Peninsula knocks off Auburn, prepares for explosive Lakes team
The Peninsula High football team got off on the right foot in Class 3A South Sound Puget Sound League play, beating a veteran Auburn group, 24-13, on Friday night at Roy Anderson Field.
“That was a big win for us,” Peninsula coach Ross Filkins said. “Auburn was a big, physical team and a veteran team. The vast majority of their guys were returning starters from last year. That was one of the most veteran groups coming back. Playing them early and being able to get a win was big for us.”
Filkins said senior linebacker Chance Stolz and defensive back Jack Filkins led the team.
“They were our co-leaders in tackles,” Filkins said. “They combined for 10 or 11 tackles each.”
Junior quarterback Ryder Johnson has been inconsistent early in the season, but is making progress and improved last week against Auburn.
“He’s making some strides,” Filkins said. “Our passing game came into play better. (Receiver) Blake Cantu had a big night for us. That was really good to see.”
Johnson has been working on his mechanics as he sailed some of his bails in the first few games of the season.
“(Offensive coordinator Steve) Levenseller has been working on him with read progression and his fundamentals,” Filkins said. “He’s getting on top of his throws better. The ball was sailing on him, previously. He made some really good throws.”
The Seahawks also improved on special teams, blocking a kick and having several big kickoff returns. The Seahawks will have another tough matchup this week, heading to Harry Lang Stadium to face Lakes on Friday. Lakes is 3-0 and scored more than 70 points in two of its first three games.
“Every week in this league, it’s a whole new challenge,” Filkins said. “They’re a classic Lakes team: Big, fast and aggressive. They’re putting up a lot of points. They’re creating a tremendous number of turnovers. Their turnover ratio is very strong right now. They’re going to be a significant challenge and playing them on their home field will be tough as well.”
For the Seahawks, executing the game plan and staying within themselves with be the key.
“We have to execute better,” Filkins said. “For us, we cannot match their speed and all that. We have to focus on our game. For us, we have a young team for the most part, we’re still working with every kid in terms of what it takes to win at the varsity level. Many of the issues we’re working through.”
While the young players still have a lot of room for improvement, Filkins has been pleased with the effort so far.
“Our kids really love football, they play hard and they know it’s a special time in their life,” Filkins said. “As we root out some of the issues in technique and work on our execution, we’re going to play some good football.”
UP NEXT
Who: Lakes.
Where: Harry Lang Stadium, Lakewood.
When: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 25.
Outlook: This will be another stiff test for the Seahawks. The Seahawks are young and Lakes looks improved from a season ago. The Lancers have a strong track record of success in the past decade and hope they’re returning to their winning ways. The Lancers have posted a 3-0 record so far, tallying 204 total points and giving up only 49. However, Lakes has faced a somewhat weak schedule so far, so the game against Peninsula should provide a more clear picture of how good the Lancers actually are.
This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Peninsula knocks off Auburn, prepares for explosive Lakes team."