MARYSVILLE — Sometimes a team’s win-loss record doesn’t matter — especially in its inaugural season.
Getchell’s final game against Stanwood on Nov. 3 was by all means winnable — the Chargers forced turnovers and most certainly did not quit, but Quil Ceda Stadium’s foggy conditions symbolized Marysville’s first-year squad’s struggles in what would become a 24-0 defeat.
For the Chargers, this year’s 0-10 record is something to learn from.
The team’s roster, however, is incredibly deep as a result of Getchell’s split from Marysville-Pilchuck — only 17 of 68 players are graduating and only 24 will be seniors next year.
“For me, it was a second chance to start a legacy,” senior wide receiver/defensive back Daniel Reznikov said. “We’re part of one big family.”
Getchell won the pre-game coin toss and elected to receive. They returned the opening kickoff to their 49-yard line and junior wide receiver Alexzander Seymer would spell junior quarterback Dylan Diedrich as a bull-rushing run-pass threat, but neither they nor the Spartans were able to move the ball in the first quarter.
Stanwood junior cornerback Trevor Shaw rescued his defense with an interception at Stanwood’s four-yard line with 9:03 in the second quarter. It took all of two plays and less than two minutes for the Spartans to score, but the Chargers rebutted by blocking the extra point. 6-0 read the score at 7:49 until halftime.
“The seniors wanted to show that they were all about hard work,” said senior running back/defensive end Alex Christensen. “We never gave up.”
Stanwood elected to deliver a bouncing squib kick down the middle of the field to avoid a sizable Getchell return. The score remained 6-0 Stanwood at the end of a first half in which there were many fourth down conversions on the field but only six points on the board.
Seymer stirred up excitement with an interception at 9:20 left in the third quarter, but Stanwood senior safety Kyle Bennett recovered a Getchell fumble on the very next play and Spartan junior running back Brandon Ross tromped for an eight-yard touchdown with 6:38 to go. The Chargers would stop the Spartans’ fake field goal flip to the running kicker to declare that they would not lie down at any deficit. A failed onside kick from Stanwood gave Getchell the ball on the Spartans’ 47-yard line.
Junior linebacker Cody Stone intercepted a Stanwood pass on the Spartan 35-yard line, but Getchell would later punt.
The score stood 12-0 Stanwood entering the fourth quarter until Ross ran for a nine-yard touchdown to put his team up 18-0, but his team would miss the extra point. Bennett rumbled for a 37-yard score and Stanwood’s two-point conversion attempt failed, to finish the game’s scoring at 24-0 Stanwood with 6:38 remaining.
“You guys keep your head up and you play hard no matter what,” Getchell football head coach Davis Lura told his players as he walked up and down the sideline, just before Seymer recorded his second interception of the game with 2:14 left to play.
“Na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey, good-bye,” sang Stanwood players and fans when the final whistle had blown. Lura’s squad, conversely, gathered around him and walked to midfield to shake their opponents’ hands and commend them on their effort while parents and fans gave Getchell’s seniors an ovation.
“I have never been prouder of a group of young men in my 17 years of coaching,” Lura said in the post-game huddle around the north end zone. “You got kicked in the face and stared right back.”
