FB 2012-10-19 vs Pilchuck

It was a big game and lived up to it's billing.  Friday night, with the WESCO 3A North championship on the line, Marysville Pilchuck traveled to Oak Harbor for the final regular season game of the year.

Early on, it looked like it might be an OH blowout.

After trading punts, Pilchuck fumbled at the OH 43 yard line and Jojo Webster was on top of it, picking the ball up off the turf and running 57 yards the other way for the OH score.  Later in the first quarter, after OH recovered another MP fumble, Webster caught a 3-yard pass from Ian Kolste to boost the OH lead to 14-0.

MP came back in the final four minutes of the first quarter, scoring on a 4-yard pass to cut the OH lead to 14-7.

As the first quarter belonged mostly to Oak Harbor, the second belonged mostly to Pilchuck.  After intercepting a Kolste pass at their own 5 yard line, the Tomahawks drove 96 yards in just 6 plays to tie the game on a 23-yard pass touchdown.  After an OH punt, MP used over 4 minutes to run a 9-play, 52-yard drive capped by a 1-yard plunge to take a 21-14 lead with 3:06 left in the half.  Working steadily, the Wildcats moved down to the MP 8 yard line.  The drive stalled and with 8 seconds left in the game, Frank Grecco kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it MP 21, OH 17 at halftime.

Oak Harbor owned the 3rd quarter, and nothing seemed to go right for Pilchuck.  First, driving down inside the MP 20, Fred Webster carried the ball up the middle and it was ripped free by a MP defender, but brother Jojo was there to again pick the ball up off the turf and ran the 8 yards into the end zone as OH regained the lead 24-21.  Then, the Tommies fumbled the kickoff, leading to a 1-yard Fred Webster TD to make it 30-21 for OH with 8:59 left in the 3rd.  Not quite 4 minutes later, Marysville was lined up to punt at their own 18 yard line and the snap went sailing over the punter's head and out of the end zone, making it 32-21 with 5:20 left.  The final OH score of the quarter came at the end of a 10-play drive when Sheyenne Sams carried the ball in from 3 yards out to make it 39-21 to start the 4th quarter.

The 4th quarter was another reversal of fortune.  MP scored on a 1-yard run with 11:39 left in the game to close the gap to 39-28, then they recovered the onside kick and scored again with 10:04 left to make it 39-34 for OH.  OH was forced to punt on their next possession, and MP needed only 5 plays to cover 62 yards and take a 40-39 lead.  OH then fumbled the snap, leading to yet another Pilchuck 4th period score, making it MP 47, OH 39 with just 1:48 to go.

With the ball at their own 36, the Wildcats made their move, driving down to the Pilchuck 7 yard line with just seconds left, Kolste faked to Sams, then fired the ball to Fred Webster, who was standing on the 1 yard line, but a Tomahawk defender stepped in front of Fred and snagged the ball.

MP took a knee to run out the clock and left Wildcat Memorial Stadium with a 47-39 victory and a date next weekend to play Glacier Peak for the WESCO 3A championship.  GP had beaten the Wildcat's foe for next weekend, Meadowdale, 25-7.

Meadowdale will come to Oak Harbor next Friday at 7pm to determine 3rd place in WESCO.  Be there early, be loud, and be proud!


Video clips are HERE.

Photos are HERE.



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