West Seattle Advances To Playoffs With 31-17 Win Over Blanchet

By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium

Last night, the West Seattle Wildcats and the Bishop Blanchet Bears squared off in the Metro League playoffs in the to determine who will advance to state. While both teams traded offensive and defensive sparks throughout the first half, the Wildcats ultimately took control and defeated the Bears 31-17.

Blanchet received the opening kickoff and wasted no time moving the ball. Quarterback Gavin Henry connected with Teddy Maschmedt for a 13-yard gain on their first play of the game, sparking early momentum for the Bears. Despite a penalty that temporarily set them back, Henry and Zack Schwaegler and Gabe Ariz put together several runs for short gains.

After a defensive pass interference against West Seattle, Blanchet’s rushing attack moved the ball into scoring position. Henry would finish off the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Maschmedt. The extra point gave the Bears a 7–0 lead with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter.

West Seattle responded quickly. Quarterback Desmond Parkinson tried to find rhythm, but an early sack by Everett Berg slowed him down. However, Parkinson soon found his rhythm, as he connected with LJ Moody on an 83-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7–7 with under four minutes left.

The quarter ended with both teams trading punts, setting the tone for a back-and-forth defensive battle.

Blanchet began the second quarter a little rocky and were forced to punt, but they quickly turned it around when they recovered a fumbled punt near the 30-yard line. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Henry handed off to Gabe Ariz, who ran through the line for gains of four and three yards. A personal foul on West Seattle set Blanchet up at the 3-yard line, where Ariz ran it in for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Bears took back the lead 14–7 with 9:23 left in the half.

However, determined not to let Blanchet build momentum. Parkinson connected with Aidan Croppi and Jesse Hansen-Wilson to quickly move West Seattle into scoring position. The Bears’ defense tightened up, and the Wildcats opted for a short 15-yard field goal, narrowing the gap to 14–10.

The next Blanchet possession ended very quickly as West Seattle’s stepped up their defensive pressure. Henry was sacked twice in a row by Miles Guidry and Nolan Polaski, forcing a punt. Parkinson immediately responded, finding Croppi again, but this time on a 59-yard touchdown pass right down the sideline. The extra point gave West Seattle its first lead of the game, at 17–14, with just under four minutes remaining in the first half.

Henry’s final drive of the half seemed promising until he threw an interception to Esayas Brigham, ending the half with West Seattle ahead 17–14.

The Wildcats received the second half kickoff and quickly began establishing dominance. Though their opening possession ended in a punt, Blanchet’s next possession was chaotic. On the first play of their possession, Will Bodgen fumbled ball, which was picked up by West Seattle’s Esayas Brigham, who returned it 20-yards for a touchdown. The West Seattle fans erupted as the Wildcats extended their lead to 24–14 with 9:29 left in the third quarter.

Blanchet tried to immediately respond to the Wildcats touchdown. Henry and Schwaegler helped move the ball downfield to set up a 34-yard field goal that cut the lead to 24-17 midway through the third quarter.

But Parkinson refused to let the Wildcats momentum fade. Facing pressure from the Blanchet defense, Parkinson found DeMarcus Jimerson and Aidan Croppi on key passes before connecting with Miles Guidry on a 2-yard touchdown pass to make the score 31–17 late in the third quarter. Blanchet’s next possession ended with a sack and a fumble recovery, as they trailed by two touchdowns at the end of the third quarter.

Down 14 points at the start of the final quarter, Blanchet needed a boost of energy and almost had one. After a big 21-yard run by West Seattle’s Jesse Hansen-Wilson, the Wildcats were close to scoring, but Blanchet’s Wyatt Pickard-Koorey recorded a sack to push them back. West Seattle then attempted a 35-yard field goal that was blocked by Blanchet, giving the Bears a sense of hope with 8:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Henry then went back to work, connecting with Schwaegler, Maschmedt, and Schroeder on a series of throws that brought Blanchet down to the Wildcats’ 3-yard line. But on fourth down, the Wildcats defense stopped Schwaegler short of the goal line to ultimately securing their soon-to-be victory.

Blanchet would regain possession of the ball late in the game, and try to get some additional points on the board. Henry would connect with Maschmedt and Schroeder to reach the 29-yard line, but his final pass fell incomplete as the clock expired.

After the game, West Seattle head coach Anthony Stordahl was ecstatic about his team’s performance.

“We told the guys at halftime, when we were winning 17-14, that the second half was going to be about heart and culture. We feel that we’ve built an incredible culture with a special group, and our team motto is believe, prepare, execute,” said Stordahl. “We asked the guys if they believed, and they said yes. We asked if they were prepared, and they said yes. And then we asked them to execute for the man next to them, and to play with passion, love and joy. And they did. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Player Stats

West Seattle (Offense):

Desmond Parkinson – 2 rushes, 6 yards; 18/25 passing, 267 yards, 3 TDs
Lennox Parkinson – 8 rushes, 27 yards
Jesse Hansen-Wilson – 7 rushes, 44 yards; 3 receptions, 13 yards
Esayas Brigham – 1 rush, 20 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD
LJ Moody – 5 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD
Aidan Croppi – 4 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD
Justice Nguyen – 2 receptions, 19 yards
Miles Guidry – 1 reception, 2 yards, 1 TD
DeMarcus Jimerson – 1 reception, 16 yards

West Seattle (Defense):

Esayas Brigham – 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery
Miles Guidry – 1 sack
Nolan Polaski – 1 sack
Wyatt Pickard-Koorey – 1 sack

Blanchet (Offense):

Gavin Henry – 12 rushes, 47 yards; 17/29 passing, 174 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Zack Schwaegler – 11 rushes, 72 yards; 3 receptions, 35 yards
Gabe Ariz – 7 rushes, 28 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 6 yards
Teddy Maschmedt – 6 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
Lucas Schroeder – 4 receptions, 22 yards
Charlie Slatt – 3 rushes, 2 yards; 1 reception, 2 yards
Quinn Gonzalez – 1 rush, 8 yards; 1 reception, 9 yards
JR Carlson – 2 rushes, 10 yards
Indi Legat – 1 rush, 8 yards