It’s a wondrous sight to behold and Lake Washington High cornerback Cody Wilson gets a clear view of the scene when he’s set up wide on the field.
“I can see the defense move in action — every head into the ball,” said Wilson with a smile, noting that each Kang has each other’s back.
Added running back Ryan Clifford: “Our defense is really showing up and that’s why we haven’t lost any games. Our defense is killer.”
Lake Washington reeled off its fourth straight victory with a 28-23 win over WF West last Friday night.
Clifford scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards and quarterback Michael Buchanan tossed a pair of TD passes for 9 and 68 yards to Zeke Pelluer and Jeff Young, respectively. Buchanan was 14-for-26 for 250 yards passing.
LW (4-0 in nonconference games) will travel to Redmond (1-3 in nonconference contests) for a 7 p.m. Friday night matchup in the 3A KingCo opener for both teams.
Clifford said when the league unveiled the schedule, the Kangs marked the Redmond game on their calendars because they wanted to avenge last year’s 28-27 double-overtime loss to the Mustangs. LW is excited for the rematch and will work hard all week, added Clifford, who has 10 touchdowns this season.
Wilson said it’s been “a wave of emotions” to begin the season with a clean sheet.
Defensive tackle Walterius Jones said it’s been a great experience so far this season and the Kangs are confident in their abilities heading into KingCo.
“It’s gonna be a dogfight,” said Jones, adding that every play matters against their stellar KingCo foes. Jones and coach Andy Arena said that LW hasn’t even played its best football yet.
LW has a multitude of dangerous players on offense, and Clifford said that if opponents focus on one or two guys, that opens the door for others to unleash big plays and score touchdowns. He’s impressed at how Buchanan has been slinging the ball to wide receivers Young, Domonic Roussell and more Kangs.
Snagging interceptions on defense are Wilson and Brayden Boyes with three each, and Franco Oliveri has an interception to go along with a fumble recovery. Wilson also praised the Kangs’ defensive line for pestering opposing quarterbacks.
Arena is impressed at how the seniors have taken the leadership reins this season. They’ve got everyone playing at a high level, starting in practice and transferring that work ethic into the games.
“The coaches and the kids have high expectations of themselves,” said Arena, adding that KingCo is a tough go and “we have our work cut out for us the next five weeks.”
The coach has talked to the Kangs about adversity and recovering from tough spots in games. Arena said they’ll lean on that message, practice hard and then roll onto the field striving for success, just as they have for the last month.
* Juanita (0-3 in nonconference games) will host Bellevue in a 3A KingCo game at 7 p.m. on Friday.
