By Airik Myers
The Seattle Medium
In this week’s game of the week, the Rainier Ravens took on the CD Panthers in a rematch of last year’s freshmen division championship game. This was the first big game of the 2018 football season, and it did not disappoint. The teams were defensive juggernauts for 4 quarters, forcing their offenses to face off in overtime to decide the winner.
The game started with an explosive first possession for the Ravens. Ravens’ running back J’shaun Wilson and quarterback Michaal Wayman had several would be highlight plays that were unfortunately called back for penalties. This first huge offensive play from the Ravens was a great throw and catch from Wayman to Wilson for a 20-yard gain.
The first half was a defensive highlight reel for both teams. Several players on the Panthers made great defensive plays, but it was Kareem “Beastmode” Smith who helped set the tone for his team on defense with a 20-yard tackle for a loss. The Ravens also made some fantastic defensive stops, with Tim Rolle and Jaylon Pitre making some key stops to help set up their offense with great field position.
Due to the stout defense by both teams, the game went to halftime with the score tied at 0 – 0.
The second half started with the same strong defense that the first half contained. The Ravens received the second half kickoff and made some strides on the first possession of the half. After some gritty defensive stops, the Panthers offense got the ball. With both teams having the opportunity to make strides and score, penalties, fumbles and offensive errors began to play a bigger role in the game. Ultimately, through 4 quarters of hard-nose defensive football, the score was a 0 – 0 tie at the end of regulation.
The overtime started with the Ravens on offense. After two positive plays on first and second down, the first score of the game came on a 10-yard touchdown run by Jaylon Pitre. They Ravens’ pass attempt for the extra point was no good, leaving the score at 6-0. It was now the Panthers chance to respond. The Ravens defense held strong, stopping a run to the right on the first play of the Panthers final possession. Second down was another run stuffed by the defense, this time to the left. On third down, the Panthers tried to score through the air, but the Ravens defense again stepped up to break up the pass and force a final down.
On the final play of the game, the Panthers gave one last effort to tie the game, but confusion on the play call gave the defense enough time to make the final stop. Final score: Rainer Ravens 6, CD Panthers 0.
