Issaquah High School’s Freshman Football Team took on their game against Bothell on Oct. 11 in the Gary Moore Stadium. Although the game concluded with a hefty loss, with a score of 6-41, the Eagles put up a good fight until the end.
Issaquah started off on defense, holding back Bothell as they tried to push past the 20-yard line. However, with long passes, Bothell moved swiftly down the field within a few minutes. Bothell then made a great run from the 30-yard line to the end zone, scoring the first touchdown of the game. While Issaquah made notable runs, like one four-yard run by No. 3 Miggy Lorete, Bothell kept their heads high and scored another touchdown, putting the score at 0-14 by the end of the first quarter. Despite more powerful plays led by players like No. 4 Gunner Fulton and No. 18 Cade Sunderland in the following quarter, Bothell was able to score two more touchdowns and increase their score by 14 more points.
After Bothell’s fourth touchdown, Issaquah got possession of the ball. A long run by No. 5 Tristan Evans brought Issaquah to the 48-yard line with less than three minutes to go in the second quarter. With multiple runs, Sunderland brought the teams to the 20-yard line a minute later. The Eagles then scored their first touchdown with the help of No. 8 Chase Stepan. Even without a field goal, the Eagles got a six-point start to their score. However, after the turnover, Bothell made a 50-yard run to the end zone, scoring their fifth touchdown in the game with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. But this run didn’t change Issaquah’s mindset as they continued to play and try to bring the game to their end zone with long runs by Sunderland and No. 7 Nazaar Abdullahi. The first half ended with a score of 6-34.
At the start of the second half, Lorete and Evans ran almost 50-yards, play after play, uplifting the team’s spirits. Shortly after, though, Bothell turned over the ball and gradually brought the game to their end of the field, conclusively scoring a touchdown with two minutes left in the third quarter. The score came to 6-41 after those last two minutes.
The fourth quarter ended with the same score as the third as many plays left the players running back and forth with many fumbles. Despite the losses faced, No. 12 Maxx Prestoza is enjoying his first year of high school football. Prestoza described his experiences, saying, “I think it’s fun… Overall it’s pretty good.” In fact, challenges of regrets or bad plays are not what many players dwell over. Instead, Lorete felt that challenges of balancing academic and athletic life are what more players focus on, explaining, “I made a lot of mistakes, but as football players, we need to move on.”
Coach Wonio admits that although the game’s outcome was not ideal, he still sees growth in the team and looks forward to every game. As the season continues, Wonio says that “[the players are] learning the system and how they can fit in…. [Coaches] give them the blueprint so when they get up to the JV and Varsity levels, they’re a lot more comfortable in schemes and can compete at that level.” Even mid-season, there is still a lot to look forward to from these young athletes as they go through their high school career. Come support their next game on Oct. 18 at North Creek High School.
