By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Lakeside Lions used a balanced offensive attack, strong defensive play and a pair of blocked punts to take control early and never look back, defeating the Nathan Hale Raiders 45-7 Saturday afternoon.
Lakeside set the tone on special teams early, as Beckett Sheedy blocked a Nathan Hale punt and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. The Lions continued to build their lead throughout the afternoon, capitalizing on turnovers and getting contributions from several players on both sides of the ball. Lakeside’s defense kept the Raiders off the scoreboard until the final seconds of the game.
After Lakeside kicked off to start the game, Nathan Hale’s opening possession got off to a rough start. A false start and a holding penalty pushed the Raiders backward before quarterback Joshua Underwood completed a short pass to Lando Wimberly for two yards. Simon Thornton added an 8-yard run, but an incomplete pass forced Nathan Hale to punt.
Sheedy broke through to block the punt and returned the ball 26 yards for a touchdown. The extra point gave Lakeside a 7-0 lead with 9:33 remaining in the first quarter.
Nathan Hale was unable to generate much offense on its next possession and was forced to punt again. Lakeside took advantage, with Marcelo Alvarado-Smith breaking loose for a 20-yard run and quarterback Nathan Ehrlichman connecting with Hayden Hilpert for a 15-yard completion on fourth down to keep the drive alive.
Ehrlichman found Hilpert again for a 7-yard touchdown pass, and the extra point extended Lakeside’s lead to 14-0.
The first quarter also featured a pair of turnovers. Lakeside’s Mekai Hancock recovered a fumble on a Nathan Hale kickoff return, but the Raiders’ Wes Sherwood recovered a Lakeside fumble on the following play to give Hale another opportunity. The Raiders were unable to capitalize, however, as a sack stalled the possession and forced another punt. Lakeside carried a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.
The Lions continued moving the ball on the ground as Aziel Lopez-Vilchez broke loose for two 13-yard runs to put Lakeside in scoring position. But an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the drive and gave Nathan Hale possession.
The Raiders’ opportunity was short-lived. Underwood’s pass was intercepted by Lakeside’s Owen Smith, who made one of several important contributions for the Lions throughout the afternoon.
Lakeside quickly turned the takeaway into points as Yitbarek Mussie connected with Charlie Mobley for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The extra point gave the Lions a 21-0 advantage with 8:55 remaining in the first half.
Nathan Hale responded with a 10-yard run by Korel Kulisewa and a 12-yard completion from Underwood to Hassan Sarrhini, but the Raiders were unable to sustain the possession and eventually punted.
With the first-half clock winding down, Lakeside continued moving the ball behind several runs by Tony Broom and a 13-yard completion from Ehrlichman to Hoops Rawcliffe. The drive brought the Lions into field-goal range, where Hilpert connected on a 20-yard attempt just before halftime, extending Lakeside’s lead to 24-0.
Nathan Hale kicked off to begin the second half, but Lakeside picked up where it left off. Strong runs from Lopez-Vilchez and completions from Ehrlichman helped move the Lions downfield before Ehrlichman connected with Smith for a 14-yard touchdown pass. The extra point extended Lakeside’s lead to 31-0 with 6:14 remaining in the third quarter.
Hale’s next possession ended in another turnover when the Raiders fumbled and Lakeside recovered. The Lions capitalized again as Broom broke free for an 18-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good, increasing Lakeside’s lead to 38-0 with 4:59 remaining in the quarter.
Nathan Hale continued to battle, with Tavita Faumuina gaining 12 yards on the ground and Underwood completing another short pass to Sarrhini. A Lakeside penalty and a roughing-the-passer call also helped the Raiders move the ball downfield, but a holding penalty pushed Hale backward as the third quarter ended with Lakeside leading 38-0.
Nathan Hale opened the fourth quarter facing a long third-down situation, but a Lakeside penalty gave the Raiders another opportunity. However, the Lions’ special teams unit came through again, blocking its second punt of the afternoon to give Lakeside another scoring opportunity.
The Lions continued moving the ball with runs from Smith and Alvarado-Smith, along with completions from Ehrlichman. The drive ended with Ehrlichman connecting with a teammate for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The extra point extended Lakeside’s lead to 45-0 with 6:26 remaining.
Despite the deficit, Nathan Hale continued to compete. Sherwood picked up nine yards on the ground, and Tavita Faumuina added another five as the Raiders looked for an opportunity to get on the scoreboard.
In the final seconds, Hale made one last push. Underwood completed a 25-yard pass to Tavita Faumuina, who then got the ball to Ben Faumuina. Ben Faumuina covered the final 13 yards for a touchdown as time expired. The extra point was good, giving the Raiders their only points of the afternoon as Lakeside completed its 45-7 victory.
After the game, Lakeside head coach Mike Lengel praised his team’s performance and the contributions of several players throughout the contest.
“A lot of players stepped up to do some pretty great things for us,” said Lengel. “There will always be things we can do better, and today is no different, but at the end of the day a win is a win and we are happy with that result.”
