Three fumbles and a punt on a team’s first four possessions is normally not a good omen.
It didn’t matter for the Oak Harbor football team on Friday, however, as they recovered from crucial mistakes and a two-touchdown deficit to defeat Lake Stevens, 24-14, at Memorial Stadium.
“We started firing out and getting our blocks and we were just taking it to them after that,” sophomore quarterback Marshall Lobbestael said of the inspired turnaround. “Some things didn’t go our way in the first half, but our defense made up for it.”
Lake Stevens grabbed the initial lead with 10:34 remaining in the first quarter when running back Tyler Denny ran a sweep around the right side, breaking free for a 44-yard score.
On Oak Harbor’s first possession, senior Dan Raymond coughed up the football on the Wildcat 36-yard line, leaving a short field for the Vikings, who scored six plays later on a run from quarterback Ricky Bargreen.
“I don’t think anybody even hit it, it just slipped right out of my hands,” Raymond said of his turnover.
The fumble marked the first of three in the first half, with the other two coming from junior Gabe Vest.
“That’s been our weakness this season, is hanging onto the football,” OHHS head coach Dave Ward said. “Once the guys decided ‘I’m going to wrap it up with two hands and I’m going to protect it when I get hit;’ once they started doing that, they didn’t fumble the rest of the game and we just drove the ball.”
Oak Harbor got on the scoreboard with just over two minutes left in the second quarter. Lobbestael launched a perfect throw 35 yards down the left sideline, hitting wide receiver James Blunk in the front corner of the end zone.
“He just ran a fade route and I put it in a spot where I thought he could catch it and he made a nice play,” Lobbestael said.
With the defense holding strong, the Wildcats forced a punt and drove the ball within kicker Cory Fakkema’s range before the first half expired. The soccer player, newly converted to a football kicker, nailed a 23-yard field goal, making the score 14-10 at half.
After receiving the kickoff to start the second half, Oak Harbor’s offense made a statement.
From their own 30, the Wildcats drove the ball downfield on 19 plays, eating up over nine minutes of clock before scoring on a 1-yard dive from Raymond.
“That gave us the lead and we kind of dominated from that point on,” Ward said.
Raymond, who rushed for 87 yards on 23 carries, tacked on one more 1-yard score with 9:03 left in the game. Vest also had an impressive game rushing the ball 14 times for 78 yards.
After allowing the second score in the first quarter the Oak Harbor defense was virtually impenetrable. Through the final three quarters the Wildcats allowed only 18 total yards of offense and held Lake Stevens to -7 yards rushing with the help of big sacks from Jake Jansen, Keith Boon and Sean O’Brien. Dallas Sullivan led the team in tackles with seven.
James Blunk an interception late in the fourth and Cameron Kays added four pass deflections.
Unofficially 3-1 in league and 3-2 overall, the Wildcats prepare to travel to Mount Vernon (0-4, 0-5) on Friday.
Although the contest is Mount Vernon’s homecoming game, it also marks a homecoming of sorts for Oak Harbor, which played its district and state playoff games there last season.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to that field, we played really well there last year,” Ward said.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Note: A final decision on the ineligible player infraction committed by Cascade High School will be reached at today’s Western Conference athletic directors meeting. The Bruins beat Oak Harbor 22-21 on Sept. 10, but the Wildcats are expected to be awarded the win as a result of Cascade’s use of an academically ineligible player.
Oak Harbor 24, Lake Stevens 14
Lake Stevens 14 0 0 0 —14
Oak Harbor 0 10 7 7 —24
Scoring—Lake Stevens: Denny 44 yard run (Ferrucci kick); Lake Stevens: Bargreen 3 yard run (Ferrucci kick); Oak Harbor: Blunk 35 yard pass from Lobbestael (Fakkema kick); Oak Harbor: Fakkema 23 yard kick; Oak Harbor: Raymond 1 yard run (Fakkema kick); Oak Harbor: Raymond 1 yard run (Fakkema kick).
