Shorecrest Football: Wiped Out During White Out

Marcus Tidwell barrels into the end zone

Shorecrest Scots football vs Edmonds-Woodway 

Friday, September 13, 2019 

Edmonds-Woodway 38 - Shorecrest 14

Text and Photos by Rob Oxford

If the Shorecrest Scots had visions of cruising through the WesCo South on their way to a 3A Championship this season, Friday night's surprising 2nd half beat-down by the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors hopefully put things into perspective.

The Warriors, who scored 38 unanswered points after trailing at the half 14 - 0 were in no way the better team leading up to kickoff, yet they were the ones celebrating after the final buzzer and rightfully so.

Designated as this season’s “White Out” game, which encourages fans to dress in white as a show of solidarity, the Scots had been expected to be 2 and 0 at the end of the contest and coming into Shoreline Stadium the Warriors had to have felt inferior.

Scots Offensive Guard Jacob Halvorson in pass protection

I imagine they, too were privy to the preseason hype identifying Shorecrest as “the team to beat”. Regardless, Highlander fans, at least those who didn’t leave at halftime thinking they had seen all they needed to see, would make the short drive home scratching their heads and wondering “what just happened?”

A narrow victory against Marysville-Getchell the week prior should have been a wakeup call for the Scots. Unfortunately, a lot of the same mistakes were made on the offensive side of the ball. False starts, holding and procedure penalties, fumbles, dropped and under-thrown passes all led to stalled drives and turnovers.

If there was one shining moment, it would have to be the touchdown scored by Junior Running Back Marcus Tidwell, his first on the season. At 5’11 205 lbs. Tidwell appears to enjoy going through would-be tacklers instead of around them.

An additional highlight could be the play of Senior Gannon Dow. The 5’11 WR was called on to replace Eladio Fountain after the Quarterback left the game with a minor injury. Dow was able to scramble for positive yardage, however there seem to be some miscommunication with his receivers on a couple of passing plays.

The Scots Defense, on the other hand, couldn’t have played much better. Although a few instances of poor open-field tackling extended what should have been several 3 and outs, for most of the night the Warriors were unable to move the ball on the ground effectively. Three of the Warrior touchdowns were scored while the Defense was still on the sideline. 

A Punt return, a pick 6 and a fumble return for a touchdown would have been more than enough to secure a Warrior victory, but football is as much a mental game as it is physical and once a deficit seems unsurmountable, it’s difficult to convince young men that a chance to come back still exists.

During the 2nd half several Scots' players were sidelined with various injuries and those that weren’t had been playing both sides of the ball for most of the night. Conditioning is what makes a “4th Quarter Team” and the Scots are simply not there yet.

In trying to focus on something positive to be gained from the night's disappointing loss, one can take solace in the fact that due to the injuries indicated above, Head Coach Brandon Christensen was forced to play many of his second-stringers and from where this reporter was sitting, the Scots seem to have much more depth than one might initially assume.

In his first taste of varsity action, Junior Defensive Linemen Wyatt Patenaude came up with a couple big tackles as did Max Takhtarev, who for the second time this season made a significant impact on defense.

Win or Lose - A proud Shorecrest Grandfather

For those Scots who see limited playing time, but contribute each practice by filling in on “scout teams,” the call came Friday Night and it was exciting to finally hear some of those names called by stadium announcer Wyatt Tonkin.

One such player is Kingston Lam. At 5’9 157 lbs., he’s not your prototypical linebacker, but when it comes to heart, you’ll find none bigger in the Shorecrest Locker Room.

Several Sophomores also found themselves filling significant roles late in the 4th Quarter. #22 Daryl Scot filled in for injured RB Markus Selzler and moved the ball downfield rather easily. While #28 Ben Seather-Brady did a commendable job returning kickoffs, replacing Des Fox who had also been banged up earlier in the 2nd half.

Although the outcome of Friday Night’s Home Opener was not what most in the audience had anticipated, the season has just started and quite often a 38 – 14 loss such as this is exactly what a good doctor might prescribe.

Next week the Scots travel to Everett for an 8pm start against the Seagulls and you can rest assured the Highlander Coaching Staff will be doing everything within their power to prepare the Scots for victory.