Medical Lake loses another game, another starter

A troubling trend has developed in the past two weeks for the Medical Lake High School football team.

After playing with their opponents for half the game a serious injury occurs, the air comes out of the balloon and the Cardinals are beaten in convincing fashion.

"We were pumped up in the locker room; I mean we played with these guys," head coach Wes Hobbs said.

Tied after one quarter and trailing just 14-7 at the half against the 2014 state 1A playoff semifinalists Colville Indians, Medical Lake surrendered 27 third-quarter points on the way to a 48-7 loss in the opening of Northeast A League play on the road.

"Our kids were playing their rumps off," Hobbs said. "We were playing extremely well, executing and all that stuff."

Then as the half rolled to a close the Cardinals (0-3) lost another two-way starter in Jacob Sutton, the starting fullback and inside linebacker, and came out of the locker room and gave up a 94-yard kickoff return by William Burton to open the third quarter.

Earlier Burton made a 68-yard touchdown run to break a 7-7 tie, part of his 140-yard night rushing on just seven carries.

Just a week ago on Sept. 11, after leading 12-6 at home against St. Maries and losing the game's leading rusher, Dawson Lack to a hand injury, the floodgates suddenly opened and the Lumberjacks scored the game's final 32 points in a 42-12 win.

"We cannot afford that stuff (losing players)," Hobbs said. "We just don't have the kids to lose."

The other baffling thing for Hobbs has been the statistical report that showed the Cardinals enjoyed close to a 2-1 advantage in time of possession, had far fewer penalties, and at the halftime break were just a few total yards behind the powerful Indians (2-1).

With Sutton and Lack gone, both of who are two-way starters, that put a lot of people into spots they were not all that familiar with and Colville soon found where to exploit that.

"It didn't take long for Colville to see where we were deficient," Hobbs said.

On the crushing kickoff return, Hobbs said his guys had everything covered, it seemed.

"Everyone on the team had a shot at this kid and we let him return it for a touchdown," Hobbs said. "Special teams are the Achilles heel of every team and it certainly turned out to be ours."

Medical Lake senior quarterback Cory Wagner scored the lone touchdown for the Cardinals with 3 minutes, 51 seconds to play in the first quarter on a 13-yard run.

Wagner had 50 yards rushing and 60 passing going 5 for 13 with one interception. Brayden Hale had a pair of receptions for 44 yards to lead the team. Philip Murray led the Cardinals on the ground with 94 yards on 16 carries.

Medical Lake faces off Friday at 7 p.m. at Holliday Field against Deer Park (1-2) in the annual Hall of Fame game. The two Stags' losses have come to 2A Cheney and East Valley.

"They're loaded," Hobbs said. "They have a good linebacking crew, they're going to run the ball down your throat."

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.