By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Roosevelt Roughriders began their state 3A playoff run with an impressive 48-23 victory over the Capital Cougars last night at Memorial Stadium. In a game that saw relentless defense and explosive offensive plays, the Roughriders took control early and never looked back.
The Cougars started with possession and looked to establish early momentum, but Roosevelt’s defense had other plans. On third down, Roosevelt’s Mar Mar King intercepted a pass to give the Roughriders early momentum of the game. However, Capital would respond on defense as they kept King, who also plays running back the Roughriders, in check early. On fourth down, the Cougars’ Christian Hughes sacked Roosevelt quarterback Dalton Anderson to halt Roosevelt’s initial drive. However, Capital’s relief was short-lived as Roosevelt’s Jojo Paaga intercepted another pass, giving the Roughriders a fresh set of downs and renewed energy.
Following the interception, Roosevelt’s Zaire Griffin took charge, breaking through the Cougars’ defense for the first touchdown of the game. Kicker Zach Miller added the extra point, putting Roosevelt up 7-0 with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Roosevelt’s defense continued to dominate, with big tackles by Pana Tuputala and a sack by Ethan Spencer that kept the Cougars’ offense on their heels. The first quarter came to a close with Roosevelt leading 7-0.
In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Roosevelt expanded their lead to 14-0 with a touchdown from Nolan McWilliams, which brought great energy to the sideline players. Capital’s offense struggled to make headway, and they were forced to punt on their next possession, giving the Roughriders yet another scoring opportunity. Paaga capitalized on it, powering through for another Roosevelt touchdown to bring the score to 21-0.
The Cougars finally broke through midway through the second quarter. Moving quickly downfield, Capital’s Mekhi Perryman scored their first touchdown of the night, with kicker Nolan Potts securing the extra point and narrowing the score to 21-7 2:57 left in the first half. But Capital’s touchdown didn’t faze the Roughriders as King added a 10-yard touchdown, followed by another successful kick to stretch out their lead to 28-7. As the first half wound down, Capital managed to reach Roosevelt’s 20-yard line and kicked a field goal, ending the half with Roosevelt up 28-10.
Coming out of halftime, Roosevelt picked up right where they left off. King quickly advanced downfield despite Capital’s Baron Allen’s persistent tackles. Eventually, Anderson would score a touchdown for the Roughriders, however the kick was blocked by Capital’s Finn Brake, leaving the score at 34-10.
Capital tried to rally with an impressive 63-yard kickoff return by Amir Goshay, giving them great field position. But Roosevelt’s defense remained relentless, with Jubilee Siitia-Tasi Utu-Galeai recording several big tackles to slow down Capital’s momentum. Goshay eventually broke free for an 11-yard touchdown run, trimming Roosevelt’s lead to 34-17. However, Roosevelt answered immediately with a touchdown from Nolan McWilliams on the ensuing kickoff return. Miller’s extra point would boost Roosevelt’s lead to 41-17 with 5:23 left in the third quarter.
Tensions briefly flared as Roosevelt’s Isley Suapaia was ejected from the game, but the Roughriders maintained their focus. Roosevelt’s Isaac Washington made a crucial interception on a fourth-down attempt by Capital, setting up a 74-yard touchdown run by Griffin that closed the third quarter with Roosevelt firmly ahead, 48-17.
The final quarter saw little scoring action, with both teams engaging in back-and-forth drives that ran the clock down. With 4:43 remaining in the game, Capital’s Nathaniel Taylor-Sparks managed to score one last touchdown, bringing the final tally to 48-23. Despite the late score, Roosevelt’s defense clamped down to prevent any further progress from Capital, securing their decisive 48-23 victory.
With the win, the Roosevelt Roughriders will advance to the next round of the state 3A Playoffs, as they ended Capital’s season.