BLAINE – The Golden Eagles started strong, scoring 35 points in the first half, and eventually beat Stanwood 48-30 at Blaine High School on Friday night.
Junior running back Isaiah Carlson got the party started quickly with a 45-yard touchdown on Ferndale’s first possession.
Following the touchdown, the Golden Eagles forced a three-and-out, and the Stanwood punt was blocked by junior Devyn Smith and recovered by junior Damien Toney at the Spartan 13-yard line. Senior running back Thomas Broselle scored two plays later from seven yards out.
Stanwood scored its first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, but Ferndale answered quickly with a one-play drive that saw senior quarterback Mark Schlichting throw a deep pass down the seam to a sprinting Broselle for a 61-yard touchdown.
The Spartans followed that play up with a one-play drive of their own, an 80-yard touchdown run. However, Ferndale never wavered and kept adding to its lead. Senior running back Ryan Pelton scored a 16-yard touchdown on the following drive, and Carlson would score his second touchdown of the game with 20 seconds left in the first half. On that play, Carlson also became the 16th player in school history to score 30 career touchdowns.
Carlson led the Golden Eagles on the ground with 129 yards on 11 carries, but an injury in the third quarter forced him out of the game.
Pelton also had a big night with 105 yards on 11 carries, and he scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Seven of his first eight carries of the game either resulted in a first down or a touchdown.
Schlichting had another incredibly efficient game behind center, completing 5-of-7 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.
Stanwood fought hard in the second half, scoring a pair of touchdowns, and a late fumble recovery game the Spartans hope, but it didn’t last long. On the following play junior linebacker Jordan Mason and sophomore defensive tackle Camden Raymond pressured the Stanwood quarterback who then threw a deep pass that was intercepted by Schlichting.
Ferndale then ran the clock out.
Junior defensive end Jake Mason had another big game with 6.5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack, and junior defensive tackle Landen Hatchett also had two stops behind the line of scrimmage.
The Golden Eagles (6-1) will host Marysville-Getchell (2-5) at Blaine High School on Friday at 7:00.
Stanwood 30 Ferndale 48 STA 0 14 0 16 - 30 FER 14 21 13 0 - 48 FER - Carlson 45 run (Finkbonner kick) FER - Broselle 7 run (Finkbonner kick) STA - 4 yard touchdown run (kick good) FER - Broselle 61 pass from Schlichting (Finkbonner kick) STA - 80 yard touchdown run (kick good) FER - Pelton 16 run (Finkbonner kick) FER - Carlson 2 run (Finkbonner kick) FER - Pelton 1 run (run failed) FER - Pelton 1 run (Finkbonner kick) STA - 12 yard touchdown pass (run good) STA - 60 yard fumble return for a touchdown (run good) STA FER 45-224 Rush Att-Yards 42-364 4-8-1 Comp-Att-Int 5-7-0 90 Passing Yards 130 Individual Leaders RUSHING - STA: N/A. FER: Carlson 11-129, Pelton 11-105, Broselle 6-64, McCormick 7-38, Nowack 2-26, Schlichting 2-3, Bowen 3-(-1). PASSING - STA: N/A. FER: Schlichting 5-7-0-130. RECEIVING - STA: N/A. FER: Walcker 3-61, Broselle 1-61, Pelton 1-8.
