BELLINGHAM – After a tough first quarter, Squalicum came from behind to defeat Burlington-Edison 28-13 at Civic Stadium on Thursday night.
Not only was it the Storm’s first conference win of the season, but the first win against an American team.
The Tigers got on the board first after a 71-yard completion against a broken coverage got them down to the 1-yard line, which they scored on the next play.
When Squalicum junior running back Malaki Smith crossed the goal line from four yards out in the second quarter it tied the score at 6-6. On the next drive it was junior quarterback Marcus Nixon who kept the ball himself, sprinted around left end and darted into the end zone for a 17-yard score.
The Storm nearly had another chance to score just before halftime, but ran out of time as they were lining up to spike the ball near the Tiger 10-yard line.
Nixon scored his second touchdown of the game on a perfectly designed keeper from 36 yards out, and after he scored the 2-point conversion Squalicum held a 20-6 advantage.
Nixon finished the game with a team-high 102 yards on 16 carries, and Smith finished with 79 hard-earned yards on the ground on 14 carries.
Smith scored his second touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter moments after Burlington-Edison scored on an 18-yard rushing play.
Senior outside linebacker Chase Nelson enjoyed a career-night with 6.5 tackles, including three sacks and two other stops behind the line of scrimmage. Squalicum also got a pair of quarterback sacks from Smith and senior defensive lineman Colby Lewis.
The Storm (3-2) will travel to Lakewood (1-2) on Thursday to take on the Cougars at 7:00.
Squalicum 28 Burlington-Edison 13 BE 6 0 0 7 - 13 SQU 0 12 8 8 - 28 BE - 1 yard touchdown run (run failed) SQU - Smith 4 run (kick blocked) SQU - Nixon 17 run (pass failed) SQU - Nixon 36 run (Nixon run) BE - 18 yard touchdown run (kick good) SQU - Smith 1 run (Nelson pass from Nixon) BE SQU 37-95 Rush Att-Yards 41-206 2-11-0 Comp-Att-Int 6-10-0 84 Passing Yards 74 Individual Leaders RUSHING - BE: N/A. SQU: Nixon 16-102, Smith 14-79, Dunmore 6-33, Hardin 1-3, Knowlton 1-0, Ortiz 1-(-3), Lamm 2-(-8). PASSING - BE: N/A. SQU: Nixon 6-10-0-74. RECEIVING - BE: N/A. SQU: Ortiz 3-29, Asbjornsen 1-28, Fagaatau 1-9, Smith 1-8.
