By Quint Turner

Another game, another win for the 4-0 Meadowdale Mavericks, this time, over the Mountlake Terrace Hawks 36-5 Friday night.

The Mavs were led by the running game of Kyle Newsom, Giavani Shepard and Kyler Larsen, who scored 5 rushing touchdowns. The Meadowdale defense clamped down all night and forced their third safety of the year.

The first quarter was the most even quarter of the game. After the Hawks three-and-outed, Meadowdale took over on the 39-yard line. On the Mavs’ first play, Shepard fumbled the ball and it was picked up by Hawks’ TK Johnson. Terrace quarterback Beau Kennedy drove the Hawks to the Mavs’ 19-yard line before stalling, and Jalen Pahinui kicked the 37-yard field goal to put the Terrace up 3-0 with seven minutes left in the quarter.

The Mavericks and the Hawks traded possessions and with two minutes left on the Hawks’ 2-yard line, Kennedy took an intentional grounding penalty in their endzone—resulting in a safety for the Mavericks and a 3-2 Terrace lead. Meadowdale started on the Terrace 43 after a great return, but there was another Meadowdale fumble and Terrace recovered with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.

Mountlake Terrace started with the ball in the second quarter but on 3rd and 16, Larsen sacked Kennedy to force a punt. The Mavs began on the 16-yard line, and on third and 9, quarterback Brian Marty passed to Shepard for a big first down. On the next play, Shepard ran the ball 51 yards to the 21-yard line of Mountlake Terrace. This eventually set up Newsom to score from one yard out,  putting the Mavs up 8-3 after the extra point was blocked.

On the next Terrace possession, the Mavericks quickly forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with five minutes to go. But their drive stopped on 3rd and 7 when a pass from Marty didn’t connect and the Hawks took over — although not for long. Meadowdale’s Jacob Hughes picked-off a Kennedy pass and returned it to the 31-yard line. On 4th and four, a pass from Marty to Ryan White fell incomplete, but the Hawks were called for pass interference keeping the drive going. Shepard ran the ball in with 40 seconds left, and the Mavs took a 15-3 lead into the second half.

Meadowdale received the kickoff to begin the third and after White caught a 21-yard pass on 3rd and 3, they were driving again. Next Newsom ran 14 yards to the 22-yard line of Terrace, also for a first down. On 3rd and 1, Larsen took the handoff and went 10 yards to the 12-yard line. Newsom then punched it in for six more, giving the Mavericks a 22-3 after the extra point.

The Hawks’ next drive was short-lived, as another pass was picked off by Meadowdale, this time by Steven Zhao, who ran the ball back to the 11. On 4th and goal, Newsom carried the ball in from the one to put the Mavericks up 29-3. After Terrace got a few yards, the Hawks had to punt, and the Mavs returned the kick to their 38-yard line. On third and 1 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Larsen ran the ball for 26 yards down to the 3 for an MHS first down as time ran out.

Shortly after the start of the fourth quarter, Meadowdale struck on the ground again. On third and three, Shepard took the ball in this time, and Meadowdale made it 36-3. That wouldn’t be the only scoring of the quarter, though. After an amazing punt by Pahinui pinned the Mavs at their own 4-yard line, the Hawks tackled Tyler Morehouse in the endzone for a safety, making it 36-5.

Meadowdale goes to 4-0 while Mountlake Terrace is now 1-3. Meadowdale’s next game is at 8 p.m. next Friday against Glacier Peak at Edmonds Stadium. It also happens to be Meadowdale’s homecoming night.

Sports correspondent Quint Turner is a sophomore at Meadowdale High School.