The members of the Lake Washington football team knew exactly what was at stake when they took the field against Mercer Island Friday night at Islander Stadium.

For the banged up, reeling Islanders, the game was one last chance to keep their postseason hopes alive. For the Kangs, it was potentially one step closer to clinching a postseason berth.

With their collective eyes on a playoff spot, the Kangs made the most of every opportunity that came their way. In the end, they gave an effort worthy of postseason competition.

Lake Washington quarterback Adam Long threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another TD as the Kangs came away with a 49-28 win over the Islanders.

For the players and coaches along the Lake Washington sidelines, the victory signified loftier things to come for their team.

“We did something really big for our program. We’ve been .500 the last couple years, so this season was really big for us to kind of take that next step to the next level,” Long said. “5-2 right now, it feels really good.”

Lake Washington (5-2, 3-1) turned three first-half Mercer Island turnovers into 21 points to put the Islanders away early. Kang defensive back Colby Coco picked off Mercer Island quarterback Griffin Kane on the second play of the game. Six plays later, Long broke into the end zone on a sneak from one yard out to put Lake Washington up 7-0.

Mercer Island (2-5, 1-4) drove into the Lake Washington red zone on their ensuing possession, but once again saw the drive end on a turnover, with Caleb Rickels intercepting Kane to send the action the other way. On the next play, Long connected with Jake Wikel on an 81-yard touchdown pass down the right side of the field to give the Kangs a 14-0 advantage.

Jake Steele gave the Kangs a three-touchdown lead in the second quarter, capping an eight-play drive with a seven-yard touchdown run. After the Kangs forced a Mercer Island three-and-out, Long needed just one play to connect with D.J. Mann on a 59-yard touchdown pass.

Long threw three of his four touchdown passes in the first half as Lake Washington took a 42-7 lead at the break.

“That was the best game that [Adam] has played all year. He really just stepped up,” Lake Washington coach A.J. Parnell said. “He was challenged last week, didn’t play his best and [tonight] just did an awesome job. Our line played incredible, just being able to run the ball and every time Adam was dropping back, he had plenty of time.”

Mercer Island would go on a 21-point scoring tear of their own in the game’s final period. Backup Islander quarterback Cole Miller ran for two touchdowns, his second TD a 99-yard scamper on first-and-10 from the Islanders’ own 1-yard line with 31 seconds left in regulation.

But the damage had already been done. Mercer Island coach Brett Ogata acknowledged the game was a must-win for his team that had been clinging to its playoff hopes.

“Our kids battled, it’s just one of those deals where sometimes you get beat, and Lake Washington beat us tonight,” Ogata said. “There was nothing our kids did wrong, it’s just what Lake Washington did to beat us. They played a great game.”

D.J. Mann and Jake Wikel each finished with two touchdown receptions for the Kangs. Jordano Mark finished with 117 yards on 18 carries, rushing for a touchdown for the Islanders.

Next, Lake Washington will host Sammamish at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 at LWHS. Mercer Island will take on Bothell at 7 p.m. next Friday at Pop Keeney Stadium.

Game notes

Former Seahawks quarterback and Ring of Honor member Dave Krieg was in attendance for Friday’s game. Krieg was in town for this weekend’s Seahawks game and gave a pre-game speech to the Islander players.

“He just said, ‘Hey, high school football is great.’ He played college, he played pro, but the thing he remembers the most is high school football,” Ogata relayed. “He went off and named 20 of his teammates and said, ‘I remember everyone that I played with; it’s something you never forget. These are memories that last a lifetime, so have fun with it.’”

Mercer Island was celebrating Senior Night as well as its annual All Island Band Night, which Lake Washington coach A.J. Parnell said, as an opposing coach, he was quite familiar with.

“I’ve been to Mercer Island band night multiple times and it’s the real deal,” Parnell said. “They do it right and it’s imposing, so for our kids to step up and go is awesome.”