Lethbridge Collegiate Institute football coach Glen Bowie said his team has to travel to the United States to find good competition. He got was he was seeking – and more.
Oak Harbor thumped the Canadian visitors from Lethbridge, Alberta, 41-7 in a nonleague game Friday, Oct. 22.
The Wildcat defense forced five turnovers, and the offense, behind first-time starters Ian Kolste and John Lanningham, rolled up 381 yards to lift Oak Harbor’s season record to 5-3. The Rams are 6-4.
Now comes the all-important regular season finale for the Wildcats. Oak Harbor will need to defeat visiting Meadowdale next Thursday to get a shot at continuing in the playoffs. The top three Wesco 3A teams automatically advance and the fourth-place squad earns a shot with a play-in game against the No. 2 team from the Northwest Conference (Mount Vernon).
Glacier Peak has the top Wesco 3A spot locked up at 6-0. Everett and Meadowdale are 4-2, Shorecrest is 4-3, and Oak Harbor and Mountlake Terrace are 3-3.
If the Wildcats win next Thursday and the other games go as expected, the league could finish with a five-way tie for second. Everett plays first-place Glacier Peak, Mountlake Terrace plays winless Lynnwood and Shorecrest’s league season is complete.
In the win over LCI, Oak Harbor coach Jay Turner inserted two sophomores in the starting backfield. Kolste took over the controls at quarterback and hit nine of 23 passes for 97 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Lanningham started at running back and rushed for 72 yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown.
Turner said both have been practicing hard and earned a shot at extended playing time.
The backfield holders, Josiah Miller and Sam Wolfe, also had strong games. Miller, who has shined all year, gained 101 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns; he also had an interception. Wolfe added 42 yards rushing on only four carries, and he, too, had an interception.
Mike Washington was Kolste’s favorite target, grabbing five passes for 78 yards and the touchdown.
Clay Gibb, LCI’s do-everything back, rushed for 76 yards on 14 carries and caught six passes for 55 yards.
Oak Harbor outgained the Rams 381 to 235.
The tone was set early when LCI fumbled on its second play and Oak Harbor recovered at the 32. Six plays later Miller scored from the 2. Peter Franssen kicked his first of six PAT’s in seven tries.
Miller scored again with 3:50 left in the half on a highlight reel 42-yarder. The Wildcat speedster appeared to be stopped, but emerged from a big pileup to burst into the end zone.
Miller’s interception gave Oak Harbor the ball at its own 8 with 2:55 left in the half and the ‘Cats went 92 yards to tack on another TD before the break. Kolste hit Washington for 20 yards to the LCI 23, then the pair connected again for the score from there with 9 seconds left in the half.
Oak Harbor led 20-0 at the half.
The Wildcats scored early in the third quarter after an interception by Brent Ryan at the Ram 30. Miller ran the final 18 yards for the six points.
Four plays later, Ryan blocked an LCI punt and Oak Harbor had the ball at the 20. The ‘Cats scored in three plays with Lanningham going in from 12 yards out.
The last Oak Harbor touchdown was set up by Wolfe’s interception. Franssen scored on a 17-yard run to complete a 57-yard drive. The touchdown was set up by nice runs by Isaiah Trower and Justin Everett.
LCI scored on its final possession, going 77 yards, mostly against the Oak Harbor reserves; Gibb got 28 of those yards on one run.
