What looked like it might be a slugfest into the final minutes, resulted in an abrupt knockout for Skyline Friday as the Spartans rolled 38-14 over one of Oregon’s top 6A football programs, Lake Oswego.

“It looked like it could come right down to the wire,” Skyline head coach Mat Taylor said. “What a great team they were. Our kids just capitalized and made the plays.”

The Spartans led 17-14 at halftime and were in danger of losing the lead to start the second half. The Lakers marched 50 yards to start the third quarter, all the way down to Skyline’s 25.

A personal foul penalty quickly halted Lake Oswego’s momentum, however, forcing them out of field-goal range and into a punt.

They never recovered.

“Like I told our kids, you play against a good football team and you can’t make that many mistakes,” Lakers’ head coach Steve Coury said.

Using a no-huddle, hurry-up offense, the Spartans made a statement on the ensuing drive. Skyline pushed the ball 92 yards in five plays, scoring on a 3-yard dive from senior running back Kai Jandoc — all in less than 2 minutes.

“We figured … they haven’t seen our game, so we wanted to utilize the no huddle and catch them off guard,” said sophomore quarterback Max Browne, who connected on 15 of 20 passes for 287 yards and two TDs.

The Spartans’ 24-14 lead held until the fourth quarter when Browne hit senior Kasen Williams on an 18-yard lob to the right corner of the end zone. Williams skied above two defenders, emphatically snagging the ball for his second touchdown of the game and a 31-14 lead.

“That’s all coming from the high jump in track and field,” said Williams, who had six catches for 137 yards.

Defensive back Michael Ford sealed the game for good with 5 minutes remaining. The senior picked off Lakers’ quarterback Austin Kent at Skyline’s 5-yard line, weaving his way back up the field for a 95-yard return for a touchdown.

The first half was a different story for the visitors from Oregon.

After Skyline took a 3-0 lead on its first drive, Lake Oswego responded on its first drive going 75 yards on nine plays, capping it off with a 9-yard TD pass from Kent to Grant Taylor. The pair hooked up again for a 4-yard TD pass with just 23 seconds remaining in the half, bringing the halftime score to 17-14.

While the Lakers, who generated 318 yards of offense, were able to move the ball, the loss came down to one thing for Lake Oswego’s coach.

“The difference in the game was them making big plays, and us not making any big plays,” Coury said.

One of those big plays came in the first half when Williams lined up at the quarterback position out of the Wildcat formation. He ran to his right, pulled up, and found Browne wide open in the right corner of the end zone with 5 seconds left in the first quarter.

“I felt like I owed him one,” said Williams, who recorded his first passing touchdown.

Browne returned the favor in the second quarter, hitting Williams on a 53-yard bomb down the center of the field for a touchdown.

Skyline improved to 2-1 in non-league play with the victory. They open up the KingCo season at 7 p.m., Friday against a familiar foe at Spartan Stadium.

“We look at the schedule next week and we’ve Issaquah,” Browne said. “It’s one we have to win for bragging rights … and for the KingCo Championship.”

Taylor admitted he’s excited about his team’s two straight non-league wins against Bellevue and Lake Oswego, especially after the tough season-opening loss at Liberty. But with his alma mater coming to town, the former Issaquah High player certainly isn’t getting too far ahead of himself.

“It’s going to be a very, very difficult challenge,” he said.