Football Preview: Mercer Island vs. Bellevue

The Mercer Island football team accomplished two things in a victory over Interlake last week. One, it was able to come away with a 41-7 win against what had been an impressive against top opponents through three weeks and, two, it was able to rest quarterback Jeff Lindquist, who was a little beat up after three games. A healthy and rested Lindquist should be important if the Islanders plan on extending their three-game win streak this week against 3A powerhouse Bellevue (Friday, 7 pm at Mercer Island High School). Patch Sports Editor Mike Baldwin takes a look at this weeks’ matchup and four areas of the game that could end up deciding the outcome.

1) Can Mercer Island slow the Bellevue running attack?

The Islanders faced another strong 3A running team in week one in Seattle Prep and struggled a bit against the Panthers run-oriented offense. Seattle Prep attempted just four passes in the game, but rushed for 231 yards using an array of backs. The Islanders will be facing a similarly run-dominated offense in Bellevue, which runs the wing-t perhaps better than any school in the nation. The Islanders have proven to be fairly effective against the pass, but will have their hands full with the Wolverines.

1) How will Jeff Lindquist do against the Bellevue secondary?

Bellevue has faced two elite passing offenses already this year, in Skyline and Oaks Christian and come away victorious both times. The Wolverines have been prone to allowing some big yardage totals, such as Skyline’s Max Browne’s 305 yards, but the key to their game has been takeaways. Browne was intercepted twice, both in crucial situations, while Tyler Hasty’s two forced turnovers (one interception, one forced humble) in the passing game against Oaks Christian proved to be the difference. Lindquist threw two interceptions in the first quarter against Seattle Prep, but has not been intercepted since.

2) Will home field advantage mean anything to the Islanders?

Mercer Island has played just one game at its home field, a week two 47-24 victory over Juanita. The Islanders trailed at halftime of that game before a big second half rode them to victory and being at home may have helped calm some of the nerves that led to early mistakes. Bellevue, on the other hand, has had no problem playing in hostile environments, starting the year with big rode wins over Oaks Christian and Skyline.

3) Which team’s x-factor will put up the best performance?

I see Phil Frazier being the x-factor for Mercer Island in this game. This big back was barely featured in the season-opening loss to Seattle Prep, but since then has been a solid presence for the Islanders, gaining 245 yards on 42 carries. Lindquist will be the focal point of the Islanders offensive scheme, but a solid day from Frazier could help make the difference. For Bellevue, the x-factor is always the play of its quarterback. The Wolverines rarely need to employ the passing game, but if Mercer Island can somehow slow the run, Tyler Hasty’s performance could count big time, even if it’s only a handful of pass attempts.

4) Which team will start faster?

Bellevue has had three games so far this year in which it started a bit slow. Against tough competition, the slow start may have been a result of the team on the opposite side of the ball, but the Wolverines also struggled against Interlake in week three, leading just 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter before pulling away for a 42-20 victory. Last week against Lake Washington, Bellevue had no problem starting strong, piling up a 48-0 halftime lead in a 54-0 win. Mercer Island has also struggled with the slow start, looking shaky in the first half of its first three games, but looked sharp at the start against Interlake last week, taking a 17-0 lead before the Saints had any positive offensive yards. Bellevue is the stronger team in this matchup, but if the Islanders start fast, they could pull off what would be a huge upset.