In last year’s home opener, the Meadowdale Mavericks football team visited the Monroe Bearcats and left the field at Monroe High School, having been dealt a 55-9 loss. As frustrating or embarrassing as that may have been for the Mavs, they brushed off that loss, learned from it, and reeled off seven straight wins to secure the Wesco 3A South league title and a berth into the state playoffs — culminating in the school’s first appearance in the state semi-final game.

Fast forward to Friday night’s 2017 week-one rematch, and — despite the significant losses on offense that both teams experienced — not many expected another 46-point differential. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, they suffered a 41-point defeat to the Wesco 4A Bearcats, 62-21.

Monroe jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a 2-yard run by senior running back Isaiah Lewis with 3:36 to play in the first quarter. The Bearcats extended that lead quickly to 21-0 in the second quarter, with scores on back-to-back possessions featuring a 6-yard run for a touchdown by Lewis, and a 52-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jaedyn Prewitt to sophomore Efton Chism III.

The Mavericks weren’t about to lie down and quit. They clawed back and made it a one-score game on a pair of touchdown passes by sophomore left-handed quarterback Hunter Moen: one to Jaxon Foltz from 5 yards out, and the other, a 31-yarder to Austin Goulet with 3:11 left in the second quarter, to bring the score to 21-14.

Monroe’s Isaiah Lewis added to his touchdown total on the next drive, with a 4-yard plunge with 29 seconds remaining before halftime. Meadowdale got the ball back on the ensuing kick-off and on second down, the snap was mishandled and Monroe fell on the loose ball. That turnover led to yet another Bearcat rushing touchdown, this time by sophomore Blake Rybar, on a 2-yard run with three seconds left in the half.

Isaiah Lewis finished the game with 287 yards rushing on 23 carries and five total touchdowns. One of those came with 4:49 left in the quarter, when he picked off Meadowdale quarterback Moen, and returned it 65 yards for the score. Yet another Monroe TD occurred in the third quarter on a 26-yard pass from Prewitt to Chisim. This score gave the Bearcats a 55-14 lead, which triggered the start of a running clock for the remainder of the game. Both teams added late scores in the fourth quarter, for the final  of 62-21.

The combination of what might be one of the better offensive (and defensive) lines in the state, and the career night that Isaiah Lewis had, was a difficult hurdle for Meadowdale to overcome. The Mavericks are now left hoping they can do exactly what they did last season: Put this game in the rear-view mirror and move on to the next game on their schedule: at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8 at Redmond High School. Meadowdale’s next home game will take place Friday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium.

Prep Football: Monroe @ Meadowdale, Sept. 1

Monroe                7   28   20   7 — 62

Meadowdale         0   14    0    7 — 21

First quarter

3:36 — Isaiah Lewis (Monroe) 1-yard TD run; PAT kick good

Second quarter

10:34 — Isaiah Lewis (Monroe) 6-yard TD run; PAT kick good

9:32 — Jaedyn Prewitt (Monroe) 52-yard TD pass to Efton Chism III; PAT kick good

5:54 — Hunter Moen (Meadowdale) 5-yard TD pass to Jaxon Foltz; PAT kick good

3:11 — Hunter Moen (Meadowdale) 31-yard TD pass to Austin Goulet; PAT kick good

:29 — Isaiah Lewis (Monroe) 4-yard TD run; PAT kick good

:03  — Blake Rybar (Monroe) 2-yard TD run; PAT kick good

Third quarter

7:38 — Jaedyn Prewitt (Monroe) 18-yard TD pass to Kainalu Batongbacal, PAT kick good

4:49 — Isaiah Lewis (Monroe) 65-yard TD interception return; PAT kick good

2:24 — Jaedyn Prewitt (Monroe) 26-yard TD pass to Efton Chism III; PAT kick failed

Fourth quarter

5:48 — Hunter Moen (Meadowdale) 50-yard TD pass to Jaxon Foltz; PAT kick good

2:02 — Isaiah Lewis (Monroe) 61-yard TD run; PAT kick good

Records

Monroe 0-0 in Wesco 4A League, 1-0 overall; Meadowdale 0-0 in Wesco 3A South League, 0-1 overall

Meadowdale next game

Meadowdale versus Redmond, Friday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m. at Redmond High School

— Story and photos by Scott Williams