Wildcats hang on at Lake Stevens

It wasn’t easy, but the Oak Harbor football team kept a perfect record Friday night defeating Lake Stevens 21-13 on the road.

“It was a pretty physical game — there were a lot of hard hits,” OHHS coach Dave Ward said.

A large part of the Wildcats’ ability to spoil the Lake Stevens Homecoming came from offensive execution in the first quarter.

Oak Harbor scored on two of its first three possessions, breaking into the end zone on a 1-yard run from junior quarterback Marshall Lobbestael and a 7-yard run from senior running back Gabe Vest.

The Vikings put a score on the board before the half when running back John Rossi got loose for a 25-yard TD. A blocked extra point left OHHS ahead 14-6 at halftime.

Oak Harbor jumped on the scoreboard first in the second half, capitalizing on an interception by Vest in Lake Stevens’ territory. A few plays later senior fullback Sean O’Brien ran in from 5-yards, making the score 21-6.

Despite the deficit, an energized Lake Stevens team didn’t give in.

The Vikings capitalized on their next drive, punching Rossi across the goal line for a 7-yard score.

Rossi, who rushed for 102 yards on 19 carries, became the first running back to go over 100 yards against the Wildcats this season.

Down a touchdown an a two-point conversion, Lake Stevens had its chances to inch closer to the Wildcats, but key defensive stops sealed the win.

Along with Vest, brothers Cameron and Brendan Kays had interceptions for the Wildcats. Junior defensive end Matt Davison added a key sack late in the fourth quarter that forced Lake Stevens to punt.

Oak Harbor ran the ball successfully the final 4:00 of the game, ticking the final seconds off the clock.

O’Brien led the Wildcats with a season-high 131 yards on 18 carries.

“Sean had a good game,” Ward said. “He just pounded the football straight ahead.”

Oak Harbor is now 4-0 in the Western Conference North and 5-0 overall. They face Mount Vernon (0-4, 0-5) Friday, Oct. 7 at Memorial Field for Homecoming.

The Bulldogs have been outscored 177-18 this season, but Ward refuses to take them lightly.

“We’ve got to be able to execute and keep our momentum going,” he said. “Mount Vernon has been close in a couple of games this season and you don’t want to come out flat against them.”

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