The Vashon Pirates football team finished up its third non-league game of the season last Saturday in Kirkland against Cedar Park Christian. The matchup, against a team that is formidable, ended with a substantial loss of 61-0.

“They’re a really good team — a state-caliber team. They are really good athletes, and they just put it on us,” said Coach Clay Eastly. “We are not quite ready to compete with a team like that, especially with the injuries we have.”

Eastly was referring to the large number of first-string players out for a variety of reasons for the first few games of the season, including the quarterback, running back and center. That’s made for an uphill battle, as the team has had to rely on untried players to do their absolute best.

“As a team, I felt like they never gave up,” Eastly said. “They really played hard from start to finish.”

He added that the team had to lean heavily on more experienced team members Ryan Nelson as linebacker and running back, Jack Cunningham on defense and Martin Ellison on defense.

Even with that talent, the Cedar Park team runs a more sophisticated offense based on creating confusion about where the ball is once it’s snapped. It’s hard to react effectively to that, even with a savvy defense.

“Cedar Park is strong on everything, and their offense is a wing-T offense,” Eastly said. “You have to be very disciplined as a defense to play against that. We are inexperienced and have a lot of players out there for the first time.”

The Pirates will play their first Nisqually League game of the season against Bellevue Christian at 7 p.m. Friday in a home game. It’s the first of six games that will count toward league totals. The two schools with the most league wins will go to the playoffs.

Coach Eastly is expecting the Pirates will have a fair shake at the upcoming game because the teams are more evenly matched, and the Pirates will be closer to full strength on the field and the sidelines.

“We should be a little healthier, and will get a couple of guys back,” he said. “Bellevue Christian is a young team. There are a lot of similarities. I think it will be a really good game.”

— Anne Higuera is the mother of a Pirate football player.