Entering tonight’s game, the Lake Stevens Vikings football team could not have been in a better position: They finished the season scoring 60 or more points in the last three games of the regular season and finished the season as the second best team in the final 4A state rankings from both the Associated Press (AP) and the Seattle Times and is considered to be one of a number of teams qualified to take home the 4A state championship in early december.

After the game, they are now one step closer to that goal, as they shut out the Kentlake Falcons for the second straight season 56-0 to move on to the 4A state tournament bracket.

The Vikings started off without a hitch, as they quickly went up to a 7-0 lead after a 10-yard touchdown (TD) pass from senior quarterback Tre Long to junior wide receiver Kasen Kinchen just over a minute into the game and after a Kentlake punt, senior running back Tom Lewis takes it in from 35 yards out to make it 14-0, but after another Kentlake punt, Lake Stevens tries something a little special.

On the first play of the Vikings’ next drive, on their own 48 yard line, the Vikings pulled off the famous “Philly Special” play that was used a couple times in previous games, but instead of a pass to the quarterback on the right sideline, sophomore quarterback Tanner Jellison threw a 52-yard TD pass to Kinchen, making the score 21-0, but the rampage didn’t stop there on offense.

After yet another Kentlake punt, the Vikings scored on another run, this time by Long, who raced past a couple Kentlake defenders and shoved one to the ground to make the score 28-0 and the first quarter would end with yet another touchdown by Lewis, this time from 23 yards out.

The second quarter mainly consisted of a 6 minute drive that ended in Long’s second touchdown of the night, a 9-yard pass to junior Joe Gonzales, making the score 42-0 at halftime, enacting the running clock feature that would keep going for the rest of the game.

But even though this game was said and done through one half, it didn’t mean the Vikings were slowing down, as, on the first play of the second half, senior Ty Hilton intercepts his second pass in as many games, with this one going back for a 48-yard touchdown to make the score 49-0 and the Vikings would, once again, add on to their ginormous lead with a 2-yard touchdown (TD) run early in the fourth quarter by freshman Trayce Hanks to make the final score 56-0.

Long led the team in passing, completing 12 of 14 passes for 162 yards and 2 touchdown passes while Jellison completed 5 of 6 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown pass. Tom Lewis led the team in rushing, running the ball 11 times for 158 yards and 2 scores and Kinchen led the team in receiving with 6 catches for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Vikings, who are now an undefeated 10-0 on the year, will have to wait on who their next opponent will be as their name will be mentioned among 16 teams that will make up the 4A state bracket during the first ever meeting of a committee of state high school football analysts that will be released on Sunday, November 4th.