Higgins' Big Debut helps Mercer Island to 41-7 victory

With his star quarterback banged up after three physical games, football head coach Brett Ogata decided to give backup Brian Higgins a chance.

Higgins did not disappoint.

The junior quarterback completed 16 of 21 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score in place of Jeff Lindquist and the Islanders rolled to a 41-7 victory over Interlake on Friday night at Interlake High School in Bellevue.

"He's taken a beating the last couple of games and we have a long stretch," Mercer Island Brett Ogata said of the decision to hold Lindquist out. "My theory is it's a marathon, not a sprint. If it was the state championship game, Jeff would have been playing."

Lindquist was not held out for a specific injury and did make a brief appearance, completing the only pass he attempted, but he was not needed in Mercer Island's biggest margin of victory on the year. Higgins, who did not find out he would be starting until 40 minutes before the game, completed 9 of his first 10 passes and looked completely comfortable under center.

"He would be the starting quarterback on most teams in the KingCo league," Ogata said of Higgins. "Unfortunately, he backs up the best quarterback practically in the state, so because of that he hasn't had the chance to play. But he's a really good quarterback and I have a lot of confidence in him." 

The rest of the Islanders were just as on point as their quarterback. Mercer Island scored on its first four possessions and never let Interlake get into the game.

"Mercer Island didn't do anything we hadn't prepared for," Interlake head coach Jason Rimkus said. "We just didn't execute."

Higgins provided the highlight of the night with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Conor Bernal in the second quarter. Bernal got behind the Saints coverage, caught the pass just past midfield and sprinted easily to the end zone to put the Islanders up 24-0 and end any hopes of an Interlake comeback.

"To me, that's the greatest feeling in sports, when you really throw a great ball and you release it and you know it's going to be a touchdown," Higgins said. "There really isn't anything better than that."

The Islanders defense was as dominant as the offense, shutting down a Saints offense that had averaged over 20 points per game against some stiff competition to start the year. Interlake had minus-two yards of offense in the first quarter and did not score until a 65-yard run by running back Jordan Todd in the fourth quarter.

"The defense was great, they really got after it and did a really good job, so I was really happy with the defense," Ogata said.

The Mercer Island running attack continued to put up impressive numbers as the Islanders gained 197 yards on the ground on 26 carries. Risley Lesko led the way, gaining 83 yards on just five carries for two touchdowns, including a 63-yard touchdown run in the second half. Phil Frazier rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown and Higgins gained 54 yards on five carries with a 38-yard touchdown run.

Next up for Mercer Island is a huge test in number one-ranked Bellevue. The Wolverines blew out Lake Washington on Friday night to run their record to 4-0. Mercer Island has not scored more than 10 points in its last seven meetings with Bellevue.

"It's another game and it's important game, but they're all important at this point," Ogata said. "We beat them or lose to them, we're going to be fine."