By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Yesterday, in their first home game of the season, the Rainier Beach Vikings used a balanced offensive attack that saw six different players score touchdowns as they defeated the West Seattle Wildcats 55-0.
But the final score didn’t tell the story of how the game began.
West Seattle and Rainier Beach battled through a scoreless opening quarter, with both defenses coming up big in the early going. West Seattle opened with a promising drive, as quarterback Carlos Patino connected with Justice Nguyen for an 18-yard gain and Dylan Seaborn-Diaz added a 9-yard run to move the Wildcats deep into Beach territory. However, the drive stalled, and West Seattle’s 25-yard field-goal attempt fell short.
Rainier Beach answered with a strong possession of its own. Damari Ae Barrington broke loose for a 20-yard run, while quarterback Esquire Williams moved the Vikings through the air, including an 8-yard completion to Wes Armstrong. Beach crossed into West Seattle territory, but the Wildcats’ defense came up with a sack to eventually force a punt, keeping the game scoreless through the first quarter.
After West Seattle’s drive stalled near midfield early in the second quarter, the Vikings finally broke through. Beach marched down the field behind strong runs from Armstrong and Barrington before Sirjewel Glover took it in from 14 yards out for the game’s first touchdown. The extra point gave Beach a 7-0 lead with 6:29 remaining in the half.
Beach didn’t wait long to strike again. On its next possession, Quis Tovia broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run, turning his only carry of the game into six points and giving the Vikings a 14-0 advantage with 2:52 remaining before halftime.
West Seattle struggled to generate momentum as Beach’s defense recorded multiple sacks, but the Wildcats’ defense gave them one more opportunity when Hawkens Coffey intercepted a pass from Barrington late in the half. West Seattle could not capitalize, and what had been a scoreless game after one quarter went into halftime with Rainier Beach leading 14-0.
The Wildcats appeared to find the break they needed to start the second half.
West Seattle blocked a Beach punt, giving the Wildcats an opportunity to cut into the Vikings’ two-touchdown lead. But the opportunity disappeared almost immediately when West Seattle fumbled on the ensuing possession and Beach recovered.
The momentum swing from the fumble recovery gave the Beach Boyz the spark they needed. Glover seized the moment, breaking loose for a 56-yard touchdown run, his second score of the game, to push Beach’s lead to 21-0 with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter. Combined with his 14-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Glover was emerging as one of Beach’s biggest offensive threats, eventually finishing with 81 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just three carries.
Then things began to unravel quickly for West Seattle.
The Wildcats fumbled again on their next possession, giving Beach another opportunity. Micah Ili-Meneese took advantage, scoring on a 13-yard touchdown run less than two minutes after Glover’s score. Just like that, a 14-0 halftime lead had become 28-0.
Beach continued to apply pressure defensively, forcing another West Seattle punt. The Wildcats’ defense came up with another big play when they recovered a Beach fumble near the goal line, but once again West Seattle’s offense could not turn the opportunity into points.
Beach’s offense continued to move the ball, with Barrington connecting with Mykhai Stanton for a 23-yard gain as the Vikings showed another dimension to their attack. On a later possession, Williams connected with Glover for 17 yards before Barrington eventually found the end zone on a 15-yard touchdown run. Barrington, who contributed both running and throwing the football, finished as Beach’s leading rusher with 86 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.
The extra point made it 35-0 with 1:28 remaining in the third quarter. In a span of less than seven minutes, Beach had scored three touchdowns and turned a competitive first half into a commanding lead.
West Seattle opened the fourth quarter with a 10-yard gain but could not sustain the drive, eventually punting after a series of incomplete passes and an intentional grounding penalty.
Beach responded quickly. Barrington ripped off a 13-yard run before Choice Wilkins Delgardo broke free for a 15-yard touchdown run. The extra point pushed the Vikings’ lead to 42-0 with 10:35 remaining and started a running clock as Beach’s defense continued to keep West Seattle off the scoreboard.
By then, the Vikings were getting contributions from throughout their lineup.
A big punt return gave Beach the ball at the West Seattle 20-yard line. Even after a holding penalty pushed the Vikings backward, Branham Moto raced 22 yards for another touchdown, extending the lead to 49-0 with 4:49 remaining.
