By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

The Foster Bulldogs continued their recent win steak, now at two games (almost three), with their beating Highline, 39-6, at Highline Memorial Field Friday.

After a slow start to its season, losing three straight non-league games, Foster then lost to Hazen in overtime in its first Seamount League game. So almost a win there, but the bottom line is the losing continued. And, the next game was no easier, going against Renton, who had just themselves beaten Hazen, so, the Bulldogs looked a little in trouble, on paper, but then whited-out Renton, 33-10, last week.

The Bulldogs appear to be going in a positive direction, peaking at just the right time, heading toward the state playoffs in November.

But, if one talks with Foster head coach Matt Leonard, this team's just going in the direction that others couldn't, maybe, see but he could see his team heading all along.

"This is just a step in our goal," said Leonard. "Today we were on a mission. It's just a stepping stone for us. Big aspirations for this team. Lindbergh is next, and then Kennedy the week after that."
Leonard made no shy remarks in saying that he felt the Bulldogs were in that game last year against the Lancers until the final minutes of a 41-27 loss.

So that game, to be played at Highline Memorial at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23 against Kennedy, lies in wait.

But first things first, and Foster must beat a worthy Lindbergh team this coming Friday at 7 p.m at Foster.

And, before that game can be talked about, came this game here against the Pirates that the Bulldogs' defense really deserves kudos for. That was despite quarterback Drew Jorgenson, a junior, playing strong in place of Zane Jacobson, who was hurt midway through the second quarter while playing on the defensive side of the ball.

The defense for the Bulldogs was on the field a lot more than the Pirates, making for a somewhat lopsided time of possession favoring the Pirates, 29:06 to 18:54.

"Best defense in the league," said one of Leonard's coaches, coming up to Leonard after the game.

But is it?

"I think we do," said Leonard. "Statistically we are second, but I feel pretty good about where we are right now. Alvin Noa and Anthony Noa anchor us, our inside linebackers."

Leonard continued describing the nuts and bolts of his defense, mostly, the secondary, but he added in a D-line guy, too.

"And Ronnie Roberson, a defensive end, missed the first couple games, but he's making a huge impact now," said Leonard. "And, Patrick Saau, he solidifies the edge for us, playing outside linebacker."

So that's that, some of the key fixture guys on the Bulldogs' 'D,' those that helped hold Highline to six points in the second quarter, despite its rushing attack going for over 150 yards, between Malik White, 21 carries for 76 yards, and, Montae Rainwater, who carried the ball two times for 71 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown run.

Rainwater, the Pirates' senior running back and kick/punt returner, suffered a seizure and concussion after being hit by the Bulldogs' defense on a play and coming over to the sideline and soon falling to his knees and then all the way to the ground.

"He did not wake up while in a seizure," said Pirates coach Aso Sailiai. "He went to Highline Hospital and then they decided to take him to Harborview."

So hopefully Rainwater, who puts a lot
of heart into playing football, and is quick and talented, is OK.
The Pirates' team, after seeing Rainwater's situation on the sideline looking worse and worse, quit just kneeling on one knee and circled around together, all 50 or so of them, and looked to be praying. So, after the ambulance came and took Rainwater on a stretcher, the game continued with 1:28 left in the third quarter.

Meanwhile early in the game the Bulldogs just seemed in a continuation mode from their win over solid Renton the game prior. The purple, black and white jerseyed Bulldogs marched down the field in six plays, gathering 46 yards total, and taking a scant 1:18 off the clock in the drive that finished with Alvin Noa running the ball in. Noa used his speed to go along with his 5-10, 215 solid frame. He lumbered into the end zone from six yards out, making it 6-0 after the PAT was no good.
"He's a big kid, needs to punish them," said Leonard, as it was noted to him that Noa looked like he, relentlessly, smashed into the Pirates' defense more and more as the game went on. "He's learned from last year to finish runs against defenses trying to tackle him."

Alvin Noa, a junior, ran the ball 12 times for 100 yards and cousin Anthony, a senior in the backfield, ran well, too, carrying the ball five times for 33 yards.

So, up 6-0, in the beginning stages of the first quarter, the Pirates got the ball and went three and out. But, on the punt, on fourth down, the Pirates' Stephen Schwerin caught the Bulldogs kick returner and flung him to the ground and the ball popped loose and Liam Allan recovered it. So the Pirates recaptured momentum and looked to be making a game of things with 7:30 still to go in the first quarter and only trailing by six points.

On their possession, the Pirates made the most of the situation, to start anyway, with a 31 yard bomb completed by quarterback Kyle Tief to tight end AJ Sailiai, making a pretty good impression of a wide receiver on that deep ball catch that put the Pirates at the 18-yard line of the Bulldogs.

"When the ball is in the air, the only thing I think about is making the catch," said Sailiai, who has made a few nice catches for his dad's team this season and is only a junior with an impressive 6-2, 220 build. He plays strong linebacker on defense, too.

