The Ballard High School football team overcame a tough start and a tough season to get its first win of 2009.

The Beavers (1-2 conference, 1-5 overall) beat Lake Washington (1-2 conference, 1-5 overall) 20-14 Oct. 9.

Coach John Bowers said it was a tough game for Ballard. Lake Washington had a long score on the second play of the game and the Beavers made some mistakes, but the team was able to battle through both for the win.

Bowers said he was particularly impressed with the way Ballard controlled the ball for the last 8.5 minutes of the game, keeping Lake Washington's offense on the sideline.

"The kids have prepared very well all year long and continue to get better," Bowers said. "They got what they worked for."

Senior Fraser Biemiller got things started for the Beavers with a one-yard touchdown run.

Senior Matt Law-Phipps handled the rest of the scoring for Ballard with a 50-yard touchdown reception and a 38-yard punt return for a touchdown. He also kicked in two PATs.

The win could be a turning point this season for Ballard. Not only had the team not won a game prior to Oct. 9, it hadn't lost by less than 30 points all season.

The Beavers have three games remaining, all of which look winnable.

Ballard takes on Roosevelt (0-3 conference, 1-5 overall) at 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 at Memorial Stadium.

After that, it's Woodinville (1-2 conference, 2-4 overall) and then the KingCo crossover game in which the Beavers, who are in the Crown Division of KingCo, play the correspondingly ranked team from the Crest Division.