BELLINGHAM – The first step was getting back into the Northwest Conference. The next step… getting that first conference win in six years.
The Bayhawks did just that by defeating Marysville-Pilchuck 33-6 at Civic Stadium on Thursday night.
Bellingham scored first on a 4th-and-22 play when sophomore quarterback Ben Leonard connected with junior wide receiver Joe Harward on a 26-yard touchdown pass.
The Bayhawks quickly scored again less than a minute and a half later when senior linebacker Gabe VanHofwegen recovered a fumble, which gave his team a short field to work with. Moments later, Leonard and Harward connected again for a touchdown, this time on a 5-yard pass.
The Tomahawks scored at the end of the first quarter, and it looked like it was going to be a close game, but Bellingham took control for the rest of contest.
The air raid was on as Leonard completed touchdown passes to both VanHofwegen and Harward in the second quarter, and the Bayhawks enjoyed a 27-6 lead at the half.
Marysville-Pilchuck recovered the second half kickoff, but eventually turned the ball over on downs after getting inside the Bellingham 30-yard line. The Bayhawks came back with a quick pass to senior wide receiver Bly Henderson who ran through the Tomahawk defense and eventually scored a touchdown from 47 yards out to conclude the scoring.
Bellingham turned to Tyree Jackson in the fourth quarter, and the junior running back reciprocated by turning in the best performance of his young varsity career as he churned out 80 yards on 16 carries.
Jackson wasn’t the only player with a standout performance as Leonard broke the school record for pass completions in a single game with 26, and he tied the school record with five touchdown passes. He finished the night with 358 yards passing.
Henderson also caught nine passes for 148 yards, while Harward hauled in eight receptions for 140 yards.
Henderson also stood out defensively with seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass deflection. Junior linebacker Sonny Powell also finished with seven tackles and a tackle for loss, and sophomore defensive back Matthew Steel broke up three passes and grabbed his first varsity interception.
The Bayhawks (2-6) will be back at Civic Stadium next Friday when they take on Squalicum (4-3) at 7:00.
Bellingham 33 Marysville-Pilchuck 6 M-P 6 0 0 0 - 6 BEL 13 14 6 0 - 33 BEL - Harward 26 pass from Leonard (run failed) BEL - Harward 5 pass from Leonard (Boak kick) M-P - 5 yard touchdown run (kick failed) BEL - G. VanHofwegen 19 pass from Leonard (Boak Kick) BEL - Harward 39 pass from Leonard (Boak kick) BEL - Henderson 47 pass from Leonard (pass failed) M-P BEL 26-186 Rush Att-Yards 18-66 7-17-1 Comp-Att-Int 26-37-1 95 Passing Yards 358 Individual Leaders RUSHING - M-P: N/A. BEL: Jackson 16-80, Leonard 2-(-14). PASSING - M-P: N/A. BEL: Leonard 26-37-1-358. RECEIVING - M-P: N/A. BEL: Henderson 9-148, Harward 8-140, Wright 4-34, Hanstead 3-3, G. VanHofwegen 2-33.
