Scots Blank Arlington 19-0

SHORELINE - A loss would have all but ended the playoff hopes for the Shorecrest High School football team.

So the Scots positioned themselves right in the middle of the Western AA Conference playoff race with a convincing 19-0 victory over previously unbeaten Arlington last night at Shoreline Stadium.

"This was a really big game for us," said senior defensive end Sam Berg, who hit nearly every player in a blue helmet. "Arlington was 3-0, and we knew we had to play a great game against them. We know it's going to be a dogfight the rest of the way."

Shorecrest (2-1 in league, 3-1 overall) faces defending WesCo champion Lake Stevens next week.

"That's a huge game for us," said Berg, one of many defensive standouts for the Scots. "But we knew we had to come in here and focus on this game. We knew we had to lay it on the line, and we did that. We got the shutout, which is pretty sweet."

Berg had 14 tackles, two sacks, recovered a fumble for a touchdown and caused another fumble. Not a bad night's work.

"Sammy did some things tonight that our defensive ends need to do," defensive coordinator Greg Tacon said. "With his grit and determination, Sam refused to get blocked down on. He played a great game."

Shorecrest's defense held Arlington (3-1) to 19 yards rushing in 35 attempts. Arlington fumbled the ball seven times, six in the first half, and lost 2 yards.

Shorecrest's Jacob Croft, the WesCo's leading rusher, gained 50 yards on 14 carries.

The Scots scored two touchdowns within a span of 48 seconds early in the second quarter to take control. All of the scoring came in the second period for Shorecrest as quarterback Reid Anderson threw a pair of touchdown passes.

A fumble recovery by Brian Campbell deep in Arlington territory set up the first score, an 18-yard scoring strike from Anderson to tight end Justin Jory.

Key blocks from running backs Ryan Sharpe and David Pinney gave Anderson time to find Jory cutting across the middle.

Shorecrest took a 12-0 lead three plays later when Berg recovered a fumbled pitchout in the end zone.

The Eagles had a chance to get back into the game after Steve Rogers recovered a fumbled punt and returned it 25 yards to the Shorecrest 16 but could not score.

The big defensive play on the series came from senior Tim Calderwood, who made an nice open field tackle on Ryan Dickson on third down just as Dickson was sprinting through a gap toward the end zone.

OTHER GAMES

Lake Stevens 27, at Kamiak 12 - Fullback Ryan Bundy scored four touchdowns in the second half as the No. 4-ranked Vikings (4-0, 4-0) overcame a 12-0 halftime deficit to beat the Knights (1-2, 1-3). Bundy scored on runs of 1, 2, 3 and 6 yards and finished with 21 carries for 122 yards. J.J. Reed, who ran for 88 yards on only 11 carries, scored on runs of 2 and 6 yards to give Kamiak the lead.

South Whidbey 31, at Monroe 19 - Senior Jeff Culver kickoffs 95 and 90 yards for touchdowns, and added an 8-yard pass reception for a TD as the Falcons (2-2, 2-2) won. Monroe (0-3, 0-4) was led by the passin of Josh Morris, who completed nine of 22 for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

Meadowdale 28, at Bainbridge 21 - Quarterback Matt Wieber passed for 188 yards and two touchdowns for Meadowdale (1-3, 1-3). Jason Brown added 93 yards rushing on 23 carries.