The Vashon Pirates fell short Friday, losing to the Chimacum Cowboys 32-24 in a hard-fought football contest where the advantage swept like a pendulum from one team to the other all night long.
The loss dropped the Pirates to 1-3 in league play and 2-4 overall.
The battle did not start well for Vashon. The Pirate opening drive stalled quickly and after the punt, Chimacum took the ball on its own 24-yard line. The Pirates were stunned when on the Cowboy’s first play from scrimmage, Chimacum ran right up the middle for 59 yards. Two plays later, the Cowboys swept right to score from the Pirate 14 and take a 7-0 lead.
Later in the first quarter, Vashon answered with a big play of its own. On a first and 10 from the Pirate 20, Adrian Arceo exploded through the left side for a 63-yard gain to the Chimacum 17. Three plays later, Arceo bullied his way through the right side of the line for a six-yard touchdown run. Nick Fox-Edele hit the first of his three PATs, and the Pirates pulled even at 7-7.
With 2:47 left in the first quarter, the Pirates mounted an impressive nine-play drive that covered 55 yards and put Vashon up 14-7. The drive featured a seven-yard pick up by sophomore running back Nick Betz and seven running plays to Arceo, who eventually scored from the two.
The Cowboys, however, came right back to tie the game on a six-play drive of their own that featured a 26-yard completion to Devin Manix and a 29-yard run by Daryn Settlemire.
With about two minutes left in the half and the Cowboys facing a third and 10 from midfield, Tyler Stoffer intercepted and ran it all the way back for a Pirate touchdown. The half ended with Arceo’s 53-yard field goal attempt that just missed as it bounced off the left upright, and the Pirates went into the break with a 21-14 advantage.
The second half opened badly when a Pirate punt from their own 20 was blocked and recovered by Vashon in the end zone, giving Chimacum two points on the safety.
The Pirate defense loomed large when it sacked the Cowboy quarterback and forced a fumble, which Vashon recovered, giving the Pirates a shot from their own 45. A nice run by Rauma and a personal foul against Chimacum moved the ball down to the Cowboy 21. A few plays later, with the ball on the 27, Fox-Edele rang up a 44-yard field goal to give Vashon a 24-16 lead with about six minutes left in the third quarter.
The Cowboys then took over on their own 26 and crafted a 12-play scoring drive that featured a critical 34-yard halfback pass on a third and 25 from their own 46. Chimacum’s two point conversion attempt failed ,and the Pirates held a slim 24-22 advantage.
While the Pirates were finished scoring for the night, the Cowboys put together a time consuming 13-play drive and took a one point lead on a 26-yard field goal with 5:39 left in the contest. They sealed the win after taking over on an interception at the Vashon 27 and scoring on a 14-yard run with a little over two minutes left.
The Pirates will host Life Christian Academy this Friday at 7 p.m.
— Steve Edele, the father of Nick Fox-Edele, covers football for The Beachcomber.
