumbled away the ball on their first five possessions. Meanwhile Renton took a 12-0 lead on a 31-yard touchdown run by William McGee and a 31-yard touchdown pass by quarterback David Miller to wide receiver Brandon Zim.

But after the defense forced Renton to punt, Snohomish County took over the ball on the Ravens 31 with 2:07 left in the first half.

Six running plays moved the ball down to the 7 when Bisnett threw a touchdown pass to tight end Mike Seekins to put the Vikings on the scoreboard. Larry Moody’s extra point cut the deficit to 12-7 as the teams headed for halftime.

“That was a big play,” Bisnett said. “We got a little disoriented and kind of scored a touchdown on a busted play. … That was huge cause it got us the momentum back.”

The offense definitely felt better coming away with some points in the first half, said Snohomish County coach Wes Fischer.

“It was a confidence booster for the guys to give them the understanding that we can make this thing work,” Fischer said. “We can drive it down the field. When we’ve got to get the yards we can get them.”

The defense did its part early in the third quarter when Chris Stokes picked off a Raven pass to give the Vikings the ball on Renton’s 37. Eight plays later, running back J.T. Butler scored on a 1-yard run as Snohomish County took a 14-12 lead with 9:12 left in the third quarter.

Snohomish County’s Demarco Masoero then recovered a fumbled on Renton’s next offensive possession. The Vikings couldn’t take advantage, though. Renton’s Jordan Chanes picked off a Bissnet pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Ravens an 18-14 lead.

The Vikings’ offensive line continued to dominate the line of scrimmage as Snohomish County moved the ball from its own 33 down to the Renton 1 on seven straight running plays. On the eighth play, Mike Hall scored on a 1-yard run to give Snohomish County a 21-18 lead.

While the first half wasn’t great for the offense, the second half turned out much better, Fischer said.

“The line started blocking well and getting into a rhythm. It made all the difference.”

The defense continued to shut down the Renton offense. Snohomish County appeared to be headed for another touchdown late in the fourth quarter but fumbled away the ball on the Raven 12.

Four plays later, cornerback Brian Carter picked off a pass and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 28-18 lead.

“When he’s not in the game, you just can’t replace him,” Fischer said. “He is amazing.”

Renton returned the ensuing kickoff to the Snohomish County 33 and then cut the lead to 28-24 on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Micha Prescott with 38.1 seconds left in the game.

Snohomish County’s David Phaxayseng recovered the ensuing on-side kick attempt and the Vikings ran out the clock to preserve the victory.

“We are so much better than we showed and we’re going to keep on getting better as long as we keep showing up for practice,” offensive coordinator Scott Betzvog told his players after the game.

The big difference has been the timing of the offensive line, Fischer said.

“It’s just so much fun to see these guys do well,” he added.

Snohomish County’s defense also continued to come up with key plays throughout the game.

“We may bend, but we’re not going to break” is their motto, Fischer said. “I think that was the truth. That’s more or less what happened tonight.”

Snohomish County hosts the Seattle Stallions (2-1) at 6 p.m., Saturday, June 28 at Edmonds Stadium. Snohomish County and Seattle are tied for second place in the North Division behind first place Puget Sound (3-0).