Wildcats maul MG, play for division crown Friday / Football

After thumping Marysville Getchell 42-14 Friday, the Oak Harbor High School football team will now face Squalicum for the Wesco North title at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

Oak Harbor and Squalicum are both 4-1 in league play and 6-1 overall.

The winner of the conference finale will claim first place; the loser, depending on the outcome of other games, could drop to third.

The Storm are rebounding from a 6-4 season last fall after going 25-2 in the previous three regular seasons.

Squalicum’s lone loss this season was 20-14 to Marysville-Pilchuck Sept. 14. Oak Harbor beat the Tomahawks 28-0 the previous week.

The Wildcats lost to Arlington 48-42 in overtime Oct. 5. The Storm stopped the Eagles 42-21 Sept. 7.

Arlington and Marysville-Pilchuck, both 3-2 ands 5-2, play this Friday in another crucial Wesco North matchup.

Friday, Oct. 26, after the final divisional standing have been set, the Wesco North and South teams will crossover and play for seeding into the week 10 district games.

The top North team will meet the first-place South team for the first two seeds. The second-place teams will meet for the third and fourth seeds, and so forth down the line.

The games will be played at the South schools this fall.

Snohomish (5-0, 5-2) has clinched first in the South and Shorewood (4-2, 5-2) has locked up second.

The top seven Wesco teams will advance to the district games; the first four will host.

Oak Harbor 42, Marysville Getchell 14

The win in Marysville lifted Oak Harbor to sixth in this week’s Seattle Times state 3A poll.

The Wildcats did it in familiar fashion, using a punishing ground game.

Oak Harbor ran for 428 yards on 55 carries, averaging nearly 8 yards a rush.

The Wildcats did it without one of its leading rushers, sophomore Caden Leckelt, who is injured.

Sophomore Jake Mitten filled in and filled the stat sheet with 149 yards on 19 carries, good for three touchdowns — one from 41 yards out.

He also booted all six extra points.

Senior Dorian Hardin was outstanding, rushing for 174 yards on 16 runs, averaging 10.9 yards per pop. He ran for two scores, including a 66-yarder.

Hardin also caught two passes for 17 yards and a touchdown.

Aaron Martinez ran for 82 yards on 14 carries.

Caleb Fitzgerald completed five of eight passes for 32 yards.

Mitten and Hardin both scored in the first quarter to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead. Neither team tallied in the second.

Hardin’s 66-yarder started the third-period scoring.

Getchell then scored, Mitten followed with another TD and the Wildcats led 28-7 going into the fourth period.

Getchell’s second touchdown was sandwiched between Hardin’s TD catch and Mitten’s 41-yard romp in the final quarter.

Ethan Pace (55) strips the ball from Getchell’s Caleb Koellmer (1) as Aaron Martinez (11) assists with the tackle. (Photo by John Fisken)

Oak Harbor tackle De’Andre Bennett prepares to block Getchell’s Caleb Blonk (8). Bennett and his fellow linemen helped the Wildcats rush for 428 yards. (Photo by John Fisken)