Sports

Second straight come-from-behind victory keeps Peninsula undefeated in league play

It is fitting that the Peninsula Seahawks’ motto for the season is “11 as one.” On Friday night, they mustered up yet another comeback win to take down Timberline 35-33 and improve to 2-0 in South Sound 3A League play. And it took defense, offense and special teams to earn the victory.

Seahawk defenders, including Jones Stalker (8) and Payton Knowles (9), converge on Timberline’s Franco Segura (2). Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

“It really took all three phases to get us back into this one,” head coach Ross Filkins said. “The work we have put in and the belief they have in each other is what is carrying us late in these games.”

Much like the Fish Bowl, in which they rallied from a 28-0 halftime deficit last week to win 35-28 in overtime, the Seahawks did not start off well. Peninsula miscues helped Timberline jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

It was a beautiful night for a high school football game in Purdy. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

Led by athletic quarterback Jackson Brown, Timberline added another touchdown in the second quarter, but behind the play of quarterback Jake Bice, Peninsula tallied two scores of its own to keep it close at halftime, down 21-14.

Filkins said his team is young, and Peninsula has had trouble getting a good scouting report on its opposition.

“(Timberline) is athletic and we knew that coming in. They are very well coached and when you have a team like that, you have to execute because the margin of error is very small,” Fikins said. “We have not even played close to our best football yet, and that is a good thing.”

Josh Hinkel (2) looks for running room between Timberline defenders. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

Out of the locker room after the break, the Seahawks exploded. Running back Josh Hinkel, who led the team with 64 yards and a touchdown in the first half, burst for a 20-yard carry. Wide receiver Cole Bashaw followed with a 31-yard reception from Bice. Ethan Hogan, who had a monster second half, finished the drive with a 16-yard run around the outside for a touchdown.

After a stop from the Seahawk defense, Hogan again led the charge when he took a handoff 77 yards to the house for the longest Peninsula gain of the night and, more importantly, it gave the Seahawks their first lead, 28-21.

“That man just grinds,” Bice said of Hogan, who is pound for pound the strongest player on the team. “He competes every play and you just can’t tackle him, and he just makes guys miss.”

The Peninsula defense also stepped up big in the second half. Linebacker Duran Miller recovered a fumble that set up a fourth unanswered touchdown and gave the Seahawks a 35-21 lead.

Peninsula’s Taylor Jones (65) tries to bat down a pass from Timberline quarterback Jackson Brown (9). Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

“We get pumped up in the locker room at halftime,” Bice said. “We are smart and knew what we had to do and what we were doing wrong. We reevaluated and came out hot and ready in the second half.”

Timberline would not go down without a fight, however. The Blazers scored on back-to-back drives, but a missed extra point forced them to have to go for two points to even the score. A swarm of Peninsula defenders scuttled the attempt.

Holding on to just a two-point lead, the Seahawks just needed to run out the clock to secure their third straight victory.

After Hogan was sidelined with cramping, senior Aiden Lester filled in and converted on a 2nd-and-2 as he burst upfield for an 11-yard gain. Hinkel followed with a big first-down reception that sealed the win.

“We play our hearts out,” Hogan said. “We give it our all and we play together. We think alike and are just 11 as one.”

Hester and friends bring awareness to Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Micah Hester, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and is wheelchair bound, was an honorary captain and participated in the coin toss Friday to help raise awareness of the the disease, which results in severe muscle loss.

Micah Hester and team captains from Peninsula and Timberline watch the coin flip before Friday’s game. Hester, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, was an honorary captain for the Seahawks. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnson

Hester and classmates Alli Kimball and quarterback Jake Bice designed a T-shirt to sell at lunches and at the game to raise money to donate to the charity “Coach to Cure.” The goal of Parent Project Coach to Cure MD is to raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the thousands of boys it affects and generate financial support for Duchenne research.

“It means a lot that we are able to do this for such a great cause,” said Bice. “In my first period I hang out with Micah pretty much the whole period so we have become pretty close. He is a really cool guy. “It’s really cool he is getting all this attention and appreciation and seeing people donate for a really good cause.

“A bunch of our guys were on the sideline talking to him during the game, and I could tell he was loving it out there. I was happy to see him smile”