LAKEWOOD – Montana to Rice, Bradshaw to Stallworth, Lane to Cox…
The first four are among the greatest passing combinations ever in the NFL. The other is one of the most dangerous in the Northwest 2A Conference this season.
Lakewood High School seniors QB Austin Lane and 6-foot-5 receiver Jon Cox have connected 37 times this year for 490 yards and eight touchdowns. They hoped to combine early and often Friday as they played perennial powerhouse Archbishop Murphy in the state playoffs after our deadlines.
Coach Dan Teeter said Lane is completing 68 percent of his passes. “We have a group of receivers who are making all kinds of plays for us,” he said, adding up to 11 players have caught passes in a game. “It’s tough for defenses to focus on one guy.”
Because Cox is such an easy target going against much-smaller defensive backs, he said sometimes teams will double up on him. “That leaves someone else wide open,” he said.
Teeter added, “He’s a mismatch against most players.”
The coach said Lane is getting much better at spotting weaknesses before the ball is even snapped. “He’s made great strides in reading defenses, where to attack,” Teeter said. But Lane’s biggest improvement, his coach said, is timing, throwing the ball as receivers make their breaks. He also has become a student of the game, studying film and following a game plan. Teeter was a QB at a small college in Indiana where they ran the run-and-shoot. So he loves to pass. But he’s also had 1,000-yard running backs over the years. “He’s flexible. We do what’s best for our skills,” Lane said.
Lane, who hopes to follow his brother as a quarterback for Central Washington University, said 7 on 7 competitions and attending former Seattle Seahawk QB Jake Heap’s summer camp helped him improve. At 6-foot-3, even though he can see over the line, he said he likes scrambling “because it’s easier to see the field.”
Teeter gives a lot of credit for Lane’s success to the offensive line. After playing guard and center, senior Camden Burbee is playing tackle this year.
“It’s thankless in a lot of ways,” Teeter said of playing the line. “You have to be selfless, put the team first.”
The coach said it’s more natural to run block because you fire out and try to drive your opponent a certain direction. “As a pass-first team, it’s a totally different mindset,” Teeter said. “You sit back and keep the guy from getting to the QB.”
Because they pass so much, Teeter said they have had every type of blitz thrown at them. But the line, and the lone running back, most of the time pick it up.
While the team’s 3-4 defense has struggled in recent weeks, Teeter said some of that is because of illness. Most of the players are expected to return against AM.
Teeter said Cox is the main cog in the defense, playing end and also some noseguard and outside linebacker. Because others on the line are not that big, Teeter likes to run stunts and slants. “The line does a lot of movement,” he said, adding they also use linebackers and safeties to add pressure. “What we don’t do often is sit still in one place.”
Spencer Neiffer is a key linebacker and cornerback C.J. McClellan has come up with some key interceptions, the coach said. “Like (Seahawk coach) Pete Carroll says, it’s all about the ball,” Teeter added.
Sophomore safety Morgan Stacey leads the team in tackles. He’s smart enough to come up and make plays, but also disciplined enough to cover the pass, Teeter said.
The coach said the Cougars will do well if the players do their jobs, read their keys and trust their teammates. “It’s when they get out of position trying to help someone else that they leave gaping holes that teams will exploit,” Teeter said.
The team’s kicker, Sydney Gormley has made 3-4 field goals and only missed two extra points. Her kickoffs get to the 15-yard line, and she’s great at onside kicks, her coach said.
“We have full confidence in her,” Teeter said. “It doesn’t even enter our minds that she’s a girl. She does her craft really well.”
Archbishop Murphy
Lakewood advanced to the playoffs by finishing in a three-way tie for first in 2A Northwest. They played at Archbishop Murphy Friday.
Lakewood qualified by beating Bellingham 35-28. McClellan had 124 yards receiving and a touchdown on six catches, Neiffer had two scores and Lane tossed three touchdown passes.
AM is led by former Marysville-Pilchuck standout Ray Pimentel, who ran for 186 yards on 17 carries and two TDs in their win last week. Kyler Gordon caught touchdown passes of 60 and 90 yards from quarterback Victor Gabalis and returned an interception 36 yards. Gordon finished with 190 yards on three receptions.
Lane leads all area quarterbacks in passing with 151 completions in 221 attempts for 2,097 yards, 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Gabalis is 10th going 46-92 for 970 yards, 14 scores and only two picks.
Pimentel ranks second in rushing, with 134 carries for 1,321 yards, 19 scores and a 9.9 yard average per carry.
Lakewood also boasts three of the top receivers: Cox with 37, Mason Toponce with 21 and McClellan with 20.
For AM, Munyagi has caught just eight passes but for five scores and a 35-yard average per catch. Gordon leads their team with 17 grabs.
The Wildcats are 5-0 in Cascade Conference play, 8-1 overall.
Arlington
The Eagles avoided a tiebreaker scenario by beating Squalicum 38-35 Oct. 27 in Bellingham.
Junior quarterback Anthony Whitis threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another. Sophomore Cade Younger’s kickoff return of 90 yards sparked the win.
Arlington is set to play at Rainier Beach Friday night at 7.
Whitis ranks fifth in the area in passing, going 112-203 for 1,760 yards, 19 TDs and nine picks. The Eagles have three of the top receivers in Campbell Hudson with 27, Cummings with 34 and Jacob Hubbard with 14.
Other games
Crescent beat Tulalip Heritage 46-22, Marysville Getchell lost to Ferndale 62-7, and M-P fell to Oak Harbor 47-23.
