Lake Stevens' frantic second-half comeback stuns host Bellevue, 3 takeaways

Class 4A champions erase 21-point halftime deficit in 34-31 road victory to move to 2-0 on the season

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Down and seemingly uninterested in anything that was going on at Bellevue Memorial Field, defending Class 4A champion Lake Stevens found another gear at halftime Friday night.

Over the first 9:38 of the third quarter, the No. 2 Vikings erased all but two points of a 21-point halftime deficit to host Bellevue before taking the lead for good with 8:22 remaining in an improbable 34-31 victory.

Halftime proved pivotal.

"Let's say a lot of yelling," Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri said. "I just didn't think we played hard in the first half. No matter the score, I just wanted to play hard after halftime. We told them, you're going to come out of here tired and bruised. But we're going to play hard."

Lake Stevens managed just 87 total yards of offense in the first half while the Wolverines racked up 283 en route to a 28-7 lead at the half. Fourth-ranked Bellevue (3A) rode running back Carson Rubin's 103 yards and three touchdowns to the big lead.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

CARSON RUBIN'S ARTISTIC NIGHT

Rubin finished the evening with an even 200 yards rushing as the Wolverines tried to ride him to victory.

The drive that proved pivotal came immediately after Lake Stevens had pulled within two, 28-26. Bellevue handed Rubin the ball six consecutive times - and he got them 76 yards to set up a third-and-goal from the 3-yard line.

Unfortunately, Bellevue's 16th of 20 total penalties - a false start - pushed the Wolverines back and they ultimately settled for a Luke Scoma 28-yard field goal to extend the advantage back to five, 31-26, with 9:30 to go.

JAYSHON LIMAR FOUND HIMSELF IN HIS RECOVERY

The inability to score a touchdown on that proved disastrous for Bellevue. On the Vikings' first play after the kickoff, Jayshon Limar went in motion to the left side and rolled up the sideline on a wheel route.

Quarterback Kolton Matson found his junior all by himself and Limar turned it into a 63-yard reception that set Lake Stevens up with a first down at the Wolverines' 20.

Three plays later, Matson went 7 yards on a run for the go-ahead, and ultimately winning, score with 8:22 remaining.

It was one of two second-half catches for Limar, totaling 86 yards. He also rushed for 33 yards and a two-point conversion after halftime.

"I tried my best and I started hitting holes harder," Limar said.

Limar still is in a brace after suffering a serious injury to his left knee almost exactly a year ago and had to have surgery. He looked healthy and strong in the second half Friday.

LIMAR'S RECRUITING PICKING UP

Despite the injury and missing virtually all of his sophomore season, Limar still is getting attention for the next level.

"Recruiting has been a little slow since the injury," Limar said. "But I've definitely had a lot of schools hitting me up, especially Stanford and Oregon. Oregon State, too. And the schools I already have offers from. Auburn and Tennessee. Even with the injury, they believe I can become a great player."