By Rayjaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Looking to earn their first win of the season, the Rainier Beach Vikings entered week four with a matchup against Ballard High School (2-1) after being shut out last week by O’Dea. Ballard, who were coming off a nail-biting 18-14 win against Lincoln, looked to even their record at 2-2.
Despite being a young football team, Rainier Beach Head Football Coach Corey Sampson acknowledges that once his young players get some experience kicks in, they will be a team to be reckoned with.
Knowing what the Vikings are capable of once they click on both sides of the ball, Ballard had an opportunity to avenge their last season’s 49-21 loss to Rainier Beach.
Last season, Ballard went 2-8, and through their first three games this season, they already have won two games and are on pace to have a much better record.
Both teams’ opening possessions were won by their defenses; neither Rainier Beach nor Ballard’s first drives gained any rhythm. The defenses owned the line of scrimmage, got into the backfield for tackles resulting in no gain, and forced both teams to punt on ‘three-and-outs.’
Rainier Beach would start to gain some offensive momentum on their second drive, as running back Damari King’s ability to follow his lead blockers and break tackles would keep the chains moving for the Vikings. King would cap off the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run to give the Vikings a 6-0 lead.
The Vikings’ defense complemented their offense; Ballard appeared to find their rhythm by keeping Rainier Beach guessing until sophomore defensive back Damari King jumped the route of a Beaver wide receiver and intercepted the pass.
Ballard would open the second quarter of play by opening up their playbook. They began throwing screen passes, which helped them establish their running game behind the efforts of running back John Henry.
While the Beavers were able to gain some offensive momentum, the Vikings did not make it easy for them. Despite some timely defensive plays by the Vikings, the Beavers were still able to get into the endzone on a one-yard run by Henry to give Ballard a 7-6 lead.
After the touchdown, Ballard’s defense was able to get the ball back to their offense quickly, which allowed sophomore running back Andrew Moore to fuel their offense on the next drive as he would gain nearly five yards per carry.
Controlling the tempo and time of possession, Beavers quarterback Dylan Wallblom guided his team downfield and found Finn Pieterson for a 33-yard touchdown, expanding Ballard’s lead to 15-6 following a two-point conversion.
Facing a nine-point deficit with three minutes left in the second quarter, Rainier Beach answered immediately with a 65-yard touchdown from King to cut Ballard’s lead to 15-12.
Looking to put together a successful two-minute drive before halftime, Ballard was unsuccessful thanks to Rainier Beach’s defense. On the drive, the Vikings’ secondary rose to the occasion, breaking up passes and forcing penalties to keep the Beavers out of the endzone, as the first half came to an end.
Coming out for the second half, Ballard controlled the time of possession yet again. Possessing the football for 10 minutes, as Moore and Henry took turns running the ball as they marched downfield against Rainier Beach’s defense.
Ballard was able to get into score position before the Viking defense came up big. Ballard had the ball on the goal line with fourth and one to go, where they would call a ‘quarterback sneak,’ and Rainier Beach’s defense as a collective won the battle at the line of scrimmage causing a turnover on downs to get the football back.
Now with possession near their own endzone, the Vikings needed a few yards to operate before calling a play that would change the trajectory of this game. Getting to the five-yard line, Coach Sampson called a wide receiver screen, and quarterback James Siva connected with Oteka Mwamba for a 95-yard touchdown to give Rainier Beach their first lead of the game, 18-15, as the teams entered the fourth quarter of the game.
In the game’s final twelve minutes, fans were in for a rollercoaster of emotions and left on the edge of their seats.
With three points separating the two teams, each down was critical, yet neither team’s offense could get into a rhythm with the football. Rainier Beach’s defense remained aggressive, deflecting passes, disrupting the quarterback, and getting their second turnover on downs after a Ballard failed fourth-down attempt.
The Beaver’s defense adjusted to the Vikings’ motion offense and stopped their rushing attack, which benefited them a great deal because it kept Rainier Beach out of scoring range.
Ballard would get the ball back with 17 seconds left in the game and a chance to win or tie the game to send it into overtime.
Wallblom would drop back for a Hail Mary pass, which was caught by Dom Hayes at the one-yard line, but Ballard had no timeouts, and once they tried to snap the ball, time expired, and Rainier Beach walked off the field with an 18-15 victory for their first win of the season.
This week, Rainier Beach (1-3) will face Lincoln. Ballard, now 2-2, will face the Garfield Bulldogs.
Pictorial Highlights of Rainier Beach vs Ballard
