The rains came, literally, to start the second quarter, but that did nothing to influence the outcome of Evergreen's state playoff game against Meadowdale Friday.

What did it was the Wolverines' foe, down to the last down of what could be their season -- fourth and three from the six -- with less than one minute to play in the fourth quarter.

Meadowdale scored on Evergreen's Wolverines to come back and win, 20-19, in a 3A state playoff round of 16 match-up at Highline Stadium Friday.

Evergreen did have 36 seconds left on the clock right after that, but could not do more than get one first down just past midfield. Time ran out before Luther Leonard, who had a great season throwing the ball, a good first half for yardage and second for throwing a touchdown that put Evergreen ahead early in the fourth quarter, was sacked.

The final drive included two wide-out passes to receivers, one for a first down as the Wolverines started that drive at their own 40-yard line. They got to the 44 before Leonard was to let heave a ball, 50, 60 yards for a TD prayer, like Doug Flutie did for Boston College many remember two decades ago. But no. A sack. A season done.

"We fought all the way, to the death," said Evergreen linemen Sia Sagaio, playing on both sides of the ball. He made several tackles in this game, playing his first season of football for the Wolverines and he's a senior. The green and gold and white mascot colored school from White Center did fight to the death of themselves against Meadowdale, from Lynnwood. But on that last fourth and down play, everything was settled, thanks in large part to a slip by the defender. Maybe blame it on the rain. It was the last offensive play of the season for Meadowdale no doubt if that down was not a first down. It was more than that.

"I knew I had to catch the ball," said Jacob Clampitt, the wide receiver that caught the game-winner. "The defender fell down and I knew I just had to catch it and the game was over."

Immediately following the handshakes Evergreen players began realizing the reality of losing. Players could be seen yelling out loud, saying different things and not necessarily bad things. But in times like that who knows.

What is known is that one player began saying things like, "This is nothing. There's gonna be stuff in life a lot tougher than this."

The player was Sagaio. And he was screaming it in front of his down fallen, kneeling, lying on the turf, teammates.

Then, Jonny Jackson, who had a key interception, started bouncing around to teammates saying, "You're winners, you're winners. Come on, get up, get up!!! Get over here. You're winners, you're winners. Get over here."

And Jackson was leading the players to follow him back to the center of the field where, for five minutes they all sat in a circle huddled, talking of who knows what.

Then, after that, they all came over and the fans were still there, starting to shout "Yeah, Evergreen." Then another, the same. Then the whole place soon became a cacophony of sounds of encouragement to their fallen heroes that were the first Evergreen team since 1983 to make it to the state playoffs round of 16.

Then, next, the players, trying to smile and going over to clap and let their fans know they appreciated them, put themselves into their ceremonial game-after Polynesian dance. The fans went wild one last time and right at that time, actually before they started, the whole Meadowdale team, in an arc, started clapping over at the Evergreen side of the field, half surrounding them.

"We are giving you respect," said one Meadowdale football player of the crowd of 50-plus.

"Yeah, respect," said another.

Fans gave great comfort. Meadowdale gave great comfort. Players were picking each other up, with shouts, and not mentioned, but hugs afterwards, too. As 13 Evergreen seniors, a lot playing on both sides of the ball were seeing their dream of a state title end, what was beginning?

Their coach, talking, who transformed this program from winless and 1-8 seasons before he came to 3-8 three years ago, playoffs round of 32 last year, and, Meadowdale loss, a 9-2 record overall and Seamount League championship.

Shaun Tarantola is the 30-something Evergreen head coach. And, props, too, go to assistants Lele Teo, Eddie Antuna and Andy Arena. Teo was assistant coach of the year in the Seamount. Also, Skip Lee, Dough Stultz, Josh Mandler, Jerod Hatchett, all helped. John Laufasa, too.

"I am proud of these guys," said Tarantola. "They played their hearts out. Some guys really stepped up. The seniors were playing like it was their last game of the season."

The seniors carried Evergreen in this game. Meadowdale scored first, with three minutes left in the first quarter, after a nine play drive covering three quarters of the 100-yard football field ended with a 20 yard run into the end zone for a touchdown, to make it 7-0.

