By Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium
On a rainy afternoon at Renton Memorial Stadium, the Federal Way Hawks 12U team, in their first year as a member of the Northwest Premier Junior Football League, took on the Renton Rangers on opening day. The music was playing loud, and the crowd was fired up as they were ready to watch their kids take the field for the first time this year.
Both teams came into the game with confidence, expecting big things from each side. Each team had its own pregame ritual to get everyone hyped up for what was to come, making the event even more intriguing.
Renton Rangers 12U Head Coach Derrick Cage was confident going into this matchup, feeling his team was well-prepared for the challenges of the upcoming season.
“I feel good about this team coming into this season. Of course, we have a lot of returning people and a bunch of first-year stars,” says Cage. “If we can get a lot out of our first-year players like I expect, I think we can do something special on the 12U level.”
According to Cage, depth is one of his team’s strengths, but it also poses a challenge early in the season as they work on getting all players on the same page and playing as a unit, regardless of who’s on the field at the time.
“We have a lot of rotating pieces, so I feel like if somebody went down, we have a lot of people that can step in,” says Cage. “We come out with a lot of energy, but I’m nervous too because it is the first game. At the same time, we’re trying to get rid of the nerves and get rocking and rolling.”
Federal Way Hawks 12U Head Coach Dwayne Bell also felt good about his team going into the first game of the season.
“I’m encouraged, but we have a young team,” says Bell. “We were dominating the 11U, but we’re in a new league, so it’s a new format for us. So, 11 and 12 are together, but I’m ready to go with these kids.”
The first offensive possession for the Hawks started efficiently, led by running back Tuigafue Sialega. On a 4th-and-2 play, Sialega picked up the first down to move the chains for the Hawks’ offense. On the ensuing play, Sialega got to the outside and ran it in for a 40-yard touchdown, which was followed by a 2-yard extra point conversion by Tali Talakai, making the game 7-0 in favor of the Hawks.
On defense, the Hawks, led by Papaz Tauanu’u, Tali Talakai, and Tuigafue Sialega, came out strong as they suffocated the Rangers’ offense. The sideline-to-sideline speed of the Hawks made it nearly impossible for the Rangers to win the line of scrimmage off the edge.
Clock control was part of the game plan for the Federal Way Hawks as they continued to chew up the clock and led the game 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Going into the second quarter, Federal Way continued to control the line of scrimmage as Sialega scored his second touchdown on a 33-yard run, giving his team a 13-0 lead after a failed extra point attempt.
Renton turned the ball over on the ensuing possession as they struggled to move the ball against the stingy Hawks’ defense.
However, the Rangers remained resilient. Led by Amare Smith, Azia Williams, and Jeremiah Wilks, the Rangers began to show their presence on defense as they slowed down the rushing attack of the Hawks. Unfortunately, that good feeling was short-lived as Emmit Jackson ran for 23 yards on a reverse, leading to a 3-yard touchdown run by Tali Talakai, making the game 19-0 going into halftime.
Federal Way started off the third quarter hot and cold; the defense forced another turnover on downs, only to give the ball back to the Rangers after a fumble by Nick Hunter.
However, the momentum shift didn’t last long as Ryder Martinez and the crew stopped the Rangers’ offense from gaining any more positive yards, forcing another turnover on downs. The Hawks continued to control the game by running down the clock as the third quarter wound down, maintaining a 19-0 lead into the final quarter of play.
Much like how the Tennessee Titans use Derrick Henry to finish the job, Federal Way has their own version of “Derrick Henry” in Tuigafue Sialega, as they continued to pound the rock with him throughout the fourth quarter. Sialega scored a 30-yard touchdown run to put the Hawks up 26-0, effectively putting the game out of reach. But the Rangers kept fighting as they efficiently drove down the field, only to be stopped by the Hawks’ defense at the 20-yard line.
After taking possession of the ball, Federal Way continued to run down the clock until the final buzzer sounded, securing a 26-0 victory over the Renton Rangers and their first NWPJFL victory in the process.
After the game, Federal Way’s Tali Talakai felt very good about his team moving forward after securing a win over a strong Renton Rangers team.
“I’m feeling confident in this team,” said Talakai. “We have a lot of talent on this team, and I’m confident we’re going to win it all at the end of this season.”