Vikings Post Shout Out Win At Mt. Vernon, 24-0

Kathy Hahn

Andrew Grimes #26 running the ball through a gap in the line

Vikings posted a 24-0 win in their opening Wesco 4A football match at Mt. Vernon last Friday night.

    It was a solid, efficient outing for Lake Stevens, now 2-1 overall, and the shutout was especially gratifying to a Viking defense that had given up nine touchdowns in its first two games of the season, albeit to very good foes (Meadowdale and Marysville-Pilchuck).

    Lake was never seriously threatened by offensively challenged Mt. Vernon (0-3 and still looking for its first TD of the year), which converted quarterback Tristan Brock to running back for this game, while the Viking offense rode the arm of QB Jacob Eason’s 16 completions to seven different receivers for 201 yards and two touchdowns and the legs of running back Andrew Grimes (17 carries for 152 yards and a pair of scores) to a no-nonsense win.

    Lake’s first TD came via a 77-yard, 12-play drive on its second possession.  Eason (who finished the game 16 of 27 with no interceptions) was four of six for 38 yards while Grimes netted 39 yards in six carries on the drive, which ended with Josh Rasmussen’s 12-yard TD reception.

   Freshman Karston Knutson, filling in for ailing Ignacio Ponce, had his PAT kick try blocked.  6-0 Lake, with 1:41 left in the first quarter.

    Lake’s 12-0 halftime lead resulted from a nine-play, 56 yard drive entirely engineered by Eason’s passing (six of eight for 58 yards) capped by a Riley Krenz seven-yard TD catch 35 seconds before intermission.  Eason’s pass for a 2-point conversion was dropped.

Mt. Vernon ran 20 plays (19 of them on the ground) to just six for Lake in the third quarter yet the Bulldogs failed to advance further than the Viking 24 yard line, thanks to some bend-but-don’t-break Viking defense in the scoreless quarter.

    Instrumental in keeping the Bulldogs at bay throughout the game were Tevin Gray’s booming punts, the first two covering 53 and 41 yards as Lake punted for the first time this season.

    Lake polished off the win with two fourth quarter TDs, the first one set up by Eason’s 62-yard pass to Gray, in which the latter showed some nifty footwork down the right sidelines before being ruled out of bounds on the five yard line (though it looked like Gray had successfully stayed inbounds all the way).  Grimes rushed for the score on the next play.  Eason’s 2-point conversion pass to Justin Brown was complete but short of the goal line, leaving the score at 18-0 with 11:04 left.

Kathy Hahna

Jacob Eason #10 catching up with a young fan after Friday’s win

    Lake lost a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff due to an official’s missed call when its recovery of a Mt. Vernon fumble in the end zone was ruled a touchback with the Bulldogs retaining possession.

    Lake’s final score came with 7:31 left, covering 43 yards on runs of 17 yards by Gray followed by 22 and four yards by Grimes, the latter for a TD.  Knutson’s PAT try was wide left.  24-0.

    Lake totaled 385 yards to Mt. Vernon’s 189 and had 19 first downs to MV’s 11.  The latter’s one completion in four attempts netted 21 yards.  Brock’s 24 carries earned 93 hard-earned yards for the Bulldogs.

    Viking linebacker Kolby Jones notched 23 tackles, running his season total to 60, a team record pace.  Lars Eklund had 13 tackles, Michael Nelson 11, Hunter Eckstrom and Marquize Postelwait nine each.

    Lake hosts Snohomish this Friday.