By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Rainier Beach Vikings squared off against the Seattle Prep Panthers last night in a Metro League matchup at Memorial Stadium. In a game with dramatic swings in momentum, the Panthers overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Vikings 38-30.
The Panthers started the game off strong, as they ran the ball downfield to the Vikings’ 15-yard line, but a penalty pushed them back to the 22-yard line, where Rainier Beach would make a defensive stand and force a turnover on downs.
Rainier Beach took possession of the ball and quickly moved it downfield, behind the running efforts of Akeem Murphy Jr. and Ameer Johnson. The wave of momentum by the Vikings seemingly startled the Panthers, as they called for a timeout to put a halt to the Viking momentum.
A pass intended for the Vikings’ Marques Ili-Meneese, which would’ve resulted in the first touchdown of the night, fell short as Rainier Beach turned the ball over on downs. The defensive stop by the Panthers ignited their sideline, as Panthers’ Alec Greenwood ran the ball down to the Vikings’ 7-yard line. With the Panthers facing a 4th and goal from the two-yard line, Beau Oaksmith scored the first touchdown of the game, which was followed by a successful extra-point attempt to give Seattle Prep a 7-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Rainier Beach would respond as Murphy, their workhorse running back, kept grinding away yards against the Panthers’ defense. Ili-Meneese scored what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown as time expired in the first quarter, but the play was negated by a penalty.
Making up for their lost touchdown at the end of the first quarter, the Vikings’ Mykhai Stanton scored a touchdown 2 seconds into the second quarter, but the ensuing extra-point attempt was blocked, bringing the score to 6-7 in favor of the Panthers.
The Panthers then advanced to the 45-yard line on a punt return. Multiple incomplete passes left the Panthers with the choice of kicking on 4th down, giving the ball back to Beach with 9 minutes remaining.
The Panthers struggled to gain momentum after a punt return to the 45-yard line. After a few incomplete passes, they kicked the ball back to Rainier Beach, who wasted no time. Ray Ray Proctor and Khiel Jackson led the Vikings down the field, resulting in a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion, giving the Vikings a 14-7 lead.
After taking possession of the ball, the elusive Oaksmith continued to have success running the ball. However, the Beach Boys were not going to let the Panthers creep ahead, as Proctor recorded a big sack. Shortly after, the Panthers were called for unsportsmanlike conduct, which pushed them back even further. Oaksmith eventually connected with Xavier Losh on a pass to the 20-yard line to set up another touchdown run by Oaksmith, as the Panthers trailed by one point at 14-13 after a failed extra-point attempt.
Viking Romaree Fleeks had a 43-yard return, bringing Beach just 18 yards away from the end zone. Just as Stanton reached the end zone, Panther Ezra Maul slammed him to the ground, preventing a touchdown. Following the play, the Vikings called a timeout to strategize their plan to regain the lead.
The Vikings would go on to score 9 unanswered points with less than three minutes remaining in the half, as Ili-Meneese scored a touchdown and kicker Ameer Johnson made a 25-yard field goal to end the half with Rainier Beach leading 23-13.
Rainier Beach appeared to have full control of the game, as Murphy scored on a 36-yard touchdown run just minutes into the second half, extending the Vikings’ lead to 30-13. However, Seattle Prep quickly turned things around. Maul scored a touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion by Win Chandler, narrowing the score to 30-21.
With 3:52 remaining, Prep appeared to score a touchdown on a punt return, only for it to be called back due to yet another holding penalty. Shortly after, the Panthers fumbled the ball, but Oaksmith managed to recover it. As the third quarter was coming to an end, the Panthers faced a crucial 4th down, where a potential touchdown by Maul was again called back by another holding call. With 56 seconds left in the third quarter, the Vikings’ Keonte Rachal made a huge sack to end the quarter with the Beach Boys leading 30-21.
In a tense fourth quarter, the Panthers were determined to take the lead. Maul scored his second touchdown of the night to bring the Panthers within two points at 30-28 after a successful two-point conversion.
Beach then took possession but struggled to gain yardage, as Prep’s energized defense forced another turnover on downs. The Panthers took control and pushed the ball closer to the end zone, quickly advancing to the 10-yard line and taking the 31-30 lead after a successful field goal by Bradyn Buckholtz with 4:47 left in the game.
Beach’s next possession was shaky; they nearly fumbled and ultimately faced another incomplete pass on 4th down with just a couple of minutes left in the game. As the clock wound down to 1:31, Beach called a timeout. Capitalizing on their momentum, Oaksmith scored another touchdown, which was followed by a successful extra-point attempt, extending the Panthers’ lead to 38-30.
In a final attempt to rally, Rainier Beach was intercepted by the Panthers’ Natnael Menber with 1:16 left, and as time expired, the game concluded with a final score of 38-30 in favor of the Seattle Prep Panthers.
“I think the most important thing for us is to always stick together regardless of the circumstance,” said Seattle Prep Head Football Coach Aaron Maul after the game. “We are constantly talking to the kids about no matter what, no matter the situation, we are not going to let it define us. We are going to try to be our best in those moments, so I am really proud of the way that our kids stuck together, and they continue to fight through that adversity.”