As we all know, a Pirate loves to be near water.
Vashon High School’s Pirate football players were clearly in their element last Friday night as they set Port Townsend adrift in a driving rainstorm, ultimately sinking the Redskins, 36 to 8.
You would want Pirate running back Adrian Arceo on your high school fantasy football team. In a masterful display of Vashon’s powerful running game, Arceo took the ball on 34 carries, scoring four times while racking up 268 yards. Tack on Nick Fox-Edele’s beautiful 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half, and the Pirates never had to leave the ground in order to demonstrably avenge a pair of tough losses to the Redskins last year.
Adding to the rushing attack were Alex Sohl, who carried the ball 11 times for 72 yards, and quarterback Jeff Rauma, who picked up 43 yards on 13 carries.
None of this would have come to pass without the outstanding play of Kyle Bakker, Carlos Recendes, Robert Easton, Vince Javonovich and Evan Hills. The Pirate offensive line blew open huge holes for the running backs all night long.
“We really played a great game on both sides of the ball,” commented head coach Clay Eastly, “but we really do need to stop giving the ball away. We had the same problem in our first game. I’m hoping that this time it was mostly due to the weather conditions, but even so we must do a better job protecting the ball.” Indeed, in the only sour note of the evening for Vashon, the Pirates fumbled the ball 10 times and turned it over on five of those occasions.
On its opening possession of the ball game, Port Townsend went for a first down on a fourth-and-one from inside its own 35 yard line. The Pirate defense stuffed the Redskins for a loss, took over on downs, and five plays later scored on Arceo’s first touchdown of the night. Fox-Edele’s PAT was good and Vashon was up 7-0.
With 2:09 left in the first quarter, Arceo ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run on a first and 10 from the Pirate 47. Neither team scored in the second quarter, and the half ended with the Pirates ahead, 13-0.
Vashon blew the game open in the third quarter, scoring 20 unanswered points. Fox-Edele opened the half with his kickoff return for a touchdown. With Arceo’s PAT, it put the Pirates up 20-0. On the Redskins’ next possession, Fox-Edele picked off a Port Townsend pass, but three plays later Vashon gave it back on a fumble. The Pirate defense held the Redskins and, after the punt, took over on their own 41 yard line. It took only nine plays for the Pirates to march downfield and score on a seven-yard scamper by Arceo, bolstering the Vashon margin to 26-0.
Vashon scored again on its next possession, going 55 yards in five plays. The drive was highlighted by a beautiful 39-yard Rauma pass that he floated over the middle of the field right into the hands of Hamzah Griffin, who took the pass in full stride, reaching the Port Townsend six-yard line before he was stopped. Two plays later it was Arceo once again, this time scoring from the 3.
After the Redskins scored at the start of the final quarter, the Pirates mounted a long sustained drive that came to an end on a fumble that was recovered by Port Townsend. However, Zach Theno immediately intercepted a Redskin pass, and on the Pirates ensuing possession, Fox-Edele hit a 31-yard field goal to conclude the scoring.
The game was the Nisqually League opener for both teams, and the victory propels the Pirates into Saturday night’s crucial contest against perennial powerhouse Cascade Christian on the Cougar’s home turf at 7 p.m.
— Steve Edele is the father of Nick Fox-Edele.
Fallen soldier honored
First Lt. Robert Bennedsen, a 2004 Vashon High School graduate who was killed in Afghanistan on July 18, was honored during half-time at Friday night’s game.
Number 32, his jersey, was retired. Also presented to his parents Scott and Tracy and his sister Jamie was a hand-carved flag made by Jerry and Candy Long.
The season will be dedicated to Bennedsen, a football player who holds several VHS records.
“Robert’s heart, tenacity, courage, commitment and sportsmanship are Pirate traits,” Russ Brazil, the announcer, told the crowd. “We strive to honor him and his spirit with our play.”
