The Vashon Pirates football team suffered a disappointing home loss to a new Nisqually League team, the Eatonville Cruisers, 47-7, on Friday. Their record is now 0-4.
The Pirates received the opening kickoff on Friday and three plays later were forced to punt. The Cruisers, a team with twice as many players as the Pirates, scored on a 40-yard touchdown run on their first possession, but missed the extra point to lead 6-0.
The Pirates had two other possessions in the first quarter, one ending with an unsuccessful fourth-down try, the other ending in a punt. Eatonville scored two more touchdowns in the quarter to lead 21-0 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter saw Eatonville score again on a 70-yard touchdown run. The Pirates moved the ball, and on a fourth down Nick Amundsen completed a screen pass to Nathan Lawson for 20 yards; later the drive stalled on an incomplete pass on fourth down. Eatonville scored again to stretch the lead to 35-0. The Pirates then had one of their best drives of the night that featured another screen pass and a first down pass from Amundsen to Garrett Starr, but the drive was stopped on a fourth down at the 5-yard line.
The second half started with a failed on-side kick attempt by the Pirates, leading to another Eatonville score and a 41-0 lead.
The Pirates then went three and out, forcing a punt, which led to a 50-yard touchdown run by Eatonville to take the score to 47-0.
With Eatonville’s substitutes in during the fourth quarter, Vashon was finally able to move the ball with Amundsen, Evan Anderson and Lawson each gaining first downs to take the Pirates down to the 10-yard line. Amundsen then pitched the ball to Peter Evans, who threw a touchdown pass to Starr to get the Pirates on the scoreboard. Clyde Pruett, a freshman, kicked the point after for the final score of the night.
The Pirates will play at Port Townsend on Friday. Their next home game is Oct. 12 against Pemberton, also new to the Nisqually League.
—Brian Brenno is the president of the Vashon Bounty Club.
