<< Previous   of   Next >>

ADVERTISEMENT

FORUM

There are 0 comments about this story (View comments)

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Mountlake Terrace stuns Meadowdale

By Tony Dondero
Enterprise reporter

EDMONDS

On Friday night, the Mountlake Terrace football team left Edmonds Stadium through a human tunnel built by a throng of their happy fans.

Meadowdale left Edmonds Stadium stunned.

The Hawks played with emotion and upset the 3A Mavericks 23-17 in overtime Sept. 19 in what coach Tony Umayam called one of their biggest wins in years.

“It’s incredible,” said Hawks’ running back Casey Ellersick, whose 18-yard touchdown in overtime proved to be the difference.

Meadowdale started the season with a 28-27 win over 4A powerhouse Edmonds-Woodway and the Mavericks, which were picked to win the new Wesco 3A League, seemed like they would continue to roll through their nonconference schedule.

But it would be Mountlake Terrace’s night.

The Hawks fell behind 17-7 in the third quarter when Meadowdale’s Ben Shebly plowed over tacklers for a 38-yard touchdown.

And it didn’t look good for Terrace when Meadowdale’s Taylor Brennan intercepted Brandyn Eckhart’s pass in the end zone late in the third quarter to kill a drive.

But with 10:50 left in the game, the Hawks got the break they were looking for.
Shebly fumbled right after he had kept the drive alive on a fourth down run and junior linebacker John Paul Pago pounced on the ball at the Meadowdale 46.

Nine plays later, on fourth-and-goal, Ellersick plunged for a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 17-14 after Chaz Dalton’s extra point with 7:08 left.

After a touchback by Dalton, the Mavs got a first down and moved the ball near midfield when disaster struck again.

Running back Darrin Dysart fumbled and Pago jumped on the ball again with about five minutes to play.

The Hawks moved the ball down the Meadowdale 26 but the drive stalled there. Faced with fourth-and-15, Umayam elected to bring in Dalton to kick a 43-yard field goal. Dalton, who also had three kickoffs for touchbacks, made a 47-yarder in the season-opening win over Lynnwood. He did it again splitting the uprights with plenty of leg as the Terrace players celebrated, their confidence growing.

In overtime, with momentum on his team’s side, Ellersick ran the ball three times, scoring on an 18-yard jaunt over left tackle. Dalton missed the extra point but it would not matter.

Meadowdale tried to pass on three of its four plays and couldn’t get a first down.
Quarterback Matt McDonagh’s fourth-and-10 pass to Cameron Bayer sailed high and the Terrace defense had held.

“We were caught off guard with that pass,” Umayam said. “They had two guys that were open. We were fortunate they didn’t connect.”

Fortunate or not, in sports there’s always a winner and a loser and the scoreboard was in the Hawks’ favor.

“We thought we were just as good as they were,” said Ellersick, who tore an ACL last year in the first game last year and missed the rest of the season. “Our o-line they really stepped up.”

Meadowdale coach Mark Stewart said the Hawks played well, the Mavs defense didn’t get enough stops and the Mavs’ offense turned the ball over too much.

Meadowdale’s game last week against Stanwood was called in the second quarter after Stanwood player Ben Zipp had to be airlifted to Harborview with a head injury. (He was released Friday). But Stewart downplayed that as a cause for Meadowdale’s struggles.

“This week for various reasons we didn’t practice well,” Stewart said. “We gave them opportunities and they took advantage of them.”

Terrace also had about five players playing both ways while most of Meadowdale’s players primarily play one way.

Terrace’s defense was on the field a lot in the second half, Umayam said, but “we limited the big play.”

On offense, the Hawks ran the same play “48 sweep,” off-tackle effectively at key times during the game.

“We were just pounding the ball,” Ellersick said.

Ellersick finished with 30 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Billy Lechtenberg rushed five times for 41 yards and but limped off the field in the first half with a knee injury of unknown severity. Terrace’s other top rusher, Percy Anyimah was nursing a sore ankle and rushed only three times for four yards, but did see playing time at defensive back for the Hawks. Terrace rushed for 225 yards on 46 carries.

The Hawks only needed three plays to go 74 yards and score on the game’s opening drive.

Ellersick’s 44-yard run to the left set up Lechtenberg’s 27-yard touchdown scamper to the right side.

Meadowdale lost a fumble near the goal line on its second possession, but did tie it at 7-all after a 38-yard seven play drive. Sam Werner had runs of 19 and 11 yards on the drive before Shebly punched it in from 1-yard out with 8:25 to play in the half.

Jourdain Henao added a 23-yard field goal to give Meadowdale a 10-7 advantage with 1:24 left in the half.

Shebly led Meadowdale with 19 carries for 135 yards. Werner rushed for 100 yards and eight carries in the first half but suffered a sprained ankle and did not return for the second half. Meadowdale racked up 258 rushing yards on 37 carries.

McDonagh completed 9-of-14 passes for 58 yards.

Meadowdale fell to 1-1 on the season while Terrace improved to 2-1.

“I hope we can go from here and build on this night,” Umayam said. “We’ll enjoy this one and try to get ready for Glacier Peak.”