CARNATION— The Red Wolves took to the field once again

Friday night to meet the foe and hopefully turn around the waning days of

their season.

In this case, the opposition was the surging Spartan squad from

Skyline. Regrettably, by the end of the evening the Cedarcrest gridders ended up

having more in common with baseball’s Atlanta Braves.

The “Tomahawk Chop” boys of autumn failed to win a single

game during this year’s World Series sweep by the New York Yankees, and the

Red Wolves were unable to score a single point in four quarters against the

Spartans. The 17-0 loss to the Spartans marked Cedarcrest’s seventh

KingCo defeat in eight games this season, the program’s 16th loss in 17 games

over two years.

Friday’s clash was a reversal in roles for the two young football

programs. Last year Skyline posted its first-ever victory in the school’s

history with a dramatic two-point upset over the Wolves. This year the

Spartans are playoff bound and marched into Howard Miller Field hoping

to pad their already-impressive offensive statistics.

Skyline marched down the field on its first possession and scored on

a three-yard plunge by Bret Stray only four minutes into the contest. The

visitors scored again midway through the second quarter, when Stray

barreled over from the one to cap an 83-yard drive. The running back finished

with 115 yards on 25 carries against the Wolves.

A soggy field and a wet football contributed to numerous turnovers

by both clubs. The only other scoring for Skyline came on a 27-yard field

goal by Matt McDonald with a minute left on the clock before halftime.

Cedarcrest’s deepest penetration of the night took place in the

third quarter when the Red Wolves recovered a fumble near midfield and

drove to the Spartan 17-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

Despite the outcome, there were a number of superlatives from

the evening’s work. Injured Red Wolf wide receiver Michael Smith was

not in the starting lineup, but did enter the game in the first quarter and

immediately grabbed a 16-yard toss from QB Casey Peterson. Smith was injured

last week against Liberty when his shoulder collided with the helmet of a

Patriot defensive back while attempting to make an acrobatic catch near

the goal line.

Tight end Matt Geiger stepped up to help fill the void in the

receiving corps against Skyline. The 6-1 junior led the Wolves in receiving with

five receptions for 61 yards. Smith finished his abbreviated evening with

two catches for 33 yards.

Paterson and junior quarterback Nick Rich combined for eight

pass completions and 98 yards of offense through the air. Smith had one

long pass attempt that bounced off the hands of the intended receiver.

Senior Morgan Henley spearheaded the Cedarcrest running

game with 41 yards on just seven carries. He also returned four kickoffs for a

total of 49 yards and was credited with three tackles.

Underclassman Aaron O’Neil had another outstanding game on

both sides of the line of scrimmage with five rushes as well as a number of

solo tackles. Junior Darrin Carrido made his first appearance for the

Wolves since breaking his collarbone early in the season. He ran with the ball

five times, including one 12-yard scamper for a first down.

The Wolves wrap up their 1999 season this week when they travel

to Snoqualmie to battle the Mount Si Wildcats in the annual Valley

Cup game. Mount Si was also shut out last week, losing 31-0 to the

Newport Knights. The Wildcats come into Friday night’s contest with a 2-6

record, just one notch above the Red Wolves in the current KingCo standings.