Though down one offensive line starter, Edmonds-Woodway Warriors’ Coach John Gradwohl still had faith that his remaining starters upfront could control the line of scrimmage and be successful in the team’s matchup against the Shorewood Thunderbirds on Friday. 

But after senior lineman Tony Woo came out of the game early in the first quarter with a left foot injury, Gradwohl began to worry.

That distress was soon proven unwarranted as the Warriors grounded out one long drive after another and ultimately secured a 21-3 victory over the Thunderbirds in a Wesco League contest played at Shoreline Stadium.

Steele Swinton found the end zone twice on rushing touchdowns for Edmonds-Woodway — a first-quarter, 8-yard run and a third-quarter, 5-yard scamper — and teammate Read Carr added a second-quarter, 3-yard rushing TD to give the Warriors all the points they would need for the win.

E-W’s running attack was successful due primarily to an all-underclassmen offensive line that was forced into action after Woo’s departure and the absence of senior Joe DeBella, out with a high ankle sprain. Gradwohl credited the effort of juniors Aaron Buck and Chase Holand and sophomores Riley Johnson, Evan Gibbs and Nicolas Arico — and an emphasis on offensive line play in recent practices — for the victory.

“We really really spent a lot of time on the ‘O’ line this week,” Gradwohl said. “That extra time we put in paid off and I’m glad we did. Tony is a great player but having him on the field as a leader is super important too. So I was just glad to see the other guys rally and do a good job.”

“Shorewood is good upfront; they’re big, so I was a little concerned,” Gradwohl added. “But it was good to see us be able to run the ball a little bit.”

With the Warrior offense running well, Shorewood’s chances with the ball were limited on Friday. The T-Birds could only muster a field goal against a tough Warrior defense that had been allowing just 16 points per game against Wesco League opponents this year.

“The defense has been playing well all year,” Gradwohl noted.

With the win, E-W improves its Wesco League record to 4-1 and remains tied for the top spot in the South Conference standings with Meadowdale and Snohomish, two teams that will face each other on the regular season’s final day Friday, Oct. 25. Meanwhile, the Warriors will host Everett. With a victory E-W will share the Wesco League South Conference title with the winner of the Mavs-Panthers contest.

Prep Football: Edmonds-Woodway at Shorewood, Oct. 18

Edmonds-Woodway 7 7 7 0 — 21

Shorewood 0 3 0 0 —   3

First quarter scoring:

1:03 — Steele Swinton (Edmonds-Woodway) 8-yard TD run; Jacob Sanchez-Arias PAT kick

Second quarter scoring:

6:33 — Read Carr (Edmonds-Woodway) 3-yard TD run; Jacob Sanchez-Arias PAT kick

2:12 — Dennis Buchheit (Shorewood) 39-yard field goal

Third quarter scoring:

7:21 — Steele Swinton (Edmonds-Woodway) 5-yard TD run; Jacob Sanchez-Arias PAT kick

Records: Edmonds-Woodway 4-1 in 3A Wesco League South Conference, 4-3 overall; Shorewood 1-5 in 3A Wesco League South Conference, 2-5 overall

Edmonds-Woodway next game: versus Everett; Friday, Oct. 25; 5 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium

— By Doug Petrowski