By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Coming off a 6-4 season and a loss to Marysville-Pilchuck in the 3A state championship tournament last season, the Garfield Bulldogs looked to start their 2022-23 season off with a win against Lake Stevens, who came into the game as the #1-ranked 4A team in the state. With both teams looking to have championship seasons, this opening week game would set the tone for what each team could expect during the first weeks of the new season.
Both Garfield and Lake Stevens struggled offensively in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs’ first series was plagued with penalties, a dropped pass, and a sack. With their talented offense only in possession of the ball for three minutes, Garfield would go three-and-out and punt the ball to Lake Stevens.
Despite few spurts of good offense, in the first 12 minutes of play neither team was able to put together a scoring drive, and the game would remain at a standstill until Garfield’s offense came alive at the start the second quarter. Garfield quarterback EJ Caminong would lead the Bulldogs to a touchdown as he helped guide the team down field. On the drive, Caminong would find wide receiver Sejhe Jackson across the middle for 10 yards to start the drive. Then the Garfield offense would march down the field as they fed the ball to running back Jimmy Miller.
With the ball on the one-yard line, Caminong would hand the ball off to Miller for the Bulldogs’ first touchdown of the game, giving Garfield a 7-0 lead.
After the touchdown, the Garfield defense forced more penalties and an incomplete pass to quickly get the ball back to their offense which had now found their rhythm. Caminong would connect Jackson again on a 30-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead with 6:42 left in the first half.
Lake Stevens would respond by making their way into Garfield’s redzone, but the Bulldog’s defensive front rose to the occasion and forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal with two-minutes left in the half. Garfield would get the ball back and Caminong would find Jason Findlay in the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds left, as the Bulldog’s had taken complete control of the game and held a 20-3 halftime lead over the 4A state runner-up from last season.
Jackson, who finished the game with 3 receptions for 74 yards in his debut as a Bulldog, said it was a team effort that swung the momentum in their favor.
“We simply came together as a team which resulted in us putting points on the board,” said Jackson. “We’re hungry and have something to prove this year.”
Upon receiving the ball to start the second half, Lake Stevens responded quickly with Kolton Matson finding David Brown for a 7-yard touchdown pass to narrow the gap to 20-10. Now with a shift of energy after scoring, the Vikings defense would force a fumble and recovered the ball midfield.
Although the Vikings gained traction and looked to bridge the scoring gap, Garfield’s dominance on both sides of the ball kept their double-digit lead intact from the second quarter until the end of game, and with Myles Damon’s 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter the Bulldogs secured a 26-16 win against Lake Stevens.
When asked about the preparation for their week one match up Garfield Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon stated, “our main focus was attention to detail more than anything else, focusing on your one specific assignment but doing it with a sense of urgency and physicality that will set the tone. When we play that way, we execute better, and our kids play faster and more free.”
With the win, the Bulldogs now have their eyes set on their first Metro League matchup of the season against the Roosevelt Roughriders on September 9, as they embark on a season that they hope brings a state championship football trophy back to the Dog House.
“Long term goal for us is December 3rd to be crowned state champions,” said Witherspoon. “There’s absolutely no reason we can’t be, we just have to believe and never doubt it.”
