Sparts inspired by driving rainstorm

Senior running back Brad Gee prepares to cut back against Snohomish defenders during last Friday’s 36-3 drubbing of the Panthers. Gee accumulated 94 yards on 13 carries. Sustained drives and opportunistic thievery spelled doom for the Snohomish Panthers Friday night as the resurgent Stanwood football team (3-2 in league, 3-4 overall) rolled over the visitors 36-3 at Spartan Stadium Friday night.

A victory over Arlington in two weeks will install the Sparts as a playoff team with Marysville-Pilchuck and Lake Stevens since three teams will represent the Western Conference in the first round of playoffs in November.

The once-powerful Cats hoped to extract a victory from the upstart Spartans from Stanwood, but it was evident by halftime that the approaching storm clouds were bringing more than rain down the Panthers’ way.T

he hometown club won its third consecutive WesCo 4A North encounter.

By that time, after 24 minutes of play, the Sparts held a firm 23-3 lead and there was no indication they were willing to let the soaking rain cause them to relinquish that advantage.

Several sustained second half drives and a fortuitous defense dovetailed well to assure that the final 36-3 score would hold up despite the rain.

Interestingly enough, the game began on a hopeful note for both clubs. The Spartans activated their opening drive on the home 23-yard line and then expertly intermixed yardageeating running plays with lengthy aerial connections over the next 59 yards before settling for a 35-stripe field goal by Sam Harris 13 plays into the game.

Snohomish followed with a similar 12-play drive that stalled on Stanwood’s 21 and they had to settle for a 41-yarder of their own.

Less than two minutes later, just before the end of the first quarter, Ben Ulrich took quarterback Michael McCune’s handoff and dove into the end zone to create a 9-3 margin for the local gridders. A pair of exceptional plays set up that score. First, Kale Schmidt rounded right end and rambled 26 yards and then, two plays later, wide receiver Evan Olson hauled in a pinpoint pass from Mc- Cune and cruised 50 yards further downfield to set up Ulrich’s touchdown.

Joe Eidsness brought Snohomish’s next drive

to an abrupt halt with an interception near Stanwood’s 34-yard line. A deep, 59-yard, McCuneto Schmidt connection soon made it 16-3 with 9:37 remaining on the second period clock.

Before anyone realized it, Spartan senior Clint Hepper had gladly accepted a 44-stripe aerial gift from his field general and it was 23-3 after Eidsness’s extra point.

Four plays into the next series, the Cats lost the pigskin to an opportunistic Jay Steik near their 39.

A subsequent 20-yard jaunt by the nigh-to-impossible to-stop Brad Gee was negated by a holding penalty and the half ended with the Sparts holding a rain-soaked, yet healthy, lead.

Taking the second-half kick-off in the teeth of a near-nor’wester, the Spartans stayed exclusively on the ground by employing the likes of McCune (16 yards on option keepers) and Gee (47 yards behind superb upfront blocking) to set up the former’s score behind left tackle Dexter Charles’s devastating knockdown.

The first of Jay Steik’s two interceptions was nullified three plays later with a Stanwood fumble, but on the play following Kyle Bennett’s tackle-for-loss, Steik easily cradled his second misdirected pass of the night.

Stanwood’s final successful offensive march began at their own 34. Gee valiantly fought off a snowballing avalanche of wannabe tacklers before finally succumbing 35 yards downfield as a prelude to running back Ryan Schroyer tenaciously moving the ball goal-ward over a four-play sequence to tally six more points at the 5:53 mark.

The Sparts held a 36-3 lead.

Though the local heroes were to score no more, they mounted one final thrust after Kyle Bennett had pilfered yet another Panther pass. A 16-yard run by Ben Ulrich was called back because of a holding call. He and Jeff Ness proceeded toward the goal line thereafter, but eventually the Sparts invoked their own mercy rule and let the clock run off the final 16 seconds as the rain-soaked ball sat forlornly on the Snohomish 2-yard line.

Aaron Cupp’s charges hold their post-season fate in their own hands. A non-conference contest with Ferndale here Friday night will give way to a showdown with upriver rival Arlington that will determine the WesCo 4A North’s final playoff team.