Eastside Catholic 49, Chief Sealth 0
Things started badly for Chief Sealth and didn’t get any better, as Eastside Catholic took advantage of a series of early turnovers and special teams miscues to defeat the Seahawks 49-0 in Metro League action.
The trouble began almost immediately for the Seahawks.
Chief Sealth opened the game with possession but fumbled on its second play from scrimmage, and Eastside Catholic recovered at the Seahawks’ 7-yard line. On the very next play, Crusaders quarterback Jordan Meas connected with Tytan McNeal for a 7-yard touchdown pass.
Eastside Catholic then converted the two-point conversion, as Drew Hixson connected with Ezekiel Sale-Ayala to give the Crusaders an 8-0 lead with 11:39 remaining in the opening quarter.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for Chief Sealth.
The Seahawks got the ball back but turned it over again, giving Eastside Catholic possession at the Chief Sealth 29-yard line. Running back Daniel Jones quickly took advantage of the short field, breaking loose for a 21-yard touchdown run that increased the Crusaders’ lead to 15-0 with 11:18 remaining.
Eastside Catholic’s defense forced Chief Sealth to punt on the Seahawks’ next possession, and Zavier Traxler returned the kick 35 yards to once again give the Crusaders favorable field position.
This time, Meas and Traxler finished the job through the air, connecting on a 25-yard touchdown pass to extend Eastside Catholic’s advantage to 22-0 with 6:26 remaining in the first quarter.
The Crusaders’ special teams unit soon joined the scoring.
On Chief Sealth’s next possession, Eastside Catholic’s Caden Weber blocked a Seahawks punt, and the Crusaders recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. The score gave Eastside Catholic a commanding 29-0 lead with 5:21 still remaining in the opening quarter.
Less than two minutes later, Traxler struck again.
Fielding another Chief Sealth punt, Traxler raced 58 yards for a touchdown, his second score of the game, to push the Crusaders’ lead to 36-0 with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter.
By the end of the opening period, Eastside Catholic had scored five touchdowns in a variety of ways. The Crusaders found the end zone through the air and on the ground, recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and returned another punt for a score as Chief Sealth struggled to slow their early momentum.
The start of the second quarter brought more of the same.
On the first play of the period, Meas connected with Traxler again, this time for a 38-yard touchdown. Traxler broke three tackles before striding the final 10 yards into the end zone for his third touchdown of the night.
The score increased Eastside Catholic’s lead to 43-0 with 11:43 remaining in the second quarter and capped a remarkable stretch in which the Crusaders scored 43 points in just over 12 minutes of game time.
Eastside Catholic would add one more touchdown before the night was over, completing the 49-0 victory over the Seahawks.
With the win, the Crusaders improved to 4-0 and continued their dominant start to the season. Through four games, Eastside Catholic is averaging 45 points per game while allowing just 5.25 points per contest. Chief Sealth, meanwhile, dropped to 0-4.
Franklin 18, Nathan Hale 0
Franklin used a strong rushing attack and a dominant defensive performance to shut out Nathan Hale 18-0 in Metro League action. Henry Moore led the Quakers’ offense, rushing 17 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns, while Devion Frazier added the team’s other rushing touchdown. Tyrique Galloway also contributed on the ground with 33 yards on just three carries as Franklin finished with 107 rushing yards and scored all three of its touchdowns on the ground. Pasted markdown Pasted markdown
Defensively, the Quakers kept Nathan Hale off the scoreboard while recording seven tackles for loss, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Serigne Ndiaye and Moore led Franklin with eight tackles apiece, while Isa Abdul Shakur recorded six tackles and two sacks. Abdikadir Hajir added an interception, while Galloway and Abdirahim Omar each recovered a fumble as Franklin’s defense preserved the shutout.
Blanchet 19, Ballard 13
Bishop Blanchet wasted little time making an impact, returning the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to take an early 6-0 lead over Ballard.
Ballard’s first possession was slowed by penalties, eventually forcing the Beavers to punt. Blanchet took advantage, putting together a methodical drive that ended with another touchdown and extended its lead to 12-0.
Ballard eventually found its footing and cut Blanchet’s lead to 12-7 before halftime, keeping the game within reach heading into the second half.
The Beavers continued to battle, but Blanchet did enough down the stretch to hold them off and secure a 19-13 victory.
Ingraham 53, Garfield 20
Ingraham scored four unanswered touchdowns to open the game and never looked back, as the Rams cruised to a 53-20 Metro League victory over Garfield.
Ingraham got their first score of the game when quarterback Keisik Pedersen connected with Blake Stauff for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The Rams followed with a 5-yard touchdown run by James Montagner before Pedersen struck again, finding Graham Bergstrom for a 32-yard touchdown pass.
Ingraham continued to apply pressure as Mac Faw connected with Bina Wolde for a 37-yard touchdown pass, giving the Rams a commanding 26-0 lead.
Garfield eventually stopped the bleeding, finding the end zone on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 remaining in the first half. The score cut Ingraham’s lead to 26-7 heading into halftime.
The Bulldogs continued to battle in the second half, but Ingraham’s fast start proved too much to overcome as the Rams went on to secure a 53-20 victory.
Other Scores:
Granite Falls 26, Lakeside (Seattle) 0
West Seattle 32, Roosevelt 17
Seattle Prep 42, Lincoln (Seattle) 6
O’Dea 50, Rainier Beach 18
Franklin 18, Nathan Hale0
