By Kiara Doyal
The Seattle Medium
The Tac City Bolts held Rise scoreless for four quarters Saturday morning, running away with a 42-0 victory to advance to the next round of the Washington Youth Football League (WYFL) 8U playoffs.
Rise opened the game with possession but immediately ran into trouble, fumbling on the first play before recovering the ball. Tac City’s defense quickly established its presence, putting pressure on Rise and forcing multiple tackles for loss. After a Tac City timeout at 7:05, the Bolts’ offense took advantage of its opportunity to strike first.
Tac City’s Israel Cornelious Jr. broke loose for an explosive 48-yard run, taking the ball all the way down to the 2-yard line. He finished the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, and Tac City converted the extra point to take a 7-0 lead with 4:37 remaining in the first quarter.
Rise attempted to respond, but both teams experienced costly penalties that disrupted their offensive momentum. A personal foul against Tac City and a penalty against Rise added to the challenges. Rise’s Marquest Wilson managed a 13-yard run, but consecutive plays resulted in a 2-yard loss and no gain. Tac City’s defense held strong to close out the quarter, maintaining a 7-0 advantage.
Tac City came out strong in the second quarter, continuing to put pressure on Rise’s offense. A 5-yard loss on Rise’s possession resulted in a turnover on downs, giving Tac City another opportunity to extend its lead.
The Bolts capitalized with a long rushing touchdown, followed by a successful extra point to make it 14-0 with 7:46 remaining in the half.
Rise struggled to generate a response, quickly turning the ball over on downs again. Tac City took advantage of the opportunity, with Cornelious Jr. breaking off a 15-yard run to reach midfield. Despite a fumble on the following play, Tac City recovered the ball, and Cornelious Jr. broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run.
Kobe McHenry converted the extra point, extending the lead to 21-0 with 4:33 remaining in the second quarter.
Tac City’s defense continued to control the game, stopping Rise on multiple possessions. After a false start and a tackle for loss, Rise turned the ball over on downs again.
Tac City took over, and Andrew Gilpatrick picked up an 11-yard first down before Amir Khamlue-Jackson broke free for a 35-yard touchdown run. Gilpatrick added the extra point, pushing the lead to 28-0 with 1:15 remaining in the half.
Rise managed to put together one of its better plays before halftime, as Wilson connected on a 40-yard pass. However, Tac City maintained its 28-0 lead heading into halftime.
Tac City wasted little time adding to its lead coming out of halftime. The offense continued to find success on the ground, with Gilpatrick breaking off a run of approximately 20 yards. Azriel Johnson followed with a 15-yard carry before Khamlue-Jackson added another 20-yard run to move Tac City closer to the end zone.
Tac City finished the possession with another rushing touchdown, extending its lead to 34-0. Cornelious Jr. converted the extra point, making it 35-0 with just 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Rise struggled to get anything going on its next possession, as Zio Dearbone was stopped for no gain. Tac City’s defense continued to keep Rise off the scoreboard, carrying a 35-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
Tac City continued its defensive dominance to open the final quarter. Amanuel Taylor came up with a big play, intercepting a pass from Wilson to give Tac City possession.
After a penalty against Tac City, the offense went back to work. Cornelious Jr. broke off a 30-yard run to move the ball down to the 20-yard line. Lamir Holmes added a 2-yard gain as Tac City continued to work toward the end zone.
The drive was capped off by McHenry, who powered his way through for a 5-yard rushing touchdown. Renzo Blatchford converted the extra point, extending the lead to 42-0 with 49 seconds remaining.
Rise continued to battle despite the deficit. After a false-start penalty, Wilson put together a couple of solid runs, including a 10-yard carry with 10 seconds remaining.
However, Tac City’s defense held firm, preserving the shutout as time expired and securing a 42-0 playoff victory for the Bolts.
