Medical Lake backup quarterback, freshman Sam Gollehon, fires a pass in last Friday's Northeast A League football game with Lakeside. Gollehon played the second half when starter Cory Wagner suffered a shoulder injury.
The numbers on the scoreboard, a 49-12 Medical Lake loss to Lakeside last Friday in a Northeast A League football game were secondary in the mind of Cardinals' head coach Wes Hobbs.
Foremost was the health of senior quarterback Cory Wagner who exited the game after halftime nursing a sore shoulder.
"We don't know, it's going to be a late-in-the- week decision," Hobbs said as the Cardinals (0-3 NEA, 0-5 overall) prepare for a Friday, Oct. 9 road game at Newport (0-3, 2-3) at 7 p.m.
After the first Medical Lake drive stalled on the Lakeside 44, the visiting Eagles (3-0, 4-1) made the Cardinals pay. Lakeside was efficient and precise from their first touch of the ball and scored on a quick five-play drive, the final 50 coming on a pass from quarterback Cameron Gay to Garrett Brown with 7 minutes, 36 seconds to play in the opening quarter.
It took Medical Lake 11 plays to answer when Wagner sprinted around the left side with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter the for a five-yard touchdown, but the kick failed and the Cards trailed 7-6.
"We drove the ball down their throat, we moved the football, (but) we stopped ourselves the first half," Hobbs said.
It was all Lakeside after that as Chase Kuhnart's 2-yard run made it 14-6 with 11:30 to play in the second quarter. But the most damaging, and perhaps deflating score came as the seconds ticked down before half.
Facing a third and 19 from their own 11, Gay scrambled out of a potential sack and pressure from Alex Garza and bought just enough time to find Kuhnart for 42 yards and a crushing first down. Brown would collect a 19-yard pass from Gay and score with four seconds to play for a 21-6 lead.
"We don't finish a blitz and sack the quarterback; he side-arms to this running back," Hobbs said.
The Cardinals came out of the locker room after halftime and thwarted the first Lakeside drive when Wagner made a leaping interception of a Gay pass. After the teams traded possessions, the Cardinals got the ball back at their own 15 only to give it back on a fumble.
"We had our chances, we couldn't have been in better spots," Hobbs said.
It took the Eagles Nick Annanie just two plays to score the first of his three touchdowns on the night with 5:04 remaining in the third quarter. His last was a scoop and score for 25 yards following another Cardinal fumble, this time on a punt return with 9:47 to play in the fourth. Medical Lake lost all three fumbles on the night.
Trailing 49-6 and with the clock running due to the 40-point rule, the Cardinals got their final score from 5-foot, 4-inch, 125-pound senior Nick Reed from 18 yards out with 4:14 to play.
"He was hurt for a while and missed a game or two; it's important to Nick, it means something to him," Hobbs said.
When Wagner exited the game favoring his shoulder, freshman Sam Gollehon took over and oversaw a conservative ground attack. Reed ended with 47 yards on six carries while Jacob Sutton (8-49) and Phillip Murray (7-45) also took turns packing the ball.
Lakeside, whose only loss this year came to Rogers of the Greater Spokane League, outgained the Cardinals 454-235 with a huge 262-43 edge in passing yards.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
Reader Comments(0)