The Issaquah High School Varsity Football Team took home another win Friday with a score of 7-6 against the Newport Knights. Issaquah started off strong in the first quarter, sacking players, throwing smooth passes, and scoring a touchdown near the end of the first quarter. Newport, on the other hand, continued to fumble and throw incomplete passes, struggling to get past the Issaquah defense. When Issaquah junior quarterback Keagan Barnwell passed to sophomore offensive lineman Tanner Geraci, a Newport player tipped the ball, but Geraci managed to complete the pass. Geraci continued to catch impressive passes throughout the night. In the second quarter, Newport intercepted a pass from Issaquah and scored a touchdown, but missed the field goal.

Assistant Coach Michael Collier said, “This game is going to be a bit of a fight, but I’m feeling optimistic.” Junior Defensive lineman Cade Stenzel said, “My personal goal is sacking as many opposing players as possible.”

When junior offensive lineman Bez Achebe was asked how he thought the game was going he said, “Pretty well. We’ve had some slip ups, but we’re pulling through. My goal for this season is to make playoffs. I want to break the neighborhood stigma that Issaquah football isn’t good. I want to prove that we have a plan, we have spirit. We just need their support. Our season is going well, much better than last year. We’re being taught better, we have better discipline, we’re stronger.” He described what a typical day of practice looks like, saying, “There’s mentor time, which is when the older and younger teammates bond and get our minds situated. Then there’s warm ups, individual routines, and juice period, which is really fun. It hypes up the team. Then we kneel, we talk about the opponent, how we’re doing well, what we can work on, and our core value of the week.”

With no more points scored for the rest of the game, Issaquah took home the win, making their record 3-2. Mount Si, Issaquah’s next opponent, also has a record of 3-2. Show them your support by coming out to Friday’s away game at Mount Si!