OK, so it’s not the marquee names of Lindbergh or, of course, our own dominator in the Seamount League, Kennedy, but this was a fun game to watch highlight-wise, as the Totems took a 57-24 loss to the Pirates at Highline Stadium Friday evening.

Highline dominated with scores the first quarter, 36-6, outscoring Tyee. The Pirates never looked back.

But give props to Tyee.

Out the first three games because of not enough players to play a football game, the Sea-Tac school notched 24 points total on the scoreboard.

But, again, Highline dominated while Tyee just tried to be competitive. And, with the score, 22-6, at one point in the first quarter, 43-18, midway through the second, they were competitive.

Second year Highline head coach Juan Cotto debriefed things afterward.

“We have a lot of admiration for their head coach (Scott Leick) and athletic director,” said Cotto, whose Pirates rest near the bottom of the Seamount cellar with a 1-4 record. “They played as hard as they possibly could. Difficult night because you know Tyee is getting their program together. I am glad that we could come out and establish ourselves early.”

Tyee did well to get through the game with its 16 players and all 16 seemed to be walking under their own power to a corner of the Highline turf after the game to listen to Leick speak.

But the pain was present.

“I’m good,” said quarterback Carl Kemp. “Trying to battle out the bruises. But I’m good.”

“First time able to get on the field, it was a good learning experience for us,” said Leick. “It’s hard when you start practicing Aug. 19 and then no game until Oct. 2.”

The first quarter’s 36-point Pirate shelling maybe explains that best as quarterback Austin Rodriguez scored a minute or so in on a 1-yard touchdown run before zipping in a two-point conversion making it 8-0, Pirates.

Coming right back for more, the Pirates scored their second TD with Samson Jaramillo-King clamoring for yards on a 12-yard run into the end zone on a nice sweep play, 15-0, with the extra point good from Umjelo Ugwoabo.

“The Jaramillo Kings (senior twins) can run and Austin Rodriguez leads this team extremely well,” said Cotto. “He is a humble young man, too. The team has rallied around him. He is everyone’s little brother, everyone feels they should protect him and that’s a very special quality for a quarterback.”

What about the other Jaramillo-King, when will he enter the picture you ask?

Well, maybe you don’t but he, Guyson, comes in for his first score not until the last score of the game. So, we’re not there yet.
Right now, it’s Jimmy Hellums next up scoring for the purple and gold, getting in a quick one-yard run during the very next Pirates possession. His score made it 22-0 as Ugwoabo made the third of the 6-for-6 extra point tries he would make in this game.

Tyee then, with still 4:22 left in the first quarter, in its very next ball possession, scored on a kickoff return extraordinary, cool, highlight reel run.

Ticon Evans grabbed the kicked off ball at his own 13-yard line and crossed left, crossed right, and then jolted right again to the sideline and up it, breaking one last tackle at the 40-yard line and flashing end zone ward to make it 22-6!

Evans felt good after that.

“It felt like Christmas,” he said.

Well, that would be short-lived excitement and ringing in the ears of happy cheers from the good-sized visitor side Totems crowd as the Pirates would zip in again for a score with still 3:44 left in the first quarter.

Samson Jaramillo-King would score this one to make it 29-6 – a two play, 26 second drive going 57 yards. Guyson carried one time and Samson the other TD time.

The Pirates were not done rolling and rolling up the score in this quarter, as we all know. The next time Tyee had the ball it went three downs and punt. Highline got the ball at it’s 36-yard line and Samson Jaramillo-King ran a 35 yarder into the end zone to make it 36-6.

Things just were pretty much over – minus a couple more long runs for Tyee for their scores. All Highline and here is how it went.

After a nice backfield tackle for a three-yard loss from the Totems’ Vonte Crow, the Pirates’ Rodriguez, from his 15-yard line, ran in a score a couple plays later to make it 43-6 with 9:59 left in the second quarter.

Jephty Jean Piere scored for the Totems on an 80-yard punt return to make it 43-12, on 68 yards of pure power. He broke several tackles on the Highline side of the field before bursting free down the left sideline and then cutting back the last second as two would-be Pirates tacklers were thwarted. Touchdown Tyee!

Tyee would then force the Pirates to make their first punt of the game and Michael Tann would make them pay, taking the ball all the way to the end zone for 80 yards to make it 43-18.

Every time the Totems went for a two-point conversion, and so far and they hadn't been successful.

But scoring on these long runs, mostly kick off or punt return runs, was exciting to see for all in attendance. Those were some long runs.
If the Totems can just get their execution on offense under control, and, maybe a few more black and red jersey-wearing folks can be on the sideline, this team has some real talent out there.

Sure, that’s not the coach talking...But this is.

“We have some potential, but we have to put our time in,” said Leick. “We will get there.”

Highline would score next on a Rodriguez’ 18-yard pass to Tevon Jones with 23 seconds until halftime, making it a done deal almost of who would win, the Pirates now up, 50-18.

Highline scored once more in the fourth quarter. Not sure if that’s a moral victory to note, but the Pirates did not score on the Totems at all in the third quarter. Guyson scored the final Pirates TD, a 15-yard run that made it 57-24 and not 57-18, because before that was Shaffie Ossman running in a 5-yarder for the Totems.

Tann, Ossman, Kemp, Jean Pierre, etc. This Totems team has some talent.

“We will come back even stronger and more hungry,” said Tann.