EDMONDS — Sixth-ranked Meadowdale used the tremendous speed of Giavani Shepard to sprint to a big lead in the first half en route to a 27-7 win over Edmonds-Woodway in front of an overflow crowd at Edmonds Stadium.

Shepard scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to push the Mavericks to 3-0 and drop Edmonds-Woodway to 0-3.

Shepard gained 140 yards on 22 carries despite missing several plays due to severe calf cramps.

The physical Warriors had their shots at Shepard, stopping him for no gain on his first carry and driving him into the turf on several other plays. But Shepard simply couldn't be contained if there was even an inch of room to get his legs churning.

"Yes, they had a lot of good hits on me," the 5-foot-7 junior admitted, "but I just had to keep running, keep powering through with my legs."

Shepard, who broke up a pass at the goal line when Edmonds-Woodway tried to come from behind late in the fourth quarter, was quick to credit his offensive line.

"I wouldn't be able to do anything without my line and my fullback blocking for me," Shepard said. "I really appreciate what they did and the holes they opened up for me."

Meadowdale scored on the first play of the second quarter when Shepard showed his tremendous speed by breaking through a small hole up the middle, breaking to the outside and outrunning the Edmonds-Woodway secondary. Shepard's run covered 48 yards.

He only needed a single yard to pick up his second touchdown after Brian Marty hit Kyler Larsen with a 35-yard pass to the E-W 1.

An interception by Will McCoy set up Shepard's third touchdown, also a 1-yard run.

Edmonds-Woodway cut the lead to 21-7 with 9:15 left in the third quarter on a 13-yard scoring run by Desmond Young. The TD was set up when sophomore quarterback Davis Giles hit Spiral Horn with a 24-yard pass to the Meadowdale 11.

Meadowdale then went 65 yards in 12 plays to put the game away, the score coming on a 2-yard run by Kyle Newsom. Newsom, a 6-2 senior, gained 92 yards on 18 carries.

The Mavericks also threw for 141 yards, with Brian Marty connecting on 7 of 12 passes.