By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Roosevelt Roughriders and the Bellevue Wolverines battled it out at Memorial Stadium last night to determine who would face the O’Dea Fighting Irish in the state 3A championship football game next week at Husky Stadium.
The game began with the Wolverines receiving the ball, but Roosevelt’s defense, led by Pana Tuputala, immediately set the tone. Tuputala made his presence known early with relentless pressure and multiple tackles as Bellevue struggled to establish a rhythm and was forced to punt on its opening possession. Roosevelt’s offense, led by quarterback Dalton Anderson, looked to strike first with strong contributions from wide receiver Nolan McWilliams. However, Bellevue’s defense was equally up for the challenge, as Desmond Lloyd Jr. sacked Anderson on a critical play to stall the drive. Both teams continued to exchange punts as neither side could gain an early advantage.
With 14 seconds left in the first quarter, the Wolverines broke the stalemate in dramatic fashion, as running back Max Jones scored on a 60-yard touchdown run to give Bellevue a 7-0 lead after a successful PAT from kicker Charlie Miller.
At the start of the second quarter, Bellevue’s AJ Morton took down Roosevelt’s Mar Mar King with a hit that excited the Wolverine sidelines. The Roughriders fought back against Bellevue’s defense by placing the ball in McWilliams’ hands, knowing he would move the ball downfield quickly for his team.
With hopes of scoring, Roosevelt’s Zaire Griffin caught a long pass at the 13-yard line, stunning the Wolverines and causing them to call a timeout to freeze Roosevelt’s momentum. However, King kept the momentum going by advancing the ball to the 4-yard line, but an offside penalty pushed them back 5 yards. The penalty seemed to rattle King and the Roughriders, allowing Bellevue’s Olly Sharp and Carmelo Madden to take down King as he neared the end zone. Lifting the spirits of his team after King’s struggles, McWilliams caught a pass in the end zone, followed by a kick made by Titus White, tying the score 7-7 with 9 minutes remaining in the first half.
Despite a strong defensive effort from Roosevelt, the Wolverines continued to find success on offense. Jones eventually scored on a one-yard touchdown run, and the Wolverines faked the kick on the extra-point attempt, as Tadem Wilson caught a two-point conversion pass to give Bellevue a 15-7 lead.
With just a couple of minutes remaining in the first half, the Roughriders were moving downfield as Anderson dodged multiple sack attempts by the Wolverines to connect with King, who brought the ball to the 15-yard line with 14 seconds left. However, the Roughriders failed to capitalize on the opportunity as Anderson fumbled the ball and managed to recover it. His luck ran out on the next play, as Bellevue’s Nick Norrah intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the half with the Wolverines leading 15-7.
Starting the second half with high energy, Roosevelt’s Griffin dodged two Bellevue players on his way to the end zone, securing a Roughrider touchdown early on. King went for the two-point conversion but was stopped just one yard short of the end zone, leaving the score at 15-13 with Bellevue still in the lead.
During Bellevue’s next possession, Roosevelt picked up a 5-yard penalty, giving the Wolverines a significant advantage. Norrah seized the opportunity, driving the ball 30 yards and setting Moon up for a touchdown. However, the play was called back due to a holding penalty on Bellevue, forcing the Wolverines to regroup.
Penalties continued to haunt Roosevelt during the third quarter, with a costly facemask call moving Bellevue closer to the end zone. With the goal line in sight, Moon attempted to push his way in for a score. Recognizing the urgency, Roosevelt’s Chris Ah-Loe delivered a hard-hitting tackle, knocking Moon out of bounds and stopping Bellevue on fourth down.
The Roughriders’ offense regained possession but struggled to gain momentum against Bellevue’s aggressive defense. Roosevelt failed to convert and punted the ball back to Bellevue, giving the Wolverines another chance to extend their lead. Moon wasted no time, sprinting 32 yards before being stopped by Kash Lexing and Mar Mar King. With just four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Bellevue needed a score to create breathing room. Smith delivered, finding the end zone with 55 seconds left. Miller’s extra point extended the Wolverines’ lead to 22-13 as the clock hit zero.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Roosevelt faced a 10-yard penalty, setting them back yet again. Following the setback, Smith intercepted Anderson’s pass, shutting down another Roughrider drive. While the Wolverines failed to score on the ensuing possession and punted, their defense remained dominant.
Roosevelt’s Anderson connected with Lexing on a deep pass, bringing the ball to the Wolverines’ 22-yard line, but their momentum was short-lived. A fumble on the next play gave Bellevue the ball back, and Matthew Reed capitalized, scoring a touchdown that stretched the Wolverines’ lead to 29-13.
Roosevelt refused to go down without a fight. Griffin continued to battle, gaining yardage to move the Roughriders downfield. Anderson connected with Lexing on another impressive pass, but Bellevue’s Moon broke up a potential big play by swatting the ball away. Despite their efforts, the Roughriders faced one setback after another. A sack by Bellevue’s Olly Sharp, coupled with a delay of game penalty, sapped the Roughriders’ energy. Their frustration was evident as their offense failed to find a rhythm, and time was running out.
To make matters worse for Roosevelt, Smith snagged his second interception of the game, cutting short a pass intended for McWilliams. The Roughriders’ sideline grew quiet as the realization set in that their season was coming to an end.
With 1:43 remaining in the game, Bellevue maintained possession. Despite strong final efforts from Roosevelt’s Jaymar Tasi and Ah-Loe, the game ended with a 29-13 victory for Bellevue.
With the win, the undefeated Bellevue Wolverines knocked the Roosevelt Roughriders out of the race to the championship and will now face the undefeated O’Dea Fighting Irish next week at Husky Stadium for the 3A Football State Championship.
Pictorial Highlights of Bellevue vs Roosevelt
