By Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium
The wind and rain swept across Ingraham High School Stadium Friday night, but the weather didn’t stop the Lincoln Lynx and Chief Sealth Seahawks from taking the field for their regular season finale. Both squads came in looking to build off wins from the previous week, hoping to finish the season strong and with momentum heading into the playoffs.
It didn’t take long for the Seahawks to make their presence felt. On Lincoln’s opening possession, quarterback Ben Ward mishandled a backwards pass that was quickly recovered by the aggressive Sealth defense, setting up the offense with prime field position. Running back Marshawn Tovia-Ford wasted no time establishing the Seahawks’ identity. Running downhill and finishing through contact, Tovia-Ford capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown to give Sealth an early 7–0 lead.
Lincoln looked to respond behind the tough running of Matteus Alin, who fought for first downs and helped shift field position. But just when the Lynx seemed to be settling in, a miscue on special teams shifted the momentum back to the Seahawks. A high snap on a Lincoln punt attempt flew over the punter’s head and rolled out of the back of the endzone, resulting in a safety and a 9–0 lead for Sealth.
After the free kick, both teams traded possessions, but the Seahawks defense struck again. Another backwards pass by Ward was recovered by Chief Sealth, putting the offense right back in scoring range. This time it was running back Loto Amituanai who made the Lynx pay, slicing through the defense for a 22-yard touchdown. A missed two-point attempt made it 15–0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Chief Sealth continued to control the game on both sides of the ball. Even after a rare mistake — a fumble recovered by Lincoln’s Montrese Weaver Jr. — the Seahawks defense quickly shut the door, forcing another punt.
Sealth quarterback MJ Filituala started to heat up, displaying poise in the pocket and confidence in his playmakers. He connected with Marquis Tovia on a smooth 25-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 22–0. A few plays later, after another defensive stop, Filituala found Kingston Cappiello on a beautifully thrown 18-yard strike. With the score at 29–0, the Seahawks were firing on all cylinders.
Lincoln tried to muster a response before the half. Landon Jones delivered a 44-yard kickoff return, and a block-in-the-back penalty added even more yardage to give Lincoln great field position. But just as the Lynx lined up for a much-needed field goal attempt, Sealth’s special teams unit broke through for a block, denying even a single point as the half ended.
Out of the break, Lincoln played with renewed energy. Avery Jones became a spark on both sides of the ball. Early in the third quarter, he forced and recovered a fumble deep in Sealth territory, then later capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run. That trimmed the deficit to 29–7 and gave Lincoln a glimmer of hope.
The Seahawks, however, weren’t rattled. Filituala stayed aggressive, connecting with Tovia on a 31-yard gain to move the chains. Even though Jones recorded a key sack to stall the drive, the Seahawks still chewed up clock and continued to win the field position battle. A missed field goal kept the score steady as the third quarter wound down.
With Lincoln opening the fourth quarter on offense, urgency was high. The Lynx quickly drove downfield but were once again denied on a fourth-and-short inside Sealth territory. From there, the Seahawks took control of the clock — and the scoreboard. They tacked on a field goal and capped the night with a 9-yard touchdown run by Tovia-Ford, his second of the game, making it 39–7.
Head coach Daron Camacho praised his team’s depth and ability to step up when it mattered most.
“Going into this game we had a couple of unfortunate events that took place with our starters not being able to go,” said Camacho. “We had a few guys that stepped in and it was great to see them rise to the occasion and help rally this team to a victory.”
Photos/Von’Rico O’Neal
