Schools
Upset: Edmonds-Woodway Falls to Monroe in Season Opener
E-W can't get it going and loses 30-24. Spiral Horn scores two touchdowns for the Warriors.
It all started so auspiciously, sort of, for the Edmonds-Woodway football team during Friday’s nonleague season opener against Monroe at Edmonds Stadium.
The Warriors, kicking off, watched as the Bearcats’ speedy Miguel Floresca-Cravens weaved through their defense on his way to a touchdown. Only 15 seconds had passed but, luckily for the Warriors, the touchdown was called back after a penalty.
The rest of the game didn’t turn out so well, as the Warriors failed to sustain many offensive drives and lost, 30-24. E-W was never really in the game, and only made the final score more respectable when junior Desmond Young scored on a 66-yard run with three seconds left.
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The final score had to be a disappointment for E-W head coach John Gradwohl, by many to repeat as Wesco South champs after winning their division last season with a 6-4 record, 3-1 in league. (Including the playoffs, the Warriors actually lost their last four games and now have lost five in a row.)
The game was a morale builder for the Bearcats, on the other hand, and new coach Dick Abrams, whose team finished 3-7 in Wesco North last season and were picked to finish last this year. Monroe was led by senior Jordon Moore's three rushing touchdowns.
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The season is far from over, but if Friday’s game was any indication, the Warriors have some work to do. After Monroe’s early TD was called back, E-W actually puts points on the board first. Alex Hull kicked a 26-yard field goal with 3:27 left in the first quarter. Less than two minutes later, it was 5-0 when the Bearcats’ center snapped the ball out of the end zone during a punt deep inside Bearcat territory.
In the second quarter, Monroe’s offense picked up steam with four touchdowns, while the Warriors weren’t able to do much to contain them. It was 28-11 at halftime after senior Spiral Horn scored on a 90-yard kickoff return and a two-point conversion attempt failed.
It was 30-11 after three quarters, but could have been worse for the Warriors as the Bearcats twice fumbled on the Warriors' goal line.
The Warriors, who replaced starting quarterback Matt Cuzzetto with Davis Giles in the second half, scored twice in the final quarter thanks to Young’s last-second run and another touchdown by Horn, this one on an 18-yard pass with 5:53 left.
E-W’s next game is Sept. 9 against Marysville-Pilchuck in Marysville.