West Seattle fumbled on its next possession, and Beach capitalized one final time. Ili-Meneese found the end zone on a 10-yard run as time expired, giving him his second touchdown of the game and securing a 55-0 victory for the Beach Boyz.
By the time the game was over, six different Vikings had scored touchdowns, and all eight of Beach’s touchdowns came on the ground. The Vikings rushed for 350 yards on just 25 carries, an average of 14 yards per attempt, while adding 62 yards through the air for 412 yards of total offense.
Beach’s offensive balance went well beyond the number of players who reached the end zone. Glover finished with 81 rushing yards and two touchdowns on three carries and added three receptions for 31 yards. Barrington led the Vikings with 86 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Tovia turned his only carry into a 60-yard score. Ili-Meneese scored twice, and Wilkins Delgardo and Moto each added a touchdown.
Beach was equally dominant on the other side of the ball. After West Seattle’s promising opening possession, the Vikings repeatedly pressured the Wildcats, forced turnovers and kept them off the scoreboard. West Seattle finished with just 73 yards of total offense, including 47 yards rushing and 26 yards passing. Patino completed just 3 of 23 passes for 26 yards as Beach’s defense completed the shutout.
The numbers reflected how dramatically the game changed after halftime. After the teams battled through a scoreless first quarter and Beach took a 14-0 lead into halftime, the Vikings outscored West Seattle 41-0 in the second half.
Despite the loss, West Seattle head coach Anthony Stordahl said he believes his team will be fine, but the Wildcats have to get back to work on Monday.
“The game did not go how we expected. We played well in the first half, but the second half really got away from us,” Stordahl said. “Beach is a big and physical team. They are a really good team, I expect them to make a pretty deep run in the playoffs.”
Game Stats
Rainier Beach 55, West Seattle 0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Rainier Beach | 0 | 14 | 21 | 20 | 55 |
| West Seattle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Statistics
| Category | Rainier Beach | West Seattle |
| Rushing | 25-350 | 11-47 |
| Yards Per Rush | 14.0 | 4.3 |
| Passing | 5-12-1 | 3-23 |
| Passing Yards | 62 | 26 |
| Total Offense | 412 | 73 |
| Rushing TDs | 8 | 0 |
| First-Half Points | 14 | 0 |
| Second-Half Points | 41 | 0 |
Game Stats:
Rainier Beach
Rushing: Damari Ae Barrington 8-86, TD; Sirjewel Glover 3-81, 2 TD; Quis Tovia 1-60, TD; Esquire Williams 3-26; Micah Ili-Meneese 2-23, 2 TD; Branham Moto 1-22, TD; Wes Armstrong 3-18; Choice Wilkins Delgardo 1-15, TD; R’meeko Toms 1-10; Khi Fields 2-9. Team: 25-350, 8 TD.
Passing: Esquire Williams 4-8-0, 39 yards; Damari Ae Barrington 1-4-1, 23 yards. Team: 5-12-1, 62 yards.
Receiving: Sirjewel Glover 3-31; Mykhai Stanton 1-23; Wes Armstrong 1-8. Team: 5-62.
Scoring: Sirjewel Glover 2 rushing TD; Micah Ili-Meneese 2 rushing TD; Quis Tovia rushing TD; Damari Ae Barrington rushing TD; Choice Wilkins Delgardo rushing TD; Branham Moto rushing TD; Abeneezer Tewodros 7 PAT.
Kicking: Abeneezer Tewodros 7-7 PAT, 7 points.
West Seattle
Rushing: Coco Cicero 1-15; Dylan Seaborn-Diaz 5-14; Carlos Patino 2-8; River Kuromi 1-8; Justice Nguyen 1-2; Hawkens Coffey 1-0. Team: 11-47.
Passing: Carlos Patino 3-23, 26 yards.
Receiving: Justice Nguyen 1-18; River Kuromi 1-8; Kian Deeds 1-0.
Total Offense: 73 yards.
Defense: Hawkens Coffey, INT; Jack Berg, fumble recovery.
Pictorial Highlights of West Seattle vs Rainier Beach
Photos/Tyler Artis
