People around here probably want to forget about what happened to Kennedy in a 21-14 playoff loss to Nathan Hale at Seattle Memorial Field Friday.

But head coach Bob Bourgette had nothing but praise for his players that simply were not a top caliber program on this playoff night to try and advance to the round of the top 16 3A teams in the state. The Lancers were trying to continue their quest of a state title that just eluded them as runner-ups last year to Bellevue, 14-7, in overtime. But this team was just not that team. Afterall, these Lancers took a very uncharacteristic third place in the Seamount League, and lost to graduaton a few good players including All-League Washington State recruit Kevin Freitag, a lineman, and University of Washington freshman now, also an all-league selection and leading league, if not state-leading, rusher Nate Williams.

That kind of loss, not to mention last year's quarterback Bobby Gentry, a real leader on the field, is hard to recover from, for any team. It doesn't matter how good a team was the previous year when that kind of player goes bye-bye.

"The kids played hard," said Bourgette. "The other team just wanted it more and we got beat by a better team tonight. I am proud of the way we kept playing hard. Give credit to Nathan Hale. They played a good game. They beat us."

Just barely, as the final score tells everyone, and it was close down to the finish. But let's start way sooner than the end.

Kennedy scored first, in the beginning quarter, on a 47-yard interception return by Nolan Washington and then Nathan Hale put in a score in the books in the final 37 seconds prior to the second quarter's closing. So it was 7-7 going into the third quarter, the question was who would page together some good plays for the next score, and get the momentum turning.

So after 45 yards of total offense 17 passing, 29 rushing themselves in the first half, speaking of Kennedy, and, over a 100 total yards for the Raiders (77 rush, 26 pass), it was still a new ballgame going into the third quarter, that's all to say. Either one still could the other in the books! And out of state.

After stopping the Raiders opening drive of the third quarter after first having had to punt themselves, Kennedy got the ball after the punt. But junior Trey Watson fumbled it away unfortunately. With the ball, the Raiders went from the Lancers 42, having started in good field position as the clock read 7:25. And then seven plays and 42 yards later, on a scoring slant pass from the 10 yard line, the TD made it 14-7 Nathan Hale.

But as Bourgette said above, his team did anything but give up, taking the ball in on their very next possession.

Watson returned the ball 15 yards on a nice punt return before an 11 and a 4-yard back to back run led to L.J. Jennings' 4-yard burst. Then Watson, with it second down and six at the 44, went consecutive 10-yard gains. Then at the 29-yard line of their foe, the Lancers scored on a great little 29-yard scramble from Washington to tie things up, 14-14. That score happened with 11:02 left in the fourth quarter. It was a three minute, eight play drive that covered 75 yards from start to finish.

So, everything was looking to be falling into place for the Lancers to make this game a happy ending. They even had the football with eight minutes left after having forced Nathan Hale to punt the football at that point prior. And, it was a great drive until...another bumble, er, fumble. The Lancers committed a handful of those in the game and, winning and turnovers, everyone knows, do not mix, at all. They're like oil and water. But, with eight minutes to go, the Lancers still looked to be the team that would be tasting the victory in the end.

How the final drive went was Watson wth a 9--yard carry to bring the ball to their 43-yard line. Then Watson went one yard, then a nice roll-out left from Washington and strike hitting Watson in the numbers with the football put the Lancers at their own 44. Next came a 13 yard Watson run up the middle, then a 2-yarder and 2-yarder again by Watson running the pigskin. So, after another 5-yard run from Watson, the Lancers were 40 yards from turning the page on calling this just a so-so season. But... there was another fumble on the next play by Washington, who proved that hero to goat theory well, unfortunately. The Raiders had the ball with four minutes about left and did nothing but go north with the football from their own 47-yard line to start. Still, as Bourgette said, his kids did not give up. They got the Raiders to go first and 10 for no gain on a run and no gain on a second run and then a 3-yard loss from the likes of Mike Vigil lineman working. So, it was third and 13 with 1:15 left in the game and, wouldn't you know it, the Raiders would get a penalty for moving early.

So, third and 18 was the Raiders' luck, and things were looking really good for the Lancers to get the ball back and at the least bring this page-turner into overtime. So, 3 and 18 to go and the ball was hiked and the quarterback of the Raiders, Jordan Sullivan, was looking to the middle of the field for a receiver. The Lancers were closing in for a sack but he got the pass off and it was thrown a little high. But the prayer in the air by the Raiders' wide receiver, Nissim Shulman, was answered with having his hand hit down the football perfectly to his hands.

Touchdown, Nathan Hale. Ironically, the Raiders QB had his longest pass of the game more than doubling his game total passing on that last play offensively. Sulivan, for the Raiders, had 49 yards passing until the final big pass he made. 6-for-19 for 104 yards. Tre Watson had 90 yards on 17 carries for a 5.3 yard average rushing. Washington was a perfect 3-for-3 throwing for 29 yards. But the fumbles.

"Just mistakes you can't do," said Bourgette.

And on the Raiders' TD, what happened there with the pass coverage?

"I thought we had two or three guys on him, he made a good play," said Bourgette.

The player was all alone, just the throw was so bad that he had to tip it to himself, which he luckily did do to the many Lancers fans chagrin, not to mention the large pep band.

The Lancers had a lot of miscues in their final 45 seconds with the football following the Raiders game-breaker. Thus, to really sum up the kind of unfortunate game the Lancers had fumbling things away, they couldn't do good snaps the final three plays. Twice the ball got behind QB Washington and that was following a good kick return to get the ball to the 50 with 45 seconds left and then a good Watson run to get the ball to the 39 with still over a half minute left. But the bad snaps happened at the worst time could they have happened and....Time to board the bus and think about what could have been if not for all those fumbles in this one, especially the second half.

John Ruffo, the Lancers longtime scoring statistician, said it best, albeit dejectedly: "We can put the gear away now."

"They just played harder," said Watson, a junior, who will remember this for how not to have it happen next year at this time of playoff football. "We had some mistakes. We turned the ball over."

A reason why?

"No," said Watson.

So, it was uncharacteristic of your team to do that kind of fumble stuff. You had a couple, Tre had...

"Very," said Watson.

So, what can be learned from this game for the future.

"We just got to come out and play hard every play," said Watson.

Again, the Lancers looked to be making a nice dramatic little comeback in the end of this game before the fumble and were in this until the end obviously . And, fact is, despite our team losing, it was a suspenseful football game, fun to watch until the very bittersweet end.

"Nothing against our guys," said Bourgette. "I am very proud. We played hard until the last snap."