LC takes down Falcons
Lewis and Clark’s special teams play has proved to be an adventure this season – “trials and tribulations” is how coach Tom Yearout put it.
But the Tigers seemed to draw inspiration from a second-quarter gaffe in rallying past visiting Woodinville 21-7 in front of 2,385 fans during Saturday’s State 4A football playoff game at Albi Stadium.
A bad punt snap and ensuing soccer-style kick off the turf by Alex Gauper went directly to oncoming Falcon Matt Brumfield, who ran 60 yards to break a scoreless tie with 8 minutes, 36 seconds left in the first half.
Thereafter, LC took over with a display of superiority far greater than indicated by the final score. Woodinville ran only four scrimmage plays and had the football for barely a minute in the second quarter, while the Tigers rallied for a 14-7 lead.
By the time Alex Shaw scored his second and LC’s final touchdown with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter, the Tigers held a 13 minute advantage in time of possession.
“It was a combination of us getting three (downs) and outs and converting our third downs,” Yearout said. “It seemed like we converted quite a few today.”
The total of third or fourth down conversions was actually five, but the Tigers had 14 first downs and they ran 58 plays. Woodinville ran 35. “They did a nice job of moving the chains,” Woodinville coach Wayne Maxwell said. “And they hit some key passes when they needed them.”
One reason was Shaw. Although the Tigers’ running back, who also plays linebacker, isn’t known for his speed or style, he showed his advantage is with his endurance and strength. He had 36 carries for 112 yards on Saturday, and there were times when he hauled half a dozen Falcon tacklers for extra yards in keeping a series alive.
“I try to lead the team, and if that’s what I need to do, I’ll do it,” Shaw said. “No matter where I have to play, I just go out leaving it on the field.”
The other main offensive ingredient was quarterback Taylor Eglet. The junior finished 13 for 14 on passing – he started the game hitting nine in a row – for 168 yards and LC’s game-tying touchdown. Eglet also rushed six times for 30 yards, and his willingness to run drew special notice in the Tigers’ post-game huddle.
“I think Taylor ran the show pretty well today,” Yearout said. “He doesn’t have the strongest arm in the league, but he calls a lot of plays at the line of scrimmage and gets us into good places. He had some awfully accurate throws in coverage.”
Such offensive opportunism was coupled with LC’s typically disruptive defense.
“They did a good job of flying around,” said Maxwell, “and their two defensive tackles did a nice job.”
Woodinville won the coin flip and put together a nice opening drive into the Lewis and Clark side of the 50 yard line. But after that bogged down, the visitors had only one other first down until the waning moments of the third quarter.
Despite that, they led 7-0 on the bizarre botched punt and return. LC got the ball back and covered 67 yards in eight plays for the tie. Facing third and 8, Eglet hit Shaw for a first down. He added a 13-yard completion and 10-yard run before finding Gauper for an 11-yard TD.
The defense, a joint effort that included a big day by tackle Charles Taylor, got the ball back in a hurry and LC covered 65 yards in nine plays. Eglet hit Jordan Hansen for 31 yards and Shaw carried six times, scoring with 7 seconds remaining before half.
In the third quarter, Eglet found Vaughn Kapiko for 28 yards and connected twice with Hansen on passes of 14 and 19 yards during a 72-yard drive, capped by Shaw’s score.
“I felt like we had worked four years and didn’t want it (the season) to go away,” said Shaw. “I didn’t want them to take something away from me I felt we rightly earned. I just wanted to go out there and hit harder.”
LC’s defense held firm when Woodinville marched to the Tigers’ 24 at the end of the third quarter and got a clutch sack by Carl Preiksaitis midway through the final period to ring the curtain down.
Next Saturday the Tigers (8-2) will play Inglemoor (7-4) in the quarterfinals at Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell.