Nick Tanielu threw his shoe down in disgust coming off the field.

The embattled Federal Way quarterback had just taken a painful hit when he scrambled outside the pocket to make a play. He was tackled for a 10-yard loss, losing his shoe.

It was a sign of the futility his team faced, down 28-0 to No. 10-ranked Rogers late in the first half.

In his stead, reserve senior quarterback Blake Koler promptly ran 15 yards up the middle on a keeper, giving the Eagles a first down at the Rogers 32 with less than a minute to go in the half.

Two plays later Koler's pass was intercepted at the 1-yard line by Rogers defensive back Kellen Westering. Westering cut upfield and then down the left sideline. Koler, in hot pursuit, upended Westering with a fine open-field tackle at the FW 30, stopping a sure touchdown as time expired.

It signaled that the Eagles weren't about to quit.

FW came out firing in the second half, scoring 28 points to make it a two-score game midway through the fourth quarter, but it turned out to be too little too late.

Rogers prevailed 42-28 Friday at Federal Way Memorial Stadium, winning their sixth consecutive game after losing to No. 1 Curtis in their opener. FW dropped to 2-5 in SPSL South Division play, 2-5 overall.

"When you play Federal Way, you know they're not going to quit," said Rogers coach Gene Bowen. "They're a tough group. They're great athletes. They're well-coached."

Koler, also playing defensive back, tackled Rogers punter Scott Snyder after an errant snap forced him to run the ball -- deep in Rams territory. It set up the resurgent Eagles' fourth touchdown in the half.

Federal Way drove quickly from the Rogers 18. Tanielu, back in the game, hit Michael Tate with a 12-yard pass, junior running back DJ May ran for five yards and sophomore running back Roderick Jones finished with a 1-yard TD run. Tanielu, who completed 12 passes for 119 yards, connected with Jones for a two-point conversion for a 42-28 score with 6:24 to play -- and rekindled hope.

FW defense subsequently shut down the Rams twice, despite giving them a short field after two onside kicks failed to go the required distance, but the Eagles failed to capitalize on two more possessions and time ran out.

"We kept fighting, kept battling; I'm proud of the way they fought all the way to the end," said Eagles coach John Meagher. "But I don't want to lose and either do the kids."

The Eagles opened the third quarter with their first touchdown. Koler, still in for Tanielu, fired a 42-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Marcel Morris. Morris, who plays both ways, used his skills as a defensive back to catch a tipped ball amid three defenders on a go route down the right sideline.

"He (Koler) came in and did a good job at quarterback when we needed him," Meagher said. "It was good to see him step up on Homecoming and Senior Night."

Rogers and Federal Way then traded touchdowns twice in the next four series.

Reserve quarterback Stefan Van Horn, playing for injured starter Graham Madland, connected with Keylin Huddleston for a 41-yard pass to set up the Rams at the FW 22.

Running back Terrance Stubblefield, who had three rushing touchdowns in the game, scored three plays later on a 1-yard run, making it 35-7 with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter.

"It was good to see him get on the edges a little bit and be able to use that speed," Bowen said.

FW answered with an eight-play, 48-yard scoring drive. Jones carried the ball three times for 27 yards in that drive, including a 1-yard scoring run up the middle for his second touchdown in the game.

Van Horn, who hit 9-of-17 passes for 115 yards, answered with a 22-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Kellen Westering to give the Rams a 42-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the game

Koler led Federal Way to another touchdown three minutes later. Koler, a senior, threw a 48-yard flea-flicker pass to Morris, setting the Eagles up at the Rogers 14.

"He (Morris) is only a sophomore," said Meagher, who has a lineup that features many underclassmen. "It's exciting to think about the future, but that's not where my mind is right now. I want to focus on this year and make sure we finish up strong."

Personal foul and procedure penalties against the Rams put the ball at the 5-yard-line. May then ran for a score to cut the deficit to 42-20 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

In the end, Rogers' first-half 28-point barrage was just too hard to recover from for the Eagles, who failed to convert three potential scoring drives in the first two quarters.

Kick returner Damion Bible set the tone early with a 90-yard kickoff return on the first play of the game. Bible took the ball at his own 10, cut upfield and then down the right sideline for the score.

Running back Drake Watson scored on a 4-yard run and Stubblefield added TD runs of 4 and 15 yards to complete the scoring for the Rams in the first half.