Lynnwood defeats Shorewood football in Friday game

From our friends at Lynnwood Today

By David Pan

It was a happy Homecoming and Senior Night for running back Andrew Katzenberger and his teammates as Lynnwood defeated Shorewood 30-21 in a Wesco 3A South football game Friday night at Edmonds Stadium.

Katzenberger rushed for 220 yards on 23 carries and ran for a TD and caught a pass for a score.

Friday’s game was the first time the Lynnwood senior standout has played on offense in three games. A shoulder injury limited Katzenberger to defense.

“I wanted to play my Senior Night,” Katzenberger said.

Lynnwood coach Keauntea Bankhead was glad to see Katzenberger back on offense. The Royals (2-4 in the league, 4-4 overall) snapped a three-game losing streak.

“As you saw, we missed him,” Bankhead said. “He was our MVP today. He’s a great player. He’s playing three levels ahead of guys out there. He’s our horse. We’re glad to have him back.”

It’s been a long time since Lynnwood has won four games in a season and also took home the victory in a homecoming game, Katzenberger said.

“I’m so proud to be a Royal,” he added.

Lynnwood’s Bobby Graham is tackled by two Shorewood defenders.
Photo by Brandon Jennings courtesy Lynnwood Today

Lynnwood appeared to be coasting to victory with an 18-0 lead with just over four minutes left in the third quarter. But Shorewood (1-5, 2-6) responded with a pair of touchdowns to cut the deficit to 18-15 with seven minutes left in the contest.

The Royals, however, regrouped and finished strong with two touchdowns to seal the victory.

“We had a team come out and put together a string of plays together,” Bankhead said of the Thunderbirds’ rally. “Those plays we were able to come back from and we kept our foot on the gas and our guys finished. They play hard and they play four quarters of football.”

Lynnwood took a 6-0 lead on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Justin Cachopo to Katzenberger in the first quarter. Running back Mikao Kirkman added to Lynnwood’s lead with a 5-yard run in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Darney Duplessis scored on a 7-yard run as the Royals took an 18-0 lead.

Shorewood finally got on the board late in the third quarter on a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Okamura to wide receiver Bostyn Vordahl and a successful 2-point conversion cut the deficit to 18-8.

The momentum shifted back to Lynnwood when Katzenberger appeared to score on a 78-yard run in the fourth quarter but the play was called back to holding.

On the very next play, Vordahl picked off a Lynnwood pass and ran it back 25 yards as the Thunderbirds closed to 18-15.

Lynnwood answered with an 18-yard touchdown run by Katzenberger and then Carson Hoerner picked off a Shorewood pass deep in Thunderbirds’ territory. Lucas Jungmann then scored on a 12-yard run to boost Lynnwood’s lead to 30-15.

Okamura found Vordahl on a 3-yard scoring strike but Shorewood wasn’t able to convert on the 2-point attempt and trailed 30-21. Lynnwood recovered the ensuing on-side kick and ran out the clock.

“That was a nail biter,” Bankhead said. “It feels good to get out from that slump that we were in, three in a row. But you know, we played three good teams back to back to back.

“It’s Senior Night and Homecoming. All week I just stressed effort and focus … There are a lot of emotions going on before the game. Parents were out there on the field. We wanted our guys to come out and enjoy it.”