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Marysville begins healing process by getting back to football

Marysville-Pilchuck running back Killian Page.

Marysville-Pilchuck running back Killian Page.

One week after the Marysville-Pilchuck community was struck with tragedy, it took a big step in the healing process.

Just a few hundred yards south of the cafeteria where last week’s shooting took place is the Tomahawks’ football field. Both Marysville Getchell and Marysville-Pilchuck played games there Friday night, and everyone had a chance, if only for a few hours, to take their minds off the event that took the lives of four Pilchuck teenagers.

Getchell started the night off with a 48-27 win over Lynnwood and Pilchuck beat Meadowdale 55-34. But the real victory was the chance to give this community some semblance of normality.

“It takes our mind off things,” Marysville-Pilchuck running back Austin Joyner said. “And we’re with our friends. That’s all you need right now. You need family and friends and you need to hang close. And that’s what this does.”

Joyner and fellow running back Killian Page combined for six rushing touchdowns and just shy of 400 rushing yards. Joyner also had an interception and threw a touchdown pass to Drew Hatch.

Marysville-Pilchuck cancelled classes all of this past week, but the team still practiced. The Seahawks opened the doors to their practice facility, which gave the Tomahawks a chance to get away from campus.

But having not played last week due to the shooting, there was a bit of uncertainty as to how they would play on Friday, head coach Brandon Carson said.

“I was a little concerned going in, not only because of what happened but we’ve been off for a week,” he said.

Any concern seemed to dissipate when Marysville-Pilchuck blew the game wide open at the end of the second quarter. Within a span of one minute and 33 seconds, the Tomahawks scored three touchdowns – the product of two Page touchdown runs and a pick-six by Darrion Young.

Meadowdale did make a comeback attempt, scoring three fourth quarter touchdowns, but the Mavericks also failed to recover two on-side kicks.

The Tomahawks’ game that was originally postponed against Oak Harbor was to determine the top seed in Wesco 3A North. Oak Harbor forfeited that game, and since then, the two teams have forged a brotherhood.

The Wildcats beat Mountlake Terrace 49-9 Friday, and Carson was almost as excited about that outcome as he was that Pilchuck beat Meadowdale.

“What they did for us went above and beyond sportsmanship,” he said, “and it’s been a great night because they won too.”

In the Week 10 playoffs, the Tomahawks will face the No. 9 seed from Metro – either Cleveland or Seattle Prep – and Meadowdale will face the SPSL No. 3 seed.

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