Lleyton Cross Leads Roosevelt To 42-0 Victory Over Garfield

Reported by Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium

This Metro League matchup between the Garfield Bulldogs and the Roosevelt Roughriders started as a tight defensive battle but quickly turned into a dominant performance for Roosevelt, who rolled to a 42-0 shutout behind explosive special teams, a potent passing attack, and a relentless defense. It was Garfield’s first game back in three weeks after being forced to forfeit their last two contests due to a lack of healthy players. Roosevelt, meanwhile, came in riding the momentum of a big win over Ballard, and they wasted no time picking up where they left off.

Both teams came out strong defensively in the opening quarter. Garfield’s Jason McIntosh and Gabe Burns helped move the ball on the ground, while quarterback Michaal Wayman connected on a 40-yard strike to Bryan Hurd, giving the Bulldogs their best field position of the game. Roosevelt, however, stood tall, with Isaac Washington and Ben Baker combining on key backfield stops to stall the drive. On the other side, Garfield’s Porter Rohde intercepted a pass midway through the quarter, halting Roosevelt’s early momentum after starting quarterback Rece Shewey briefly left the game with an injury.

The tone shifted early in the second quarter. Roosevelt’s Lleyton Cross broke the scoreless tie with an electric 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, injecting life into the Roughriders and igniting a wave of scoring that Garfield couldn’t match. Following a Garfield drive that ended in an interception, Shewey returned to the game and immediately hit Cross deep for an 87-yard touchdown, making it 14-0 after a successful two-point conversion.

Garfield tried to answer with a heavy dose of the run game. Burns broke off a 38-yard gain, and the Bulldogs earned a first down on a special teams penalty by Roosevelt for too many players on the field. But again, the Roosevelt defense held firm, and Isaac Washington came up with another interception to end the threat. The Roughriders capitalized once more, this time with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Shewey to Washington to extend the lead to 24-0 after another two-point conversion.

Despite showing flashes of offensive potential, Garfield struggled to maintain consistency. McIntosh churned out yards on the ground and finished the half with back-to-back runs of 15 and 10 yards. But pressure from Roosevelt’s defensive front, including sacks from Aban Mohammed and Nick Archer, pushed Garfield backward as the half ended.

Coming out of the break, Garfield put together one of its most promising drives of the game, fueled by hard running from Sederick Owens, who ripped off gains of 17 and 21 yards on back-to-back plays. The Bulldogs marched into Roosevelt territory but couldn’t finish the drive, turning the ball over on downs inside the 10-yard line. On the very next play, Shewey found Cross again, this time for a 66-yard touchdown, to make it 32-0 midway through the third quarter.

Garfield’s Rohde came up with his second interception of the day on the following Roosevelt drive, and McIntosh again moved the chains with a 17-yard run. Still, the Roosevelt defense stayed locked in, and Garfield was again turned away.

Roosevelt continued to attack through the air in the fourth quarter. Shewey connected with Cross for a 33-yard gain and then hit Washington for a 30-yard touchdown to push the lead to 38-0. A Garfield fumble on their next possession was recovered by Mohammed, setting up Roosevelt for one final scoring drive. Jalen Spence capped off the drive with a 26-yard touchdown run to seal the 42-0 win.

For Roosevelt, Lleyton Cross was the clear standout. He touched the ball just seven times but racked up 291 total yards — two rushes for 105 yards, five catches for 186 and four total touchdowns, including the game-breaking kickoff return. Quarterback Rece Shewey was surgical, completing 15-of-27 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 64 yards rushing on 13 carries. On defense, Washington and Brooks Shewey each had interceptions, while Mohammed and Baker helped lead a pass rush that pressured Garfield’s quarterbacks throughout the day.

Garfield, despite the scoreline, had some solid individual efforts. Jason McIntosh led all Bulldog rushers with 72 yards on 13 carries, showing strong vision and footwork. Gabe Burns added 63 yards on the ground, and Sederick Owens had a spark in the second half with 51 rushing yards on just six carries. Through the air, Wayman completed six passes for 76 yards, with Bryan Hurd accounting for 56 yards receiving. On defense, Porter Rohde was a bright spot, coming away with three interceptions in a gritty effort.

After the game, Roosevelt head coach Zach Porter credited his players for adapting to the midseason changes the team has faced.

“There’s been a lot of leadership change,” said Porter. “People stepping up, [especially] the wide receiver room stepping up.”

“I came in midway through the season, so our guys are doing a tremendous job picking up a new playbook and adapting to it,” added Porter.

The win lifts Roosevelt to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in Metro League play, while Garfield, still looking for its first win, falls to 0-3 (0-4 Metro) in a season impacted by injuries and missed games. For the Roughriders, the win marks another step forward in a second-half turnaround.

Player Stats

Roosevelt (Offense):

• Lleyton Cross: 2 carries, 105 yards; 5 receptions, 186 yards, 3 receiving TDs; 1 kickoff return TD (88 yards)
• Rece Shewey: 13 carries, 64 yards; 15 completions (27 attempts), 381 passing yards, 5 passing TDs, 3 INTs
• Isaac Washington: 3 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TDs
• Ben Baker: 4 receptions, 67 yards
• Jalen Spence: 2 carries, 22 yards, 1 rushing TD

Roosevelt (Defense):

• Isaac Washington: 1 interception; 0.5 sack
• Brooks Shewey: 1 interception
• Rece Shewey: 1 interception
• Aban Mohammed: 0.5 sack; 1 fumble recovery
• Ben Baker: 0.5 sack
• Nick Archer: 0.5 sack
• Grant Lampitt: 1 tackle
• Marcus Hall: 1 tackle

Garfield (Offense):

• Jason McIntosh: 13 carries, 72 yards
• Gabe Burns: 5 carries, 63 yards
• Sederick Owens: 6 carries, 51 yards
• Porter Rohde: 2 carries, 13 yards; 3 receptions, 14 yards
• Michaal Wayman: 4 carries, -1 yard; 6 completions (13 attempts), 76 passing yards, 1 INT
• Bryan Hurd: 3 receptions, 56 yards
• Nas Souleyman: 4 kickoff returns (approx. 78 yards total)