By Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium
On the first Sunday game of the season for the Northwest Premier Junior Football League, Renton 5 Star took on the Tac City Bolts. Both teams entered the game confident in their ability to execute their game plans to perfection.
5 Star 6U Head Coach Rob Reeves had a positive outlook for his team going into the game, especially with much of this process being relatively new to everyone.
“It’s a new experience for everyone,” said Reeves. “I’ve got 5- and 6-year-olds, and this is their first actual game experience. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re going to do.”
Regarding expectations, Reeves said wins and losses are not the overriding concern. Instead, he is focused on the development of his players and how they improve over the course of the season.
“As far as my expectations, I don’t have any,” Reeves said. “I want to enjoy the fun, have fun with it, and see what we can improve. If we win, we win, and if we lose, we lose. It’s just one of those things where I hope they have a good time doing it.”
Tac City Bolts Head 6U Coach Daz Watson was also optimistic and excited to show the crowd what his squad is capable of.
“Man, we’re feeling good, happy to get the 6’s out here ready to play,” Watson said. “It’s their first time playing ball for a lot of them. We got a lot of the younger 6’s, but we’re confident and excited to see them do their thing.”
On the opening play of 5 Star’s offensive possession, Joel Mefi scored a 60-yard touchdown run to put his team on the board first. The ensuing extra point attempt was no good after 5 Star’s Benjamin Ramarui was stuffed by a collective effort from the Bolts’ defense, led by Lonell Thomas and Jaeonte Broussard, making the score 6-0 in favor of 5 Star.
However, the Bolts responded promptly with a 20-yard run by Jaxtin Scott, which kept 5 Star’s defense on their heels early on. But 5 Star regained their composure, answering the challenge as Raaziq Dumas and Messiah Gray muscled their way into the Bolts’ backfield, creating a huge tackle for loss.
Scott responded by running the ball 25 yards down the field on 3rd-and-16 to pick up a first down, keeping the chains moving for the Bolts. After Scott’s valiant effort, the Bolts turned the ball over on downs, as 5 Star’s defense once again stood tough and held the line.
On the first play of 5 Star’s second offensive possession, Raaziq Dumas broke loose for a 60-yard touchdown, making the score 14-0 after a successful 2-point attempt by Messiah Gray to end the first quarter.
The Bolts efficiently moved the ball downfield before facing a 4th-and-2 play, where they were stopped by 5 Star’s defense, giving 5 Star the ball back for the third time in the game. On the first play after taking possession, Dumas scored on a 45-yard reverse play for a touchdown to make the score 20-0 after a failed 2-point attempt.
Dumas continued to be a standout on both sides of the ball for 5 Star, making several tackles for loss and, along with teammate Isaiah Buckner, creating chaos for the Bolts’ offense.
To end the first half, 5 Star scored on a 50-yard rushing touchdown by Buckner, which was followed up by a 2-point conversion by Dumas to make the score 28-0.
Despite being down on the scoreboard, the Bolts, led by Jaxtin Scott and Jodechi Gore, weren’t discouraged as they continued to fight on both sides of the ball. Scott picked up 5 hard-earned yards on a run to motivate the Bolts on their first possession. They later ran out of gas and turned the ball over to 5 Star after a bad exchange between the center and quarterback, with 5 Star’s Benjamin Ramarui recovering the fumble.
5 Star drove down the field and scored on a 50-yard touchdown by Joel Mefi, making the game 36-0 after a successful 2-point attempt by Dumas.
Despite the mercy rule kicking in, the Bolts did not give up in the fourth quarter. Camron Lovelace, Lonell Thomas, and James Ogletree made it very difficult for 5 Star’s offense to score points. The Bolts’ defense allowed only 6 points in the fourth quarter, but they suffered a tough 42-0 loss to 5 Star in the season opener.
Coach Rob Reeves was impressed with the outcome of the game but also recognized that his team has areas to improve.
“I think they’re going in the right direction,” said Reeves. “They’re eager to learn the game, and I’m liking the aggressiveness that I’m seeing. We could be better in some areas on defense—matter of fact, a lot of areas on defense—but if I had to rate them this game, I’d give them about a 7.”
Pictorial Highlights
Photos by Adam Myers. More game photos from this and all youth football games are available at flixandpixnw.com.
