By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The sun was beaming yesterday afternoon at the Northwest Athletic Conference as the Ballard Beavers and the Rainier Beach Vikings took the field, ready to give it their all to close out Week 3 of the Metro League football season.
The Vikings kicked off to start the game, and Ballard wasted no time with a 34-yard return that set the Beavers up near midfield. From this point on, the back-and-forth battle began. On their first possession of the game, Ballard started strong with running back Oliver Broadgate powering through the Vikings’ defense, and quarterback Eli Gebbie making smart reads of the field. But the Vikings’ defense was up for the challenge and made Ballard work for every single yard.
Facing 4th-and-8, Ballard looked stressed until a personal foul penalty on the Vikings gifted them a much-needed first down. That moment flipped the energy on the field, as Gebbie, Broadgate, and the Beavers’ offense began clicking, trading off inside runs and building momentum. Just as the energy was heightened and Ballard was nearing the end zone, an illegal procedure penalty backed them up 10 yards. On 2nd-and-14, Gebbie picked up 10 yards on a run, but Rainier Beach’s Achilles Reyna batted down a pass by Gebbie on 3rd down, forcing Ballard to punt.
With 7 minutes left in the first quarter, the Vikings finally got the ball for their first series of the day and wasted no time setting the tone. Starting at their own 4-yard line, Zevion Watkins exploded down the field for a 76-yard touchdown, and after a successful 2-point conversion by Tariq Shabazz, the Vikings held an early 8-0 lead.
Ballard didn’t seem to be rattled by the touchdown, as Gebbie and Broadgate got right back to work against the relentless Viking defense. Even though Ballard’s progress was slow, it was steady. Ballard marched down the field and scored on a 17-yard field goal to make the score 8-3.
On the ensuing kickoff, Ballard surprised everyone with an onside kick, which was recovered by Ballard’s Benji Stephens. After the recovery, Gebbie threw consecutive incomplete passes, as Ballard struggled to move the ball.
With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, tensions were boiling over between players from both sides, leading to a long delay. As a result, the Vikings received two 15-yard penalties, once again giving Ballard great field position. Rainier Beach’s Sirjewel Glover gave his team a boost as he sacked Gebbie. But Gebbie responded on the very next play, as he scored on a 15-yard run. The Beavers successfully converted the extra point attempt as they took a 10-8 lead.
Rainier Beach’s Oteko Mwamba responded with a 47-yard kickoff return, and quarterback Esquire Williams bolted down the field for 8 yards, bringing the Vikings to the 2-yard line as the first quarter came to an end.
Just 7 seconds into the second quarter, Watkins scored his second touchdown of the day on a 2-yard run, and the Vikings followed with another two-point conversion to reclaim the lead, 16-10.
The intensity of the game continued to grow during the second quarter, and after a massive block on Gebbie’s pass attempt by Reyna, banter amongst players followed. Both teams’ captains and coaches were then called to the middle of the field by the refs to calm their players down. Once the game resumed, Rainier Beach intensified their effort on both sides of the ball. Williams ran for 26 yards, then connected with Mwamba on a 14-yard pass. After another short gain by Mwamba, Williams was tackled for a 5-yard loss, forcing Rainier Beach to punt.
Ballard took possession of the ball, and Gebbie took charge on the field again, connecting on pass plays and adding a 10-yard run. However, Rainier Beach’s Daniel Haynes managed to sack him, but Gebbie immediately responded once again, this time with an 18-yard touchdown run, putting Ballard back on top, 17-16.
In the final four minutes of the half, the teams exchanged quick possessions, with Williams and Gebbie both shining on offense. Then, Rainier Beach regained momentum heading into the closing minutes of the half. The Vikings moved the ball to the Ballard 21-yard line after Williams connected with Mwamba on a 17-yard pass. On the next play, the duo struck again, as Williams threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Mwamba, and Rainier Beach took a 22-17 lead into halftime.
When the teams came back from halftime, what had been a tight, back-and-forth battle in the first half turned into a Rainier Beach onslaught. The Vikings scored 32 unanswered points in the second half, 16 in each quarter, while Ballard struggled to reignite their first-half momentum on either side of the ball.
With 6 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Mwamba broke loose on a 51-yard touchdown run. Williams then added a two-point conversion, as Rainier Beach increased their lead to 30-17.
Following the touchdown, Rainier Beach ramped up their defensive pressure. The Vikings’ Jay’Shaun Banks-Hall sacked Gebbie for a 3-yard loss. His fellow teammates followed his lead and continued to apply pressure on Ballard, forcing them into another quick punt by Gavin Campbell.
The Vikings weren’t done yet, regaining possession with renewed momentum. With big runs by Yusef Parrish and Williams, their energy continued, and nothing could stop the Beach Boyz. On 2nd-and-4 from their own 48-yard line, Williams went completely untouched on a 52-yard touchdown run. The Vikings got another two-point conversion from Sirjewel Glover as they pushed their lead to 38-17.
To close out the third quarter, Gebbie was hit again, this time by Haynes, ultimately leading to another quick punt by the Beavers.
The final quarter opened with the Vikings continuing to light up the scoreboard with explosive plays. Just 30 seconds into the quarter, Marques Illi-Meneese scored on a 56-yard touchdown run, and Williams followed with yet another two-point conversion, and the Vikings’ lead increased to 46-17.
On defense, Illi-Meneese kept his foot on the gas and recorded back-to-back sacks on Gebbie, leading to another Ballard punt.
After a 30-yard dash by Williams and two carries by Jayden Tyler set the Vikings up at the Ballard 2-yard line, Tyler scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Williams converted another two-point PAT to give Rainier Beach a commanding 54-17 lead.
In the final minutes, Ballard showed a bit more energy. Despite the deficit, they were determined to end the game on a good note. Gebbie remained composed and tried to spark a comeback drive, but with just 5 seconds left, Ballard was called for a pass interference penalty in the end zone. Then, the clock hit zero on the next play, and Rainier Beach secured their 54-17 victory over Ballard.
Despite the loss, Ballard’s head coach, Malik Prince, huddled with his players after the game, allowing them one by one to share what another teammate did well in the game. When Gebbie was mentioned, the team—including Prince—lit up. Despite being under intense pressure by the Rainier Beach defense throughout the game, Gebbie continued to match the physicality of the Vikings by repeatedly lowering his shoulder pads and taking on defenders, especially when he got close to the end zone.
“I didn’t know he [Gebbie] could use his pads like that,” said Prince after the game.
Pictorial Highlights Rainier Beach vs Ballard
Photos/Tyler Artis
