By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Evergreen scored late in the second quarter to take the lead, made three crucial stops on Highline possessions on fourth down in the fourth quarter, and experienced success on two key two-point conversion plays, adding up to an exciting 22-21 win over the Pirates for the Wolverines' homecoming game at Highline Memorial Field Friday.

"Hats off to Highine, they did a great job," said Wolverines coach Jim Wright. "That was a playoff atmosphere, a lot of fun."

Both teams played with a lot of competitive fire on offense and defense, making the Wolverines' and Pirates' fans with plenty of occasions to cheer on their teams in this game.

Evergreen struck first in the game in the first quarter, for a touchdown.

But it wasn't easy getting past the Pirates' defense as linebackers Sam Houghtby and AJ Sailiai, defensive back Montae Rainwater and defensive line guys like Isaac Faletogo made the Wolverines' players -- mostly running the ball -- earn every yard they gained.

But the Wolverines did score after, having watched on fourth down the Pirates' defensive back, Daniel Thunstrom, interecepting a pass nicely but then fumbling the ball on the same play right back to the Wolverines.

On the Wolverines' ensuing play, on first and 10 from the Pirates' 19-yard line on the 15th play of this first Wolverine drive of the game, Wolverine running back Theo Mowatt ran 19 yards up the gut into the end zone. Only 15 seconds remained on the first quarter clock after that Wolverines' drive had chewed up 9 minutes and 35 seconds, having started at the Wolverines own 20-yard line.

So the Wolverines led, 6-0, after the PAT missed going through the uprights.

Highline got the ball and went three and out, but the Wolverines on their next possession with just over six minutes left in the second quarter fumbled the ball on a snap to the quarterback, Ryan Thol. The ball went in and out of Thol's hands and the Pirates looked to be in business on that turnover.

And business was good when the Pirates held the ball on offense from the 6:09 point to the 2:51 mark of the second quarter, with quarterback Kyle Tief hitting tight end Sailiai for 14 yards in that 10-play drive that was capped by Malik White's 5-yard scamper into the end zone, giving the Pirates a 7-6 lead after kicker Jordan Santana's PAT.

"It was a good drive for our team," said Tief.

Then the Wolverines got the ball back, with 2:48 until halftime, and they marched down the field in eight plays, with the exclamation point by QB Ryan Thol finding wide receiver Joshua Ellertson-Cook in the left corner of the end zone with 20 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter. That Wolverine drive covered 59 yards, having started at the Wolverines' own 41-yard line, and the TD pass gave the Wolverines back the lead,12-7, just before time expired in the second quarter.

And right then, too, it became a touchdown (seven point) lead, 14-7, after Blessing Leiato made good on a two-point conversion try. Wright opted for that instead of a kick after the touchdown.
So after Thol fumbled the ball earlier, and also threw an incomplete pass on that same drive before this last successful one and also -- not to mention an interception thrown by Thol that was fortunately fumbled back to his team. Thol received good backing, still, from coach Wright and his coaches, calling on him for the TD pass play.

"I trust in coach Wright and the coaching staff, and my Wolverines' family, my teammates," said Thol, a senior and captain on the team, too.

In the second half the Wolverines received the ball first and the Pirates made a statement on defense, allowing the Wolverines to start on their own 7-yard line and go 14 plays but then turn the ball over after fourth down and nine from the Pirates' 10-yard line with 3:50 left in the third quarter.

The Pirates then scored as 107-yard on 11 carries game-gainer White carried the ball on the second play of this touchdown drive from his team's 15-yard line. He flew through tacklers for 85 yards running and that cut the Wolverines' lead to 14-13.

The Pirates then opted to go for two points and did not make it.

"That was key," said Wright.

On the two-point conversion try for the Pirates that was no good because Wolverines junior Sione Kamoto got in the way of the Pirates' running back trying to convert.
"The running back cut back and he came to my hole which allowed me to push him back," said Kamoto.
It was a big play, which will be understood shortly as not allowing those two points at this point in the game would be integral to the win.

Any help for Kamoto on that play from teammates?

"No, just me," said Kamoto, pausing. "Oh, yeah. God helped me."

With that stop of the two-point conversion by Kamoto and the Wolverines, it was a prelude for, just maybe, that word called "destiny." The Pirates on their next possession on fourth down and two with 11:55 left in the fourth, the Pirates fierce, fast, running back, Rainwater got the call for the ball. And, Rainwater went 1.5 yards forward, needing two, meaning he was short of a first down by inches. And, that Wolverines defensive stand turned the ball over on downs to them.

"We stopped Highine three times on fourth down in the fourth quarter, " said Wright, foreshadowing events to come in what would be a very exciting fourth quarter of play. "That was key, too."

So, after that first fourth down stop, the Wolverines would do it again as Highline got the ball with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter, and, on the 7th play of that drive, Tief was sacked on fourth and 15 by Ellertson-Cook, for a seven-yard loss.

"Little things like that make me mad," said Tief. "Like I'm not giving my teammates 110 percent, like I'm promising the team, I will do."

