Senior forward scores five in Wesco North win
OAK HARBOR — The Tomahawks were all business.
In an 8-0 blowout at Oak Harbor April 21, Marysville-Pilchuck went about their attack with a flawless corporate strategy.
“The guys were really focused,” said M-P manager Geoff Kittle. “The seniors came together with outstanding concentration and they can be really dangerous when that happens.”
A focus on the task at hand has been something Kittle and the Tommies have been working on the past week.
“We can be a pretty goofy bunch,” said co-captain Brady Ballew. “This is a great team but sometimes we’ve joked around a little too much. We’ve been working to maintain our focus in practice.”
Judging by their play against the Wildcats, it’s unlikely any of the Tomahawks weren’t focused, but if that were the case, Ballew easily made up for it with a career-high five goals.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Ballew said. “If you look at all of them though, each was assisted, so it was all my teammates.”
Ballew scored what would later be determined as the match-deciding goal in just the fourth minute.
Inside the following 22 minutes senior Terrance Johnson scored a pair of goals, one from a header on the edge of the area and the second from a low shot 10 yards out.
Johnson’s second score came in the 26th minute and Ballew scored his second just 40 seconds later on a quick attack after intercepting the kickoff. The Seattle University bound forward added two more before halftime. One on a one-on-one opportunity that he chipped over a sliding keeper and another on a shot about 15 yards out.
The Tommies led 5-0 at half. Ballew’s last goal was his most ambitious, which came on a 35-yard strike perfectly placed in the upper right corner.
“My teammates told me to turn,” said Ballew, who took possession with his back to the goal. “And I figured I’d had such a good night already, why not?”
The Tomahawks maintained the majority possession throughout the entire game, allowing for a light workload in goal for Kyle Bluhm, but did make a pair of saves — one on a dive — to secure the shutout.
Marysville moves into a tie for second place with the win, earning a 7-3-1 record.
Scoring M-P’s final goal was Anival Moreno in the 72nd minute.