Evergreen came right back. After a great kickoff return from senior Kyle Tunney for 45 yards, taking the ball to the Evergreen 45-yard line, it was senior Nuve Kongaika taking the ball in for the score, a 55 yard run, with 1:30 left still in the first quarter, to make it tied up, 7-7.

Meadowdale scored on the next possession, making it 14-7, with 11:54 left in the first quarter, four plays with a 27 yard run to start things and a 25 yard pass to end things in the end zone.

Again, Evergreen came right back, scoring again after senior Kirt Terry-Springs took the pigskin 63 yards on a kickoff return to set up an immediate score.

So, after a missed extra point, it was 14-13 Meadowdale.

In the second half of this stadium-burner, with fans on both sides losing voices, it would be one score from each to decide things a point apart just like they went into the locker rooms at halftime a point apart.

Evergreen scored first. After a punt by Evergreen with no return at the 3:00 mark left of the third quarter, an incomplete pass and a 5-yard run later was followed by a Jackson interception that got the completely filled up, standing room only Evergreen crowd rocking.

Two minutes, four seconds later, Evergreen scored, with the six-play drive capped by a Leonard pass to Charles Webster for 25 yards up the middle, catching the pigskin in stride on the run and loping into the end zone to make it 19-14 after going for the two point conversion failed.

The score stayed that way until the very end of the game, which came in a dramatic way via a very excruciating sequence of plays. First, with four minutes left, on fourth down and six from their own 45-yard line, Meadowdale tried to draw Evergreen off-sides and did not so the referee backed them up five yards to make it fourth and six. Then a penalty on Evergreen, 12 men on the field, put the ball at fourth and one again. Then, Meadowdale did illegal motion (line moved early) and it was again fourth and six. So, still four minutes remained and Meadowdale was punting the ball.

But, with the ball, being able to grind out a victory with running it, or short passes, Evergreen, fumbled it back to Meadowdale.

Meadowdale, from the Evergreen 45-yard line, had a couple small down plays and then a big 15-yard play to get a first down. Then it was another big play to get the ball to the Evergreen 6-yard line with 1:45 left. On first down, Evergreen held them to nothing. On second down, not much either, on third down, a pass to a wide receiver in the corner of the end zone was finger-tip touched as the ball bounced out of bounds. So, that made it...

Fourth down and three, on the six.

Hut, pass, catch and it was 20-19 Meadowdale.

"They made the bigger plays," said Tarantola. Usually in a playoff football team, the one that turns the ball over less is going to win in a close game. We turned the ball over four times."

Senio Kelemete, a ofensive line/defensive line stop-gap tackle, made so many big plays, like Sagiao, like a lot of guys -- Tunney, Kongaika, Leonard, Tery-Springs... The list is long.

The senior, Kelemete, said, "We didn't finish strong."

All has been done for Evergreen, their dream season ends. And, it is hard to say when the parking lot, mostly for the home team, because Meadowdale's stands were three-quarter full, and a lot smaller stands than Evergreen's completely filled up home side ones. But, it's hard to say when the cars will be parked all over the adjoining across street apartments and lining every single inch of the Highline Stadium parking lot. For Evergreen. Of course, Kennedy usually is in this spot, but on this season, the Wolverines turned off the Lancers' traditional power, beating them.

This game was tough, but a lot of good things can be talked about, like it being the first time in 24 years that the Wolverines made it to the state round of 16.

"No one can take away our family,' said Sagaio, who played football for the first time this season while attending Evergreen. The senior continued: "We are brothers. No one can ever take that away."

What about losing one of your brothers to the intensity of the game that had him ejected in the win last week over West Seattle?

"That hurts," said Sagaio, of that player, to not be named but was a first team all-league player, on both sides of the ball. Losing him hurt no doubt, though freshman, Devante Botello, at least on defense line backing, took his place very well. Though he was not with the experience of that player.

"It hurts so much," said Sagaio. "He is our brother and when a brother goes down it hurts. It's like a father losing a son."

Yet, still playing in the state round of 16 they nearly conquered.

"Give them credit, they made the bigger plays in the end," said Tarantola. "Meadowdale is a good football team."