Eastlake suffers homecoming loss to Lake Stevens Vikings
The Eastlake Wolves’ undefeated streak comes to an end as they fall short against the Lake Stevens Vikings in a 35-27 homecoming loss.
Winning the coin toss to open the game, the Vikings kicked off to the Wolves, who did not waste the opportunity to start the game with a bang. After a series of first downs, Landon Renfroe found Grady Woodward wide open downfield for a 35-yard completion. Capitalizing on the long bomb, Woodward dodged behind the Lake Stevens defenders for an additional 20-yard run and a quick touchdown.
At first, the point after touchdown (PAT) looked like a clear success. However, to the crowd’s disbelief, the referee concluded that it just barely missed the field goal, as it was off to the side—despite looking good from the stands. Even with the missed point though, the Wolves claimed the early lead, 6-0.
Fired up after being caught off guard, the Vikings stepped it up and quickly responded. Vikings wide receiver and free safety David Brown caught a long pass and ran in for a touchdown, leaving the Vikings with a lead of 7-6.
With the Wolves back in possession of the ball, Renfroe once again found Woodward for his second touchdown of the night and a 13-7 advantage.
The back-and-forth lead change continued with the next Viking possession. The Vikings managed to push into the end zone and back into the lead on a 2-yard rushing advance to end the first quarter, 14-13.
The second quarter allowed fewer point opportunities with both teams struggling to progress. In the last minutes of the quarter, the Vikings found some much-needed traction with a rushing touchdown to finish the first half with a 21-13 lead.
With superb defense from the Wolves in the third quarter, the Vikings struggled to score. The home team managed to hold their opponent to the 1-yard line on two consecutive plays but could not hold them for a third. The Vikings pushed their way through the Wolves’ defensive line to increase the divide and their lead, 28-13.
But the Wolves were not ready to give up. On their next possession, they fought hard to inch their way to the 5-yard line when Renfroe found Jack Edmunds wide open for a quick, short pass into the end zone. The Wolves began to close the gap, 28-20. They were still behind, but they were encouraged.
As play switched direction for the final quarter, the Vikings moved into in scoring position and quickly capitalized on their previous quarter’s hard work. With a short scoring pass, the Vikings solidified their lead, 35-20.
Despite frustrations and game delays from numerous penalty calls, the Wolves were not deterred. After no gains on two consecutive plays, Edmunds put his head down and charged at the Vikings, blasting through their defensive line for his second touchdown of the game. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough.
As time ran out, the Vikings handed the Wolves their first loss of the season, 35-27, dashing Eastlake’s hopes for a homecoming win.
The Eastlake Wolves will face the Mt. Si Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, at Mt. Si.
