The Vashon Pirates football team played its fourth game of the 2018 season against the Bellevue Christian Vikings last Saturday at Lake Sammamish High School, losing the match 27-6. Vashon is now 0-4 on the season.

It was a blustery autumn night in Bellevue as the Pirates faced off against the Vikings. Despite ominous rain clouds to the north, no rain fell on the match, and a group of about 20 islanders watched from the visitors’ bleachers. A squad of VHS cheerleaders was also there to keep spirits high.

Vashon fans may recall that starting quarterback, freshman Will Godwin, was not allowed to play this week due to last week’s altercation at the home game against Cedar Park Christian — a fracas leading to ejections for both teams. Senior Sol Dehnert filled in admirably as quarterback this week, and the Pirates’ passing game benefitted with Dehnert at the helm.

Vashon received the kickoff at the start of the game, achieving a first down, but the drive ended in a fourth-down punt. Bellevue Christian made good on its first possession when the Vikings’ talented quarterback, senior Mick Larsen, scored the first touchdown on a keeper play.

With a good extra point, the score was 7-0. The Pirates’ offense then made a brief appearance, but its first possession ended with a fumble on second down. The Vikings’ Larsen, a potent player on both defense and offense, recovered the ball and quickly reached the endzone for a touchdown. The extra point was no good, but Bellevue Christian was up by 13 points.

The Pirates proved unbowed by these early setbacks, however, and the Vikings faced an opponent that found its rhythm as the game continued. The teams traded fourth downs for the rest of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Vashon squad began to shine, but its efforts were largely offset by penalties. One such penalty aided Bellevue Christian in another scoring drive, with Vikings senior John Kim running the ball in for six more points. With a successful extra point kicked, the score was 20-0. The Pirates were unable to advance on next possession, and kicker Richard Rivas-Gutierrez took the field to punt. The snap came in high, though, costing precious time to gain control, but Rivas-Gutierrez demonstrated his cool head and quick thinking under pressure when he tucked the ball in his arm tightly and began to run. The Vikings swarmed him immediately, but he found a seam and cut right toward his screaming teammates on the Vashon bench. Shaking off defenders and dragging three Vikings with him, Rivas-Gutierrez would not be denied his goal of moving the chains, and, as he fell forward, he nosed the football across the line for a first down. The Pirates’ drive continued with renewed confidence. Dehnert completed impressive passes on the drive, first to senior Jonathan Quintans, then to junior Jack Cunningham. Penalties again, however, had the last word in this first half for Vashon. Dehnert made up one loss with a keeper play, only to lose ground on the next play due to a collision with a teammate. Bad luck and mistakes left the Pirates scoreless at the half, and Bellevue Christian up by 20.

The Vikings began the third quarter with possession, but that ended quickly due to a fumble recovered by Vashon. This led to an exciting drive by the Pirates with a beautiful 30-yard run by senior Zavier Delgado-Williams bringing the ball within 14 yards of the Vikings’ endzone. But again, bad luck and a penalty deprived Vashon of the touchdown, and Rivas-Guiterrez missed the field goal attempt. The two teams traded more fourth downs, then Bellevue’s Larsen scored again, adding six, plus a successful extra point, bringing the score to 27-0 at the end of the third quarter.

The Pirates were undaunted and started the fourth quarter with one of their longest drives. Two penalties cost them yards, but Cunningham’s skill as a receiver took his team from its 44-yard line to the Vikings’ 19. The drive was kept alive by a penalty against Bellevue Christian, and Dehnert exploited the opportunity with another pass to Cunningham for a Vashon touchdown. The attempted extra-point kick was blocked, however, leaving Vashon at six points.

The Vikings were forced to punt on their next drive, but intercepted a pass for a turnover on the Pirates’ possession. The game ended with fourth-down punts all around and a final score of Vikings 27, Pirates 6.

Coach Clay Eastly summed up the game and looked ahead with optimism:

“We came out a little flat in the first half, and had some penalties and missed plays that really set us back. Second half we played a lot better, and can hopefully use that for our next game at Port Townsend,” he said.

Bellevue Christian Coach Todd Green also commented on the game:

“We’ve always respected Vashon’s players and staff. They come to compete, and they play hard regardless of the situation. We see it on film and then experience it every time we play them.”

— Jonathan Kuzma is the parent of a Pirate football player.