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Glacier Peak had its opportunities against top-ranked Lake Stevens.

The Grizzlies had first and goal three times but weren’t able to convert on any of the three trips inside the red zone. Glacier Peak also turned the ball over four times – two fumbles, an interception and an onside kick.

The Grizzlies’ struggles combined with a Viking squad that appears ready to challenge for a state title were too much for Glacier Peak to overcome in a 41-3 loss in a Wesco 4A football game Friday, Oct. 11, at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“We’ve got to play better,” Glacier Peak coach Shane Keck said. “We didn’t play very well and that difference, that gap with Lake Stevens, that’s the growth we’ve got to achieve this year and achieve in our overall program.”

The Vikings jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter in part to some defensive struggles.

“We just missed tackles,” Keck said. “Defensively, we didn’t play very well in the first quarter. After that we played good. We made some adjustments. I think we settled down.”

Senior Brayden Corwin kicked a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter for Glacier Peak (3-1 in the league, 5-1 overall), which is tied with Monroe (3-1, 4-2) for second place in the league.

Lake Stevens (4-0, 8-0) has a lot of qualities teams hope to emulate.

“They’re so well-coached and they execute their game plan really well,” Keck said. “They’ve got some fantastic players, high level guys, who are doing their job really well. They’ve got the whole package. They are model for what you want to do.”

Glacier Peak was coming off a 35-14 victory over Cascade that also wasn’t exactly a crisp performance.

“We didn’t play our best,” Keck said. “Our 14 penalties to their five was indicative of how we played. I thought all the penalties were legitimate. We just played sloppy. We didn’t take advantage when things were presented in front of us.”

Glacier Peak led 21-14 at halftime and then outscored the Bruins 14-0 in the second half. The Grizzly defense forced three fumbles and blocked a field goal attempt.

“I think anytime you can get the ball back on turnovers, it’s the difference in the game,” Keck said.

Glacier Peak hosts Mariner (2-2, 2-4) at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18, at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Then the Grizzlies travel to Monroe for a Friday, Oct. 25 contest that might decide who claims the league’s No. 2 seed.

“Every single week is a playoff week,” Keck said. “So we’ve got to go out and execute, not turn the ball over and get stops on defense.”