In its first four games of the season, Mountlake Terrace relied on a strong rushing game — with almost three times as many yards running the ball than with the pass — to earn three victories. On Friday night against visiting Shorecrest, the Hawks stretched their wings and earned a big win primarily through the air.

Senior Mikey Jenson threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns as Mountlake Terrace came from behind to defeat the Scots 30-26 at Edmonds Stadium.

The win pushed the Hawks Wesco 3A record to 3-1, holding them in second place in the South Conference.

Hawk Daniel Johnson pulled in all three of Jenson’s TD tosses of 82-, 74- and 54-yards. Johnson finished the game with four catches for 221 yards; he also had three solo tackles and assisted on a fourth for the defense.

Mountlake Terrace’s big yardage gain through the air Friday night was in stark contrast to the struggle they had moving the ball on the ground, gaining just 57 yards rushing against a hefty Shorecrest defense. Hawks coach Kelly Dougan wasn’t too surprised with the Scots emphasis — and success — at stopping the Mountlake Terrace running game.

“You know that’s what everyone is going to take away from us,” Dougan said. “You put eight, nine guys in the box and make us throw. We really haven’t thrown much this season, so anyone would do the same thing — take the run away from us and make us throw. So it’s a good strategy for our opponents. But we spent a lot of time on our passing game this week and it paid off.”

The final Jenson-to-Johnson touchdown connection came with just 2:03 left in the game. Down 26-21, the Hawks forced Shorecrest into a punting situation from its own 2-yard line with 3:07 to go. Instead of punting from inside their own end zone, the Scots chose to give up an intentional safety, cutting their lead to 26-23. Mountlake Terrace got possession of the ball at their own 31-yard line following the Shorecrest free kick, needing a field goal to tie or a touchdown to take the lead. After a Jenson 4-yard run, the senior quarterback lofted a long pass down the right sideline to Johnson, who leaped above two Scot defenders, grabbed the pass, and dashed into the end zone for the score.

The Mountlake Terrace comeback was necessitated after the Hawks gave up three touchdowns to Shorecrest in the first quarter. The Scots found the end zone on a Luke Lotowa 10-yard run, a John Koss 26-yard pass to David Selzler and a Nick Kinkopf 1-yard run. But Mountlake Terrace was able to cut the Scots 20-point lead on the play of the first quarter when senior Riley Morrin returned a kickoff 96-yards for a touchdown.

In addition to his touchdown, Morrin tallied 145 yards in three kick returns, recovered a Shorecrest fumble and recorded four solo tackles and assisted on two more.

Morrin his Hawk teammates for their determination: “No one here wants to lose; that’s just what it comes down to,” he said.

Dougan also noted the fortitude in his team. “Mistakes and penalties — it didn’t look like we were going to get there, but the guys are super resilient, they never quit and keep playing hard,” he said.

Mountlake Terrace had just seven first downs in comparison to 18 for Shorecrest, converted to first down on just two of 11 third downs, committed nine penalties for 70 yards and had two turnovers, but still found a way to win.

After a loss to Edmonds-Woodway the week before, the Hawks put a lot of importance on the matchup against the Scots. “We knew we needed this game,” Dougan said. “We talked about it this week a little, that it’s the only game that matters. It was a huge game for seeding purposes, playoff possibilities, for everything. And we wanted to bounce back with a win.”

The Hawks have an even bigger challenge if they seek a victory next Friday as the squad has to travel to Snohomish to face the Wesco 3A South leaders Glacier Peak. The Grizzlies are 4-1 overall, with their only loss this season being to No. 2-state ranked Bellevue. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Prep Football: Shorecrest at Mountlake Terrace

Shorecrest     20        0          6          0          —          26
Terrace           7        7          7          9          —          30

First Quarter
  8:15 Luke Lotowa (SC) 10-yard TD run; PAT kick blocked
6:14 John Koss (SC) 26-yard TD pass to David Selzler; two-point conversion attempt failed
:04 Nick Kinkopf (SC) 1-yard TD run; two-point conversion attempt converted with Luke Lotowa 2-yard run
:00 Riley Morrin (MTHS) 96-yard TD kickoff return; PAT kick converted

Second Quarter
5:31 Mikey Jenson (MTHS) 54-yard TD pass to Daniel Johnson; PAT kick converted

Third Quarter
  8:56 Mikey Jenson (MTHS) 82-yard TD pass to Daniel Johnson; PAT kick converted
4:43 John Koss (SC) 69-yard TD pass to Briggon Weaver; two-point conversion attempt failed

Fourth Quarter
  3:07 Safety (MT), Audry Victor (SC) runs beyond backline of own end zone
2:03 Mikey Jenson (MTHS)  74-yard TD pass to Daniel Johnson; PAT kick converted

Records: Mountlake Terrace 3-1 in Wesco 3A, 4-1 overall; Shorecrest 1-2, 3-2

Mountlake Terrace next game: versus Glacier Peak, Friday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Snohomish