Lake Stevens ekes out win in matchup of reigning WIAA football champions at Lakewood Passing Tournament

Class 2A champion Anacortes tries two-point conversion in closing seconds, but doesn't get it as Class 4A champion Vikings escape with 42-41 win

Coach Tom Tri and Lake Stevens wins the Lakewood Cougars 7v7 Championship Passing Tournament for the third time in four years Saturday. / Photo by Todd Milles

ARLINGTON, Wash. - It was a finish worthy of the matchup.

For the first time in the 16-year history of the Lakewood Cougars Championship 7-on-7 Passing Tournament, two reigning WIAA football champions faced off in the tournament finals.

And as Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri described it, "that was high stress."

After scoring a late touchdown, Class 2A champion Anacortes elected to go for a two-point conversion. But Ryan Harrington's pass to Brady Beaner in the end zone fell incomplete, and the two-time defending Class 4A champions snuck out a 42-41 victory Saturday at Lakewood High School.

It is the third time Lake Stevens has won this event championship in the past four years.

"We balled out today.," Vikings quarterback Kolton Matson. "Surprisingly going into the (tournament), we were not clicking like that."

The reigning Gatorade state player of the year was clicking in peak form.

Matson had had more passing touchdowns (six) than incompletions (five) in the championship game, tossing half of those scores to newcomer Cannon Kennard, who transferred from Edmonds-Woodway.

Kennard was the one who hauled in the 25-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half that gave Lake Stevens the lead for good - 28-21.

'I've played FSP (club) with him, so we already had that kind of connection," Matson said. "And going into the season, it's going to be even better."

Harrington, the tournament's offensive most valuable player, also had six touchdown passes in his debut - including a 25-yard strike to Rylin Lang in the right end zone to cut it to 42-41.

Anacortes could have just taken the PAT to tie the game with just two plays remaining, but coach Justin Portz rolled the dice to try and take the lead.

"Playing Lake Stevens, you have a chance to win the game on a play, I think that is what anybody would do," Portz said.

Harrington delivered a strike to Beaner along the left hash, but the two did not connect (there might have been some contact with the defensive back on the play, too).

" I give Ancortes a ton of credit to have the guts to do it," Tri said. "Catch it, you win. Drop it, you lose."

Even though these schools could not meet each other for a WIAA championship, the intensity in these tournament finals was evident.

"I told three coaches on their sideline as we were shaking hands - we have new rivals now," Tri said. "There was some intensity here.

"We knew they were good. They were a formidable opponent, to say the least."