The Mountlake Terrace Hawks (4-3, 2-3 Wesco 3A) shut out the Shorewood Thunderbirds (2-5, 1-5 Wesco 3A) Friday night at Shoreline Stadium.
The Hawks were led by running back Devante Downs’ four rushing touchdowns, a season high for the impressive freshman. Downs, who has accumulated 10 rushing touchdowns this season, used excellent blocking by the offensive line to find open running room throughout the night. He finished with 98 yards rushing and 23 yards receiving.
Terrace was coming off of a narrow 37-35 loss against Glacier Peak last week and looked to spoil Shorewood’s homecoming game. This week, the Hawks came out ready to go in their final tune up before next week’s critical 3A matchup against Everett.
Downs had two early touchdowns to set the tone of the game. In the second quarter, quarterback Hunter Rook scrambled for a 32-yard run, setting up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zack Karels in the back of the endzone. Rook was 10/17 and passed for 134 yards. Karels had a productive night with two receptions for 60 yards, and four rushes for 57 yards. At halftime, the Hawks had a comfortable 21-0 lead.
After the halftime break, the Hawks’ potent running attack of Downs, Karels and Griffin Rash continued to drive down the field. And Downs continued to increase his touchdown count with short runs from inside the redzone.
The defense put pressure on Shorewood all night causing havoc at the line of scrimmage. Stafford Williams had nine tackles and two sacks, while Mitch Haldane had eight tackles and five assists. This was the team’s second shutout of the season.
Shorewood could not match the Hawks’ intensity, despite having reasons to be motivated. The Thunderbirds have not had a winning season since 2003 and losing to Mountlake Terrace would extend the streak. In addition, it was the homecoming game and senior night for Shorewood. However, none of that mattered to the Hawks. The Hawks have already spoiled Sedro-Woolley’s homecoming this year and Edmonds-Woodway’s homecoming last year.
Everett (5-1, 4-1 Wesco 3A) will look to turn the tables on the Hawks by spoiling next week’s homecoming game. The Everett Seagulls visit the Hawks next Friday at Edmonds Stadium, 5:00 p.m. If the Hawks are looking to be the first team in school history to make the playoffs in consecutive years, next week’s game will help them get one step closer. The Hawks have yet to come up with a statement victory, already falling short against powerhouses Meadowdale and Glacier Peak. Nonetheless, the Hawks are still in contention for the fourth and final Wesco 3A playoff spot.
