‘Cats may have turned the corner

Published 8:28 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

BELLEVUE – It came down to one play in the first half of last Friday night’s football game against Interlake. With the scoreboard touting fourth-and-three for Mount Si near midfield, something clicked. The score was Interlake 18, Mount Si 7 as Cody Hyatt plowed forward for the first down. That play started the Wildcats off to a comeback of sorts, though the team fell short losing 31-28.

“I had a blast coaching that game and we had fun, we were competitive,” said Mount Si head coach Charlie Kinnune. “If we had a minute left in the game, I am convinced we could have won.”

Mount Si scored 15 points in the second half to pull within three of Interlake as the clock ticked down to the end of the game. But that one play may have signaled a change in the mentality of the Wildcats’ players and showed them they are capable of winning.

Interlake scored first on a 6-yard pass from Bryce Brigham to Thomas Brooks-Fletcher with 9:23 left in the first quarter. The extra point attempt failed leaving the score 6-0.

Mount Si answered as Rollin Smith led the team on the field at quarterback. Combinations of passes to Eric Forslin and Adam Rothgeb, as well as runs by Brandon Yakaboski and Hyatt, moved the Wildcats deep into Interlake territory. Then from five yards out Yakaboski scampered into the end zone. Chris Brown added the extra point and Mount Si led 7-6. The Wildcats held onto the lead as the first quarter passed, but Interlake answered early in the second.

With 11:53 left in the second quarter, Brigham ran a keeper from four yards out to get the touchdown. The Saints tried a two-point conversion following the touchdown, but it failed making the score 12-7.

The Saints would score two more before the Wildcats added points. Brooks-Fletcher added a 66-yard run with a missed extra point and Evan Robbins hauled in a 29-yard Brigham pass, again with the extra point failing. The Saints led 24-7 near halftime. But prior to the whistle Smith found the waiting hand of Kyle Meuli in stride, heading for the end zone. The point after by Brown failed, making the score 24-13 as the teams headed for the locker room.

Mount Si opened the second half, but after several first downs and an impressive running attack the ball was turned over on downs to Interlake with 6:23 left in the third. The Wildcats’ defensive front with Eric McCammon, Zach Bowen and DJ Johnson pressured Brigham and recorded a sack. On the next play, as Brigham was getting hauled to the turf again by the Wildcats’ defense, he tossed the ball. Rothgeb, playing corner, picked it up and ran all the way, 40 yards, to the end zone for a defensive touchdown. Brown added the extra point to make the score 24-20 in favor of the Saints.

As the third quarter wound down, Interlake moved deep into Mount Si territory. As the Saints moved closer the Wildcats’ defense kept up the pressure with Forslin and Hyatt getting sacks of Brigham.

It looked as though the drive was stopped as Interlake went to the line of scrimmage with fourth-and-12. But Brigham found Brandon Riegle in the end zone for the touchdown. JD Schultz added the extra point and the Saints led, 31-20.

The Wildcats’ defense held its own from that point on, not allowing Interlake to score another touchdown. But as the minutes ticked down in the fourth quarter, a sense of urgency filled the Mount Si sideline as there was still a chance to pull the game through.

Starting from the Saints’ 21-yard line, the Wildcats moved the ball down field. A beautiful sideline pass to Alex Grazda on third-and-10 moved Mount Si near mid-field. Yakaboski tacked on several runs and then a pass to Stefan Marth put the Wildcats at the Saints’ 30-yard line. The Saints’ defense took a stab at an interception but a holding call negated what looked like a defensive touchdown and gave Mount Si new life. Finally, with 4:13 left in the game from 15 yards out, Rothgeb rounded the corner en route to the end zone, leaping to cross the plane for the score. The Wildcats added two points on the conversion to pull within three of the Saints.

The Saints took over on its own 18-yard line with 4:09 left on the clock. On each play the team used as much clock as possible. The Wildcats were forced to use all three time-outs. The Wildcats held and took the punt with 1:25 left in the game. Passes to Marth and Grazda moved the Wildcats near mid-field, but time was running out. On fourth-and-three, a pass fell incomplete, handing the ball to the Saints and ending the game.

“I am so proud of the heart our kids showed,” said Kinnune. “I’m proud of the community that this team represents. We had some momentum going into the second half, we scored to make it close, the kids are hungry and they played well. Nobody deserved to lose this game. The scoreboard at the end of the field says we lost but in our hearts we know we didn’t lose. I am proud of our team.”

Kinnune also recognized the Saints skill level has improved year after year.

“We have known for 12 months that Interlake was going to be good,” said Kinnune. “They have a three-year starter at QB, they have three-year starters at receiver and running back. When you have that combination, it’s tough to beat.”

Kinnune also recognized that his team his coming into its own.

“I am pleased with the effort, Rollin certainly came out and added spark. Our line protection has been pretty good, and in run blocking, they did well,” he said. “They put four up in the first half and only one in the second half. We were more physical in the second half and we saw glimpses of how good our offense can be.”

Mount Si will need every weapon in its arsenal as they take on Liberty, Friday, Oct. 22, at Issaquah. Game time is 7:30 p.m.