By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Seattle Lutheran looked like an eight-man football team with a lot of momentum on its side after an onside kick on the opening kickoff was recovered by the Saints' Brandon Lulow, but everything proved uphill from there. A three and out first possession led to the Evergreen Lutheran Eagles scoring 36 unanswered points by halftime, en route to a 56-22 win in a Seatac 'B' League game at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma Saturday night.

"We really need to put points on the board first, and excecute our offense," said Saints head coach Anthony Stordahl, whose team dropped to 1-3. "And we will learn. It's really been a learning process for the coaches, like myself, and for the players. This is our school's first season in eight-man football and it's been a tough go."

Seattle Lutheran lost its last two games by scores of 60-12 and 58-0, respectively, preceding this blowout loss to the Eagles.

However, with the score 36-0 after the second quarter the Saints went into the locker room and listened to their coach, Stordahl. And in the third and fourth quarters the Saints actually outscored the Eagles, 22-20. So, that, there, is something the Saints can take with them to their next game as they travel to Lyle -- five hours away near The Dalles in Oregon, on the Washington side of the Columbia River on Oct. 11 for a 2:30 p.m. game start.

It was frustrating to start the game the way it went, a good play on special teams defense followed by offense that couldn't get going and defense that couldn't stop the Eagles -- namely Jake Lawrence, who ran for over 200 yards in this game and a few touchdowns to boot.

"We worked our tails off all week, getting these plays to work in practice," said Stordahl of what he said to his team in the locker room at halftime of the Eagles' game. "And, in the second half, they executed. They showed heart more than anything else. Down 36-0 at halftime, they could have quit. But these kids love each other and their coaches and won't give up. They never give up."

So, trailing 36-0 at halftime, after the Eagles ran for four rushing touchdowns in the first half and passed for another TD, and also went 4-for-5 on two-point conversions, it was back out for the second half for both teams.

The Saints' kids, eventually, would respond in the third quarter with much better offensive play. They would also limit scores on defense by the Eagles' offense in the second half's third and fourth quarters much better than they had the first two quarters of play.

First, though, before things started clicking offensively for the Saints, they continued to watch the Eagles' offense score after the foe's defense had stopped the Saints on fourth and 13 early in the third quarter. And, like the start of the game's good onside kick recovery was good. So it looked the Saints' opening drive of the third quarter. The Saints' quarterback, Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht, ran well, getting 15 yards on a QB keeper play, running the ball outside by a few tacklers before being tackled. And there was an 8-yard catch by Lulow in that six-play drive too, off a nice run out of the pocket and throw from Dowding-Albrecht.

And then, on the same series, with 8:53 left in the third quarter and on a fourth and 13 play, the Saints got 12 yards from a QB keeper play call, again, but, they needed one more yard to keep from turning the ball over on downs to the Eagle offense.

From their own 35-yard line on first and 10, the Eagles' Lawrence, scored his fifth TD of the game, running all the way in, 65 yards, in one play, to make it 42-0 Eagles.

On the bright side, following that Lawrence score, the two-point conversion was no good. The Saints also stopped the two-point conversion of the Eagles with one minute left in the second quarter as Dowding-Albrecht, playing defensive back for his team, knocked the ball away before it reached the Eagle receiver's hands.

So, those two two-point conversion stops were small victories for the Saints, who are learning as a team as they go, altogether, this game of eight-man football as Stordahl already mentioned, coaches and players alike.

With the score, 42-0, the Saints moved the football nicely for a five-play drive, with Lulow running the ball seven yards and Dowding-Albrecht connecting with his favorite receiver, Josh Meyers, for a 45-yard pass play for the touchdown after that with 1:11 left in the third quarter.

"Josh runs his routes really well," said Dowding-Albrecht, and he mentioned the guys who protect him back there for time in the pocket to make the long pass down the field.

"I really trust my line," said Dowding-Albrecht, mentioning lineman, Zach Bauman (6-1, 180), Peter Fischer (5-10, 195) and Nick Lindstrom (5-9, 210).

And, after making it a 42-6 game, the two-point conversion by the Saints was good when Dowding-Albrecht, (6-0, 150) a sophomore, ran the ball in to make it a 42-8 game.

"Isaiah showed the heart of a warrior in this game," said Stordahl. "He took some good hits and kept coming. He's athletic and a good runner. And he's only a sophomore. I look for good things from him in the next few years for us."

But any hopes of a fourth quarter miraculous comeback by the Saints' fans, if such thoughts could be there, were dashed on the Eagles' next series. They scored after a first down and 10 from the 25-yard line on a succcession of a run play for 13 yards and a 12-yard pass into the end zone that made it 50-8 with another two-point conversion.

The Saints knew, by this time in the fourth quarter, and down by a 42-point difference, they were not coming back to win, but on the inside, what counts.

The Saints scored on their plays with the football again on their possession, as Dowding-Albrecht used his fleet feet for another 30-yard gain via a quarterback keeper play from the 45-yard line of the Eagles starting out.

And then Dowding-Albrecht went 10 yards more on another play call for him to keep the football, tuck and run. Next, Dowding-Albrecht threw a strike to 6-2, 175 junior Lulow for 18 yards and that made it a 50-14 score at the 3:30 mark with the Saints, then, missing going for a two-point conversion.

The Eagles would score one more time in this game, with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter.

The Saints' defense stopped the foe on a third two-point conversion try of the game, so it was still 56-14.
And the Saints scored one more time to seal the deal of outscoring the Eagles, 22-20, in the third and fourth quarters combined when Dowding-Albrecht hit Lulow with a pass from the 47-yard line on first and 10 and Lulow rambled into the end zone.

Then, on the Saints' two point conversion, Lindstrom carried in the ball for that score of two more points, making it 56-22 Eagles.

"Nate Lindstrom, our starting right guard, took in the two point conversion," said Stordahl. "Nick has worked his tail off all season and we rewarded him by giving him the ball."

The team did have a good positive experience win-wise this season, over the Mary Knights from Olympia. In that one, Dowding-Albrecht said he passed for a couple touchdowns, both to wide receiver, 6-4 170, sophomore, Meyers. And, also, a couple rushing touchdowns from sophomore Roberto Duanez and junior Hawkins Ehret

"Our running game helped free up our passing game and we held them to all three and outs except one score," said Dowding-Albrecht.

Of the beginning part of the game versus Evergreen Lutheran, Stordahl revisited the team's sweet, then bitter, start of the onside kick recovery by his team and subsequent inability to take advantage and get a score on the board.

"I don't remember how the first drive really went," said Stordahl. "I thought we moved the ball well, though. But, like I said, we are all still learning in this league. We'll be just fine."