Evergreen, with possession of the football, and, 5:12 left in the fourth quarter, would drive toward destiny with this drive, except for Highline's Falatogo putting a detour in destiny, with his coming up with a fumble recovery after a crushing hit on a Wolverines wide receiver popped the ball loose.
So, game, definitely, still in question, with 3:04 left, and, still traiing by a point, 14-13, the Pirates had destiny in its hands, starting at it's own 40-yard line. Rainwater carried the ball the first two downs for five yards apiece, and, so that meant a first down at midfield for the Pirates with 2:00 left in the game and the Wolverines fans shouting loudly, chanting, "Defense. Defense. Defense," again and again and again...

Pirates QB, Tief, then, nailed Houghtby in the numbers for an 11 yard pass play gain, and, that put the ball at the 39-yard line of the Wolverines with 1:45 left in the game. And, did the Wolverines crowd grow quiet at that point ?

"Defense. Defense. Defense..." They did not.

Then, Rainwater, on first and 10, ran for two yards to get the ball to the 37-yard line before linebackers, Mowatt and Junior Chor, combined for a tackle. And, on second down and eight yards to go for a first down, just 17-yards from the red zone at the 20-yard line, Tief's pass to Houghtby up the middle was incomplete, with Chor on the coverage. And, on third down and eight, Tief threw again and again the Wolverines defense was strong as a pass intended for a receiver in the end zone area was broken up by Bourne.

And, on fourth down and 13 from the 42-yard line, after a five yard penalty against the Pirates, Tief's pass to Sailiai was caught but an illegal receiver downfield on the play made for a penalty and loss of down and that, seeming, first down conversion was not to be.

"That angered me," said Tief. "That was my fault. I didn't have my reads right, I didn't make sure my outside receivers were off the line. It's the little mistakes I make."

So, the Wolverines got the ball turned over to them on downs and on first and 10, from their 47-yard line, Mowatt took the ball inside and then went outside for 53 yards and a touchdown, making it 20-13, Wolverines, with 1:11 left in the game.

"I was running through the middle and bounced it outside and my boys blocking for me," said Mowatt.

Mowatt's 'boys' are his offensive line guys, who opened up holes for he and Bourne all game long. Bourne ran for 132 yards on 21 carries and Mowatt carried the ball 20 times for 138 yards, and, two TDs. Mentioning the Wolverines' lineman for the Wolverines, they are Antonio Lagerjoes, Johnny Le, Roberto Padilla-Diaz, Ckinny Tufui.

And, then, up by a touchdown, Wright decided to go for a two-point conversion. At the time , it seemed like an unnecessary doing, but would the doubters ever be wrong on that one by game's end.

"Some thought that was nuts but I talked to the coaches and said we needed to get that," said Wright "That was a big deal."

Mowatt scored to stretch the Wolverines lead by two more all-important points, 22-13.

'I just took it straight on through," said Mowatt of his two-point conversion.
It was a very big deal as Highine got the ball back with 1:05 left and Tief, on first down and 10, for the Pirates, did a QB keeper play, and, ran for 12 yards, to their own 40-yard line. Then, Tief passed to Thunstrom for 13 yards, making it first and 10 from the Wolverines 47 yard line with 31 seconds left.
So, the Pirates were frantically trying to score, but with being down by nine points instead of eight with no chance to tie the game even if they did get a touchdown and also a two-point conversion.

Still, it's fans continued to support their team, with cheering, 'Pirate power,' at this point in the game as they did throughout, competing against the Wolverines' large incessant student body across the way and its fans exclaiming throughout, 'Wolverine power.'

And, the Pirates, on third down and 10, nearly scored as Tief hit Rainwater in the hands with a pass but the ball was dropped. But, on the very next play on fourth and nine, Tief went right back to Rainwater and this time he caught the ball in stride 15 yards downfield and went the next 32 yards with the leather into the end zone, making it a 22-19 game.

The Pirates went for two points then and Tief ran right and threw across his body into the left side of the end zone where Houghtby was standing all alone to make it 22-21 on the two-point conversion. but, that was all, with 12 seconds left and the onside kick recovered by the Wolverines. Game over.

Tief went hard that last drive despite overwhelming odds of its success meaning anything after it happened.

"I wanted to make a statement that even though we lost, Highline is not a bad team," said Tief. "Once we realize that, we can be unstoppable."

Confidence thing?

"Yeah," said Tief.

So, good win for the Wolverines, when all was said and done in this game that both sides' fans defintely got their money's worth.

"It was a good game, dramatic at the end, and, we came out with the 'W,'" said Thol.

Added Mowatt, "It was our homecoming game and Highline is our biggest rivals."

Wright liked the way his team played in this one, not giving up after some of the breakdowns, like Thol's fumble of the snap early in the game, and, fumbling the football to Faletogo and the Pirates with 3:23 left in the critical fourth quarter.

"When something went wrong in this game, we didn't breakdown," said Wright. "We can build on this. Just a part of the process of learning, we have 35 out of 50 kids who are sophomores and freshman. We are taking steps in the right direction. The kids have lifted weights, gone to study halls together, and, the team g.p.a. has gone up. These guys can see now we can compete,. We've come a long ways since week 1."