Prep football: After E-W coach resigns, Gradwohl returns and leads Warriors to win over Shorecrest

After incomes only one victory of their first 5 video games this 12 months, the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors have been reeling, shedding confidence and uncertain of their prospects for the second half of the season.

Then their head coach give up.

Invoice Marsh, in his first season at E-W, resigned on Friday, Oct. 4, in the future after the crew’s 49-6 residence loss to Sedro Woolley. 

Three days later the crew was again on the follow discipline to organize for his or her subsequent contest, a highway sport towards the Shorecrest Scots. And a well-known face was there to greet them and take the reins of this system for the rest of the 12 months, longtime former coach John Gradwohl.

The change in coaches — and a renewed spirit among the many gamers — propelled the Warriors to their strongest outing of the 12 months and an emphatic 42-14 thumping of the Scots in a Wesco league conflict performed Friday at Shoreline Stadium.

Edmonds-Woodway used a powerful first half displaying by the offense — three touchdowns of their 4 possessions — and an opportune defensive effort within the second half to crush a Shorecrest squad that had beforehand received 4 of their first 5 video games of the season.

Gradwohl, who final 12 months retired from main the E-W soccer program after 28 seasons, confused that Friday’s huge win is a mirrored image of the work put in over the previous 5 days by his gamers and his assistant coaches.

“It’s not about me,” Gradwohl mentioned after the victory. “This can be a good soccer crew; they simply wanted a little bit course. And all these guys (the E-W assistant coaches) labored their tails off. So this isn’t about John Gradwohl, that is concerning the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors.”

Gradwohl was requested by E-W Athletic Director Tyler Geving to return again as head coach final weekend after Marsh  turned in his resignation on Friday. Gradwohl rapidly made some telephone calls and rounded up a crew of assistants to be able to put together for the Shorecrest sport.

“I had lots of volunteers come again, Gradwohl mentioned. “All people felt dangerous for the youngsters and needed to assist.”

Although he had retired from teaching the soccer crew final 12 months, Gradwohl remains to be on workers at Edmonds-Woodway Excessive Faculty and knew of the overall temper of the crew after their 1-4 begin this season.

“They have been ravenous — they have been within the playoffs final 12 months — they have been ravenous,” Gradwohl defined. “They knew they have been higher than what they have been performing. They have been simply ravenous for some course.”

The course offered by Gradwohl and his assistants resulted in additional than 200 yards of E-W offense within the first half on Friday, together with a pair of lengthy landing passes from junior quarterback Cruz Escandon to Lukas Wanke. The 2 TD tosses — 27 and 45 yards — have been executed with the identical play name.

“It was the very same play,” Wanke famous, describing his two TD catches. “Coach noticed it the primary time after which he was like, all proper, let’s simply return to it once more. It labored.”

The touchdowns by way of the air constructed a 14-0 Edmonds-Woodway lead within the first quarter. The Warriors led 21-7 at halftime and held a minimum of a two-touchdown lead over the bewildered Scots all through the second half.

Wanke, who additionally performs linebacker on the E-W protection, wasn’t performed discovering the top zone after his two TD receptions on Friday. The junior scored twice within the second half on interception returns of 67 and 76 yards.

The 2 TD cross receptions and two interception returns for TD’s added as much as Wanke’s largest particular person efficiency of his prep soccer profession. “I’ve had a pair three-touchdown video games however no, by no means 4,” he mentioned.

The E-W scoring on Friday was rounded out by a 1-yard landing run by Nathan Schlack within the second quarter and a 3-yard run by Adrew Bau with below a minute to go within the sport.

The Scots (2-2 in 2A/3A Wesco League play, 4-2 total) had entered the sport averaging 28.2 factors per sport however have been slowed on Friday by a decided Warrior protection that gave up solely seven Shorecrest first downs and compelled six Scots’ turnovers: 4 interceptions and two fumbles.

Following the victory, an enthusiastic E-W crew (1-3 in 2A/3A Wesco League play, 2-4 total) could possibly be heard inside their locker room celebrating their win and undoubtedly relieved {that a} chaotic week was closed out efficiently. 

Wanke acknowledged that neither he nor members of the crew knew forward of time of Marsh’s resignation final Friday. “We didn’t know till Sunday,” Wanke mentioned. “We got here again Monday, hopped on the sector, Gradwohl gave us a pep discuss and we bought proper to work. And we needed to work laborious, studying a complete new playbook (and) having some new coaches are available. However all of us bought it performed.”

“No dangerous issues about Coach Marsh,” Wanke continued. “He was a great man. I’m undecided what occurred, possibly some private issues. However nothing dangerous towards him.”

Wanke, who performed below Gradwohl final season, definitely spoke for a lot of of his returning teammates after Friday’s win. “It was good to have Gradwohl again; that helped lots,” Wanke mentioned.

Prep Soccer: Edmonds-Woodway at Shorecrest, Oct. 11

Edmonds-Woodway 14 7 14 7 – 42

Shorecrest   7 0   7 0 – 14

1st quarter scoring:

  7:04 – Cruz Escandon (Edmonds-Woodway)  27-yard TD cross to Lukas Wanke; PAT kick good

  3:18 – Cruz Escandon (Edmonds-Woodway) 45-yard TD cross to Lukas Wanke; PAT kick good

    :47 – Daniel Stephenson (Shorecrest) 10-yard TD run; PAT kick good

2nd quarter scoring:

  5:52 – Nathan Schlack (Edmonds-Woodway) 1-yard TD run; PAT kick good

third quarter scoring:

  6:29 – Lukas Wanke (Edmonds-Woodway) 67-yard interception return for TD; PAT kick good

  6:04 – Ben Chesnut (Shorecrest) 68-yard TD run; PAT kick good

  3:38 – Lukas Wanke (Edmonds-Woodway) 76-yard interception return for TD; PAT kick good

4th quarter scoring:

    :57 – Adrew Bau (Edmonds-Woodway) 3-yard TD run; PAT kick good

Information: Edmonds-Woodway 1-3 in 2A/3A Wesco League, 2-4 total; Shorecrest 2-2 in 2A/3A Wesco League, 4-2 total

Edmonds-Woodway subsequent sport: versus Shorewood; Friday, Oct. 18; 5 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium

Shorecrest subsequent sport: versus Monroe; Friday, Oct. 18; 7 p.m. at Shoreline Stadium

— Story and pictures by Doug Petrowski