OTHELLO – For the second year in a row, the Mariners had to travel to Othello to play the Huskies in the first round of the state playoffs.
And, for the second year in a row, Sehome picked up the narrow road win, this time 24-21 on Saturday afternoon at Huskie Stadium.
Othello started out strong, and scored on a 50-yard touchdown on its fifth play from scrimmage, but the Mariners were far from deterred as senior quarterback Nolan Wright looped a pass to the left side of the endzone where he found fellow senior Hudson Neff for a 4-yard touchdown.
After forcing a Huskie punt, Sehome put together a strong drive mixed with runs and passes, and was highlighted by a 30-yard completion down the right sideline from Wright to senior wide receiver Al Miller. A few plays later, Wright looked to his left and fired to senior wide receiver Theo Quiggle, but the pass was broken up and fell in the hands of junior tight end Eljas Lara, who’s alertness allowed him to score the seven-yard touchdown.
Junior kicker Bane Mitchell booted a 32-yard field goal before halftime, and the Mariners led 17-8 at the midway break.
Good teams make adjustments at halftime, and Othello is no different.
The Huskies were able to pick up numerous first downs on their first drive of the second half, and eventually scored on a 32-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked by senior Tyson Goodman, but Othello’s 2-point conversion earlier in the game kept it a 3-point lead for Sehome, 17-14.
Both teams then traded punts, but a quick Wright-to-Neff completion for 27 yards set the Mariners up near the red zone, and on 4th down, Wright then tossed his third touchdown of the game, this time a 22-yard strike to Miller.
The Huskies started to go deep on their following drive, and completed two long passes, with the second being a 27-yard touchdown.
Othello then recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter, but were turned away near midfield on fourth down when junior safety Devon Bengtsson knocked away the would-be completed pass.
Sehome was able to get near the 10-yard line, but an incomplete pass on 4th down gave the ball back to the Huskies, where they would have one final drive to determine their season, down 24-21.
Othello completed passes of 26 and 30 yards on its first two plays of the drive, and was looking pretty good at that point, but the Mariner defense, led by Neff who recorded 11 tackles, stopped the Huskies on fourth down.
While running out the clock, senior running back Sawyer Woods ripped off a 35-yard run to midfield, which capped off his 143-yard performance.
The Mariners (7-4) will face top-ranked Archbishop Murphy (10-0) at Frank Goddard Memorial Stadium in Everett at 7:00 on Saturday night.
Sehome 24 Othello 21 SEH 7 10 7 0 - 24 OTH 8 0 13 0 - 21 OTH - 50 yard touchdown pass (2pt run good) SEH - Neff 4 pass from Wright (Mitchell kick) SEH - Lara 7 pass from Wright (Mitchell kick) SEH - Mitchell 32 FG OTH - 32 yard touchdown run (kick blocked) SEH - Miller 22 pass from Wright (Mitchell kick) OTH - 27 yard touchdown pass (kick good) SEH OTH 37-173 Rush Att-Yards 30-199 12-27-1 Comp-Att-Int 9-15-1 208 Passing Yards 148 Individual Leaders RUSHING - SEH: Woods 32-143, Wright 5-30. OTH: N/A. PASSING - SEH: Wright 12-27-1-208. OTH: N/A. RECEIVING - SEH: Miller 6-99, Neff 2-31, Lara 2-29, Quiggle 1-26, Fagaautau 1-23. OTH: N/A.
