Islanders blast Kangs for second straight blowout win

Mercer Island earned its second blowout win in as many weeks Friday night, beating Lake Washington 49-13 at Mac Field in Kirkland.

October 18, 2014 3:02 am
Mercer Island's Alfonso Gonzalez scrambles past Lake Washington defenders for a 38-yard touchdown run during the first half of the Islanders' 49-13 win over the Kangs.
Mercer Island's Alfonso Gonzalez scrambles past Lake Washington defenders for a 38-yard touchdown run during the first half of the Islanders' 49-13 win over the Kangs.

Mercer Island earned its second blowout win in as many weeks Friday night, beating Lake Washington 49-13 at Mac Field in Kirkland. The Islanders improved to 2-3 in KingCo and 3-4 overall on the season.

This time around, the Islanders turned to their running game to wear down the Kangs, scoring five touchdowns on the ground.

“[Quarterback] Alfonso [Gonzalez] has shown that he can throw the ball, but being able to run it and keep the defense unbalanced and guessing makes a huge difference,” said coach Brett Ogata after the game. “The line did a great job of really getting after it and that’s a big key for those guys. They need the confidence, they’ve been playing well all year and they did a good job tonight.”

Running back Jordano Mark found the end zone twice on touchdown runs of 28 and 13 yards. But Gonzalez was Mercer Island’s fantasy option of the night, throwing for touchdown passes of 50 and 36 yards while running in another two scores.

“He’s really earned everything he’s done this year and he’s really worked hard to become a good quarterback,” said Ogata of Mercer Island’s starting QB. “He was a good athlete last year playing the quarterback position, and he’s turned into a really good quarterback and leader of the team. It’s just fun to watch that maturity through the years with him. I’m very proud of the way he’s done things, he’s done things the right way.”

While coming off the team’s second consecutive win by a double-digit margin, the Mercer Island coach noted that the competition of late has changed significantly from the top-flight teams the Islanders went up against in their first few games of the season. But that changes next week, when the Islanders host undefeated 4A powerhouse Bothell.

“We’re excited about that,” said Ogata. “We’re the only team in the state getting the chance to play the number one team in 3A and 4A, so we’re excited to have that opportunity.”

Jack Counihan hauls in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Alfonso Gonzalez during the first quarter of Mercer Island’s win over Lake Washington (photo by Erik Krause).