Half of Michael Smith not enough for Red Wolves against Liberty
Published 10:06 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
RENTON—The broad shoulders of senior Michael Smith broke
under the weight of supporting the Cedarcrest football program,
plunging the Red Wolves to a 16-7 defeat last week in a Kingco conference
game against the Liberty Patriots.
Actually, it was the artificial turf at Liberty High School that
injured Smith on the last play of the first half. The 6-4 senior had dominated play
on both sides of the line of scrimmage during the first half, with two
interceptions to go along with his three catches for 129 yards. His first
catch of the night was a patented Smith 58-yard touchdown pass from junior
Nick Rich.
Radiologists are expected to review X-rays films taken of
Smith’s shoulder this week. Initial review late Friday night were inconclusive, but
a source close to the team indicated there was a questionable area near
the top of the senior’s right shoulder.
Cedarcrest coaches held out hope that the injury is only a bad bruise
and Smith will be ready to play again this Friday in the last home game of
his high school career.
Liberty tailback Joe Gallagher was the fifth opponent to run wild
through the porous Red Wolve defense this season. Gallagher scored two
touchdowns in the first half, enroute to piling up 118 yards rushing on 18
carries.
The Patriots scored first midway through the first quarter on a
nine-yard run by Gallagher for a 7-0 lead. But Cedarcrest bounced right back to
tie the score, when Smith made his first catch near the opponent’s bench
and waltzed into the endzone palming the pigskin like a basketball.
Turnovers limited the Cedarcrest offense to only seven plays in the
first 18 minutes of the game. The Patriots took the lead for good with seven
minutes left before half time when the burly Gallagher pounded the ball
over the goalline for a one-yard score. The point-after failed, giving the
home team a six-point lead.
The Wolves threatened again in the waning moments of the half. With
1:06 left before intermission, Rich connected with Smith on a 30-yard
gain to give the visitors one last shot at the end zone from the Liberty
40-yard line.
Rich lofted another pass to Smith near the near sideline. The
standout wide receiver appeared to make the catch, but then fell over backward
inside the Liberty five and apparently injured himself as the ball rolled to
the turf.
Unable to call on Smith in the third quarter, Rich looked to junior
wideout Nate McLallin and tight end Matt Geiger. The Patriot defense shut
down the Cedarcrest running game, limiting Morgan Henley to one and
two-yard gains in the third quarter.
On the plus side, penalties helped the Red Wolves’ defense keep
Liberty out of the end zone in the second half. The lone Patriot score in the
second half was a 21-yard, fourth quarter field goal from Michael Book.
Aaron O’Neal made the most of his second game with the
Cedarcrest varsity, making numerous solo tackles and leading the Red Wolves’
second half ground game with six carries for 40 yards. Smith’s first half
performance did vault him into first place among Kingco receivers in
receiving yards, touchdowns and average yards per catch. He returned the two
interceptions Friday night for 20 yards.
Linebacker Jed Dern led the Wolves with eight solo tackles
against Liberty. Dan Grady was credited with eight tackles, while Cody Peterson
had seven.
McLallin finished with two catches for 22 yards, while Geiger
had four grabs for a total of 31 yards. The quarterback tandem of Rich
and Peterson combined for 12 completions and 186 yards through the air.
After two weeks on the road, the Red Wolves (1-6) return to
Howard Miller Field in Carnation on Friday to host the playoff-bound Spartans
from Skyline High School on the Sammamish Plateau.
Skyline improved to 5-2 last week with a 20-point home win over
the hapless Interlake Saints. Bellevue and Issaquah continue to lead the
Kingco conference with 6-1 records, followed by Skyline and Sammamish.
