The Vashon Pirates football team played its final game of the 2016 football season against the Vikings of Bellevue Christian High School last Saturday, which resulted in a 49-8 loss. The matchup, played on Saturday at Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, was marred by injuries to key players early in the game. Vashon finished the season with a 1-9 record.
Conditions were wet on Saturday night in Kirkland. The Pirates began the game receiving the kickoff, but their first possession did not go well. On third-and-2 at Vashon’s 45-yard line, the ball popped loose from running back Bryce Hoisington, leading to a turnover. Once the Vikings had the ball, their quarterback, sophomore Mick Larsen, repeatedly fed the ball to their talented running back, senior Daniel Ficca, who ran in a touchdown. The combination of these two Vikings was especially potent throughout the game. As far as rushing, the two put up a game total of over 160 yards. Given room to run, Ficca proved to be very difficult to bring down, and the Bellevue Christian senior was responsible for more than half the touchdowns scored by Bellevue Christian that night.
Opposite Ficca, Vashon’s own extremely talented running back, Hoisington, saw his hopes for the final game of his exceptional high school football career dashed before the first quarter ended. The Pirates’ second possession of the game ended with a fourth- down punt, then the Vashon defense successfully held off the Viking offense on their drive, and Bellevue Christian also had to punt. Then fortune’s wheel turned, and two injuries in quick succession led to a dire situation for the Vashon squad.
As fans of the VHS Pirates know, Bryce and his brother Connor are key players, both on offense and defense. Connor, nursing injuries from prior games, never took the field on Saturday, so the need for Bryce’s skills was high if the Pirates wished to make a decent stand against Bellevue Christian. But, alas, on Vashon’s third possession of the game, Bryce was tackled on a third-down and, far from rising after, remained on his back, writhing in pain. Things looked grim. It was then fourth-down and time to punt, so sophomore Grady Earle, quarterback and very reliable kicker, stepped up for the job. What followed was a disaster for the Pirates: A ferocious blitz obliterated Vashon’s offensive line and leveled Earle, who did not rise from the blow. With the Hoisingtons out, and now Earle, the Pirates lacked their three best quarterbacks, as well as their best kicker.
The brutal first quarter over, the second quarter began with another Viking touchdown, run in by senior Joe Helton. The score stood at 14-0. The Pirates then took possession with sophomore Elijah Nichelson in as quarterback. Nichelson had previously been tapped to fill in as running back in the Oct. 8 game against Cascade Christian, where he demonstrated a solid ability to move the ball downfield under fire. In this game, Nichelson found himself at the helm, and he rose to the extremely challenging occasion. This first possession ended in a fourth-down punt, which Nichelson flubbed, as he is not an experienced kicker. The Vikings recovered the ball a mere 5 yards away, putting them in excellent field position for an offensive drive. Their quarterback, Larsen, ran an impressive serpentine course on a keeper play, and Ficca found the endzone again on the next play.
Vashon was up again after that, and the possession also ended with a punt by sophomore Jake Carman. The ball was received by the Viking’s Ficca, who ran the ball in again for another touchdown. Nichelson took the field as quarterback again, and if he was dismayed about his first attempts as quarterback, it did not show. He ran a succession of keeper plays, with his bright yellow cleats flying through Bellevue Christian’s defensive line. Play after play, Nichelson moved the ball steadily toward the Vikings’ endzone. He achieved a first down, then another, then another. The Pirates were within the 40-yard line of Viking territory when they hit an impassable obstacle: the clock. The first half ended and with it, this Vashon possession. The score at the half was 28-0.
The second half had hardly begun when Bellevue Christian’s Ficca scored again. Vashon’s next possession ended with another punt, giving the ball back to the Vikings. This possession, however, was cut short by a fumble, which was recovered by the Pirates’ quick-thinking defensive end, sophomore Joe Ghigleri. The Vashon squad could not convert this good fortune into a first down, and another punt resulted. Bellevue Christian worked their magic again, resulting in a touchdown by senior Nathan Aguirre. The Pirates then lost the ball during their possession, which the Vikings recovered and ran in for yet another touchdown. The score at the end of the third quarter: Bellevue Christian 49, Vashon 0.
The Vikings’ coach, with motives of good sportsmanship, replaced many of his varsity guys with junior varsity players for the fourth quarter. This put the two teams on a more equal footing and gave the Pirates the opportunity to attempt different offensive plays. Nichelson moved the ball well into Viking territory on their drive, making successful connections through shovel passes to sophomore Will Hennessey. Finally, with his team on the 5-yard line, Nichelson ran the ball into the endzone himself for 6 points, scoring the first touchdown of his high school football experience.
While Pirates’ fans lament that Bryce was taken out of this game and unable to score in his final high school football match, they can celebrate the achievement of the young man who had to replace him. Nichelson was not done with his 6 points on the board, though; he immediately ran in a 2-point play, lurching into the endzone with a Viking defender wrapped tenaciously around his waist. It was a game he finished in fine style. Look forward to great things next year from him and the rest of this young team.
The game was played out with Bellevue Christian in possession. They did find the endzone again, but a penalty nullified that feat. The clock ran out, final score: Vikings 49, Pirates 8.
— Jonathan Kuzma is the father of a Vashon High School football player.
