The 2016 VHS football season had a rough start with Friday’s away game in Forks. The Pirates fought hard with a light squad, but lost to the Spartans on a new artificial turf field, losing 42-26 in the non-league match.

Struggling against Labor Day weekend traffic and construction delays, Vashon arrived in Forks with less than an hour to suit up, take the field and warm up. This had obvious repercussions in the first half of the game. Hampering the team further was a meager turnout for the distant game. The Pirates had only 17 eligible players of 33 total against a home team with a full roster and some very large players.

This being the first game played on the new Spartan Field, the game was preceded by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, fireworks and a speech by the mayor of Forks. The venue features a FieldTurf playing surface ringed by a synthetic track, as well as a new scoreboard.

Forks put the first points on their brand new scoreboard with a touchdown by Spartans senior Garrison Schumack, then added a two-point conversion. Forks held this 8-0 lead for the entire first quarter.

The Pirates struggled hard to break into Spartan territory, hampered by a series of 5-yard penalties, finally achieving a first down with only 17 seconds left in the quarter.

The second quarter began with Vashon in possession of the ball, senior Bryce Hoisington as receiver and brother Connor Hoisington as quarterback. A high snap eluded Bryce Hoisington’s grip, causing a fumble that landed behind him. That was the signal for a mad rush by Forks to recover the ball, but Bryce was too quick for the Spartans. He grabbed the ball and was on the move, losing yards but never his focus. Downfield, Connor found room as Forks brought all the heat upon the Vashon quarterback, trying to exploit the fumble. Bryce saw his brother open and fired off a pass. Connor was there for the 15-yard pass, caught it neatly and ran it in for a touchdown under pressure.

Forks answered Vashon aggressively with what the Spartans head coach called their “three-headed monster” running corps, making three more touchdowns in the second quarter, including a two-point conversion by sophomore Tristan Pisani, making it Spartans 28, Pirates 6, with three minutes left in the first half. A horsecollar tackle set the Spartans back 5 yards before the end of the quarter.

It was clear the Pirates could not find their groove in the first half of this away game, but the halftime break gave Vashon coach Clay Eastly a welcome opportunity to rally his players for the second half. The Pirates needed to respond to the Spartans’ 22 unanswered points.

The third quarter began with another penalty against Forks: 5 yards for grabbing face mask. Vashon showed new focus with a 15-play soaring drive, beating back the Spartans for most of the third quarter. With 5:15 left, Connor Hoisington surprised Forks with a quarterback keeper play, running the ball in himself for six points, making the score 28-12.

The Spartans, however, had an answer: Forks’ Schumack scored again, and Pisani carried the ball in for another two-point conversion, bringing the Spartans up to 36 points.

Vashon senior Colin Voynick scored a touchdown before the quarter’s end, and Bryce Hoisington added two points. The score sat at Vashon 20, Forks 36 at the end of the third, but the Pirates had not lost their spirit.

In the fourth quarter, Forks’ Schumack found the endzone again, Spartans now 42, Vashon 20. Near the end, Vashon put in Bryce as slot receiver. Quarterback Connor took the snap, rolled out of the pocket and launched a 25-yard sideline pass to his brother. Bryce made the catch, but the effort nearly pulled him out of bounds at the 3-yard line. He surprised all with a quick contortion, which amazingly allowed him to reach the ball into the endzone for another touchdown, making it a 26-42 final score.

Kathleen Whitman, mother of VHS junior Cody Whitman, summed up the experience.

“It’s such a young team. More than half of the players are freshmen and sophomores. Hopefully, by week four when everyone is playing in our first conference game, we will have hit our groove,” she said.

The Pirates play their first home game, another non-league game, at 7 p.m. Friday against Cedar Park Christian. League play will begin on Friday, Sept. 23, when the Pirates take on Klahowya in Silverdale.

— Jonathan Kuzma is the father of a Vashon High School football player.