Skyline Stuns Eagles in Season Opener

Skyline Stuns Eagles in Season Opener
By Steve Dion

Football season is back and the first Friday night of high school gridiron action featured a classic KingCo rivalry matchup between Issaquah and Skyline. The Spartans have had the upper hand against their plateau foe for over a decade and the Eagles were primed to turn the tides in front a capacity crowd on the premises of Gary Moore Stadium.

A slow pace of play dictated the entirety of the contest as both sides incorporated a heavy dose of passing and short possessions as the ball exchanged hands frequently. After a scoreless first quarter, Blake Gregory found Logan Wanamaker on a long flare down the left side for a big gain. This set up Rashaad Body for a 9 yard scamper to give the green six. Issaquah responded with a scoring drive of their own which closed with a 9 yard tie-toe grab by Joe Nelson from Cameron Humphrey. The scoreboard read 7-7 at the break.
The home team picked up an early touchdown in the second half, a 2 yard goal line dive by Bryce Hughes. Minutes later, Sparty responded as Gregory crossed the goal line untouched on a quarterback sneak. The ping-pong match continued when Jack Dellinger hauled in a pass by Humphrey on what appeared to be a defensive misread for 72 yards and a 21-14 lead.

Issaquah grabbed a two score lead early in the final frame on another Nelson reception. The Eagles were less than ten minutes from stunning Mat Taylor’s perennial 4A juggernaut. The visitors rallied the troops and drove down the field to set up another rushing touchdown for Boddie. Needing seven to tie the game up and send the game into overtime, Wanamaker did just that on a fourth down conversion with less than a minute remaining.

With a complete shift of momentum to the visitor sideline, Buddy Bland needed to rally his team to a score and a stop. They fell short on step one as a field goal attempt did not split the uprights. It was the Spartans chance to complete the comeback and they were faced with a similar predicament. Jack Crane pounded the pigskin through with his big left leg to seal the improbable victory for Skyline.

The FinalScore – Skyline 31, Issaquah 28.

Top Performers:
Skyline
Rashaad Boddie-2 rushing TDs (9, 30)

Issaquah
Joe Nelson-2 rec TDs (9, 72)