By CHERYL COCHRANE
For The Beachcomber
Nestled against the backdrop of Whitehorse Mountain, the Pirates took on the Loggers in Darrington Stadium Friday night under crystal clear skies. A large contingent of Vashon fans made the three-hour journey north to cheer on their Pirate team. Despite the enthusiastic crowd, the Loggers pulled away early with 14 points in the first quarter, paving the way to a victory in a game that was plagued by frequent turnovers by both teams.
On the fourth play of the game, a bobbled Pirate snap was scooped up by the Loggers and driven in for a touchdown and two point conversion. The Pirates regained possession but struggled to move the ball and were forced to punt on the fourth down. Darrington held the ball briefly before Vashon’s Chester Pruett intercepted a pass on the Pirate 48-yard line.
Eight plays later, a Pirate pass was intercepted by the Loggers. Soon, a Darrington fumble on the 42-yard line was picked up by Pirate senior Ian McWhirter. On the very next play, the Pirates fumbled. Darrington capitalized on this mistake, recovering the ball and running it in from the Pirate 42-yard line. Vashon stopped the extra point attempt, bringing the score to 14-0.
In the second quarter, Darrington took possession deep in Logger territory following a Pirate punt. On the second play, Darrington fumbled. This time, Pirate sophomore Ronnie Krieger recovered the ball in the end zone for the first Pirate touchdown. Two fouls on the extra point attempt allowed Pirate senior Nick Amundsen easy access for a successful two point conversion. Vashon edged closer, 14-8. Darrington quickly answered back with another touchdown, bringing the score to 21-8 at the end of the first half.
Late in the third quarter, Vashon’s Garrett Starr intercepted a long pass at the Pirate 31-yard line. For the next nine plays, the Pirates pushed aggressively forward toward the goal line. Sam Schoenberg found receiver Ezra Lacina in the end zone for the second Pirate touchdown. Austyn Heit’s extra point brought the score to 21-15.
The Loggers scored twice early in the fourth quarter, including a breakaway 61-yard run. The final extra point kick was blocked by Evan Anderson, holding the Loggers to a 35-15 lead.
Vashon travels again this Friday to meet the Chimacum Cowboys.
— Cheryl Cochrane is the mother of a Pirate football player.
