Count on AJ Parnell to make addition by subtraction work, somehow.

The Lake Washington High football team beat Inglemoor, 31-21, in a nonconference game on Friday night at Mac Field.

The Kangaroos (1-1) won without their top option at running back. First-team tight end Sean Gordon was held to the defensive side of the ball, as were several other experienced senior weapons.

With Reece Rudolph sidelined and Gordon hobbled, the Kangaroos in a new-look offense and playing with bumps and bruises to various players, Parnell made a gamble: ask the varsity-green junior class to step up.

That left junior Ryan Clifford — all 5-foot-5, 160 pounds of Ryan Clifford — holding the gunny sack after sitting out week one due to a pre-game ankle injury.

“We got close to starting 22 guys, which causes us to not have three running backs subbing in and out,” Parnell said. “Ryan [Clifford] stepped in and he played amazing.”

Amazing: Clifford racked up 145 yards on 25 carries — all but six of the Kangs’ rushing plays combined.

Clifford’s only touchdown came with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, a 20-yard scamper to give Lake Washington a 31-14 edge.

“That whole game I was pounding, pounding, pounding, and I was so close to breaking a few,” Clifford said. “I knew my offensive line was killing it, and I knew it was going to happen at some point. That last one was real nice.”

Four players scored touchdowns for Lake Washington, beginning with a 19-yard pass from Adam Long to Gordon on the big tight end’s only offensive play of the night. Long hit Colby Coco on a 41-yard pass play late in the first half.

Then came a 41-yard strike from Long to Domonic Roussell, another piece of the budding junior class, and at last, Clifford’s breakthrough. For many of the juniors, Friday marked their first varsity start.

“We went in with the mentality that no one is too bad for us and we’re not too good for anyone,” Roussell said. “We’ve just got to be prepared for anything.”

The Lake Washington defense held Inglemoor to 44 yards of offense in the first half, and 207 yards for the game. Inglemoor quarterback Brayden Mills completed only 12 of 29 passes before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter — the result of back-to-back sacks involving linebacker Rudy Wilkes.

Sophomore linebacker Levani Eneliko chased Mills down in the third quarter, dropping him for an eight-yard loss.

“We were seeing that they were really good at blocking,” said Eneliko, who picked up his first varsity sack. “We did a lot of drills and were prepared for that, so when we got into the game, we were ready.”

Long struggled with completions, connecting on only eight of 20 attempts, but finished with 235 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The Kangs had Long play under center in the season-opening loss to Marysville-Getchell in week one, but pulled the quarterback into the shotgun for week two.

The move allows Long a better view of the field, and gives the offensive line more time to block.

“It’s not super hard to throw the ball when you have such an awesome offensive line,” Long said. “I maybe got pressured twice, the whole game. All the credit goes up to those guys.”

Long said he looked forward to week three, a nonconference game against Kelso, when Rudolph and Clifford can act as a one-two punch.

“They’re thunder and lightning,” Long said. “Ryan is the guy that can get around the edge and burn people. Reece is the guy who hits hard up the middle. Ryan can make people miss in the middle and bounce off tackles, but Reece is that big, physical presence that will wear linebackers throughout the game.”

The Kangs will likely need both the thunder and the lighting against the Kelso Highlanders, who have outscored their first two opponents 82-7.

The final nonconference game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16 at Mac Field, following a special program history presentation.

SUMMARY

At Mac Field, Kirkland

Inglemoor 0 7 0 14

Lake Washington 0 17 0 14

Second quarter

LW — Sean Gordon 19 pass from Adam Long (Lance D’Alessio kick), 11:54

I — Riley Mersberg 8 run (Dahlton Sullivan kick), 10:32

LW — D’Alessio 21 field goal, 5:19

LW — Colby Coco 57 pass from Long (D’Alessio kick), 2:00

Fourth quarter

I — Cole Kindschi 1 run (Sullivan kick), 8:31

LW — Domonic Roussell 41 pass from Long (D’Alessio kick), 6:08

LW — Ryan Clifford 20 run (D’Alessio kick), 2:11

I — Alex Crotteau 2 pass from Sullivan (Sullivan kick), :06

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — I: Kyle Loken 13-56, Mersberg 5-25, Sullivan 4-8, Christopher Birmingham 1-5, Brayden Mills 5-(minute 26); LW: Clifford 25-145, Long 4-11, Caleb Rickels 2-7.

PASSING — I: Mills 12-29-1-87, Sullivan 3-4-0-52; LW: Long 8-20-0-235.

RECEIVING — I: Kindschi 3-65, Crotteau 6-27, Mersberg 1-(minus 1), Loken 1-(minus 2); LW: Roussell 3-112, Coco 3-82, Gordon 1-19, Shelby Merkatz 1-12.