On first down for the Pirates, then, Daniel Thunstrom ran the ball but he ran it backwards after the Bulldogs' defensive line penetrated the line of scrimmage and smashed into Thunstrom for a 5-yard loss.

The Pirates still looked good when Tief hit Sailiai with another pass, hucking the leather 16 yards down the field. But a penalty on the play took the gain away. And then a sack of Tief by Roberson and company gang tackling made for a punt on fourth and 14 from the 25-yard line.

Pirates coach Aso Sailiai wasn't sure how to characterize this loss any other way than just the Pirates not getting things done when things needed to be done, also known as execution.

"They executed and we didn't," said Sailiai. "It comes down to execution. In key situations, we have to execute."

The Pirates got the ball on their own 25-yard line and the Pirates' defense was strong, getting the Bulldogs to punt after three downs.
And, repeating Foster's last series of plays, the Pirates went three downs, after a couple incomplete passes coupled with an illegal procedure penalty.

So neither team went anywhere far after the first quarter. And the Pirates would draw second blood in this game, evening up the score as both teams just changed possessions until the Pirates scored on a two-play drive, with Rainwater going 69 yards for the score, making it 6-6. The PAT was no good.

And, on the ensuing Bulldog kickoff return, Lanier Jacobs grabbed the ball out of the air at the 14-yard line and rambled up the sideline, in having done a couple nice jukes inside, for an 86-yard TD return. So the Pirates' momentum was very short-lived and the Bulldogs led, 12-6, after another PAT was no good with 3:45 to go in the second quarter.

The Pirates got the ball and Foster intercepted it three plays later, thanks to defensive back Josh Lemaota's good hands. On the ensuing drive that started at Foster's own 29-yard line, the Bulldogs scored on an eight-play drive, with QB Jorgerson going on a 33-yard keeper play. It ended with Alvin Noa running in the ball from one-yard away for a 19-6 Bulldogs lead after Jalal Haji's PAT was good.

Still in the third quarter, the Bulldogs would score again, as Alvin Noa's 17-yard run and Jorgerson's 19-yard pass to Jacobs highlighted a seven-play, 71 yard drive taking 5:09, with the final play before the score a five-yard strike from Jorgerson to Timmy Nguyen.

That made it 26-6, Bulldogs, after Haji's PAT.

As noted previously, starting quarterback Jacobson was hurt in the second quarter so Jorgerson, the back-up, took over.

"This is my first time on varsity," said Jorgerson.

But this spot was one that was earned?
"I guess," said Jorgerson. "I practice really hard and listen to everything he says."

And what did coach Leonard have to say about his fill-in quarterback?
"Zane got hurt on a play, got hurt on defense. I don't like to have him play that way, but, he's one of our better corners," said Leonard. "But, we threw Drew in and he blew my expectations out of the water. I thought he would play good, solid, and, he played great football."

So the Pirates got the football back but couldn't keep it long and punted. Then the Rainwater situation developed soon after with the game delayed for over a half hour as he was attended to by coach Sailiai and others before the ambulance arrived. When play resumed with 1:28 left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs scored again after four plays, with Jorgerson showing his prowess as QB with a pass to Patrick Straight on a long 34-yard pass that made it, 32-6, with the PAT no good.

But Jorgerson really did come in and do his job, two TDs thrown, a couple big passes on 10 of 20 attempts and 100 yards throwing on the night. Not bad for a guy who didn't run with the varsity much more than a stint during practices.

"I played some with the varsity offense in practices, did a couple plays every day with them," said Jorgerson, who gave a shout out to his offensive line, who are Zale Galoia, Juan Ochoa, Justin Satete, Samatar Ahmed and Keith Hill.

"They did a great job protecting me," said Jorgerson. "I know they got my back."
And the Bulldogs scored one more, with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter, as Freddie Roberson, yet another strong Bulldogs running back, carried the ball in from the 13 yard line making it 39-6 after Haji's PAT.
Roberson ran the ball a half dozen times, too, and 50 yards carrying the ball.

Of Athony Noa, Leonard said, "He's explosive. Physical."
And, of Roberson, Leonard's words were, "He has a bright future."
Roberson is only a sophomore.

And of the offensive line that opened up holes for Alvin and Athony Noa and Roberson, and, protected Jorgerson, too, Leonard had this to say:
"They continue to be tremendous," said Leonard. "We are the leading rushing team in the league. The offensive line plays physical, hard, and really makes us go on offense."

So a long ways to go for the Bulldogs, hopefully, and the Pirates could see some positives from this game taken like not quitting and holding the football a considerable longer time than the Bulldogs for the game.
"We didn't quit," said AJ Sailiai. "The Highline Pirates have a reputation of quitting, but we kept playing hard."

The Pirates next play Hazen at Renton Memorial Stadium in 7 p.m. clash Friday.