Rainier Beach Vikings Dominate Blanchet Bears, 50-10

Reported by Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium

The Rainier Beach Vikings delivered one of their most complete performances of the season Friday night, pulling away from the Bishop Blanchet Bears for a 50–10 Metro League win. The Vikings entered the game with a 3–1 overall record (2–1 Metro) looking to stay in contention near the top of the league standings. Blanchet came in at 2–3 overall and 1–3 in league play, aiming to bounce back with a signature win. Instead, they ran into a Rainier Beach team that found its rhythm early and never let go.

Blanchet opened the scoring with a field goal midway through the first quarter and briefly held a 3–0 lead. But that would be the only time the Bears would lead in the game. On the Vikings’ first offensive series, running back Damari King quickly shifted momentum with back-to-back runs of 24 and 13 yards, breaking off chunks of yardage against a defense that had shown early signs of aggressiveness. After a small loss and incomplete pass, quarterback Esquire Williams connected with Tek Mwamba for a 13-yard touchdown pass, and after a successful two-point conversion Rainier Beach held an early 8–3 lead.

From that point on, the Vikings continued to build momentum. After a defensive stop, Williams hit Marques Ili-Meneese for a first-down gain, and Ze Watkins followed it with a 42-yard touchdown run, as the Vikings quickly built a 14–3 lead.

However, Blanchet would regroup behind quarterback Gavin Henry and running back Gabe Ariz. The Bears put together a steady drive just before halftime, helped by completions to receivers Indi Legat and Teddy Maschmedt, and a strong run by Ariz to cap off the drive with a touchdown, as Blanchet trimmed the deficit to 12, at 22–10, going into halftime.

But the second half belonged entirely to Rainier Beach.

King picked up where he left off, opening the third quarter with a 26-yard run, then adding another strong carry to put the Vikings in scoring position. Williams and Mwamba linked up again—this time on a 20-yard touchdown pass—to push the lead to 28–10.

Blanchet managed to move the ball into Viking territory again, but the Rainier Beach defense stepped up and continued to make big plays, as Micah Ili-Meneese intercepted a Henry pass, ending a promising drive by the Bears. The Vikings’ offense wasted little time responding. Williams found Kayvon Jackson for a short gain, then hit Ameer Johnson twice for big yards before King punched in a one-yard touchdown run. That score pushed the lead to 34–10.

The Vikings’ defense tightened further late in the third. After Blanchet gained ground on runs by Ariz and catches from Rinderle and Maschmedt, Ili-Meneese grabbed his second interception of the game. Williams responded by finding Sirjewel Glover deep for a 41-yard gain and then connected with Ili-Meneese on a 6-yard touchdown pass, as Rainier Beach took a 42–10 lead after a successful two-point conversion.

Rainier Beach still wasn’t finished. Ze Watkins came up with the team’s fourth interception of the game on Blanchet’s next possession. That takeaway set up another score, as Williams threw his third touchdown pass to Mwamba—this time from 10 yards out—to make the score 50–10 in favor of Rainier Beach.

Blanchet tried to mount one last scoring drive, but a late interception—also by Watkins—sealed the outcome and marked the fifth and final turnover forced by the Vikings’ defense.

After the game, Rainier Beach head coach Charles McFarland Jr. said the team’s focus throughout the week helped lead to the strong showing.

“I just tell them every week our goal is to go 1 and 0,” McFarland said. “Then we push toward state. When those goals align, that’s fuel for success.”

With the win, Rainier Beach improves to 4–1 overall and 3–1 in Metro League play. The Vikings showed balance on offense, combining a physical running game with big-play passing, and backed it up with a defense that forced five interceptions and made key stops in critical moments.

Blanchet, now 2–4 (1–4 Metro), showed toughness on both sides of the ball and had stretches of solid execution. But the Bears couldn’t overcome Rainier Beach’s explosive playmaking and overall depth. With the season entering its back half, both teams will look to build on the lessons from this matchup as the playoff picture starts to take shape.

Player Statistics

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