A close game in the third quarter became a blowout win for the Highline Pirates over the Evergreen Wolverines in football at Highline Memorial Field on Thursday.

Highline improved to 3-3 in the Seamount while Evergreen dropped to 1-4 in the Seamount League.

It was a tale of two ways of explaining things. Either Evergreen choked on the momentum it gained late in the third quarter, or, Highline’s defense shut down the running game of Evergreen at that key time in the game.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” said Evergreen’s first year coach David Lewis. “We had over 100 yards in penalties I think. Either they were drive killers or drive savers.”

In this game, Highline scored in the first quarter on a Hans Larsen 20-yard touchdown run before the game went scoreless through the second quarter for both teams. In the third quarter, Highline scored again on a Lewis Andrews 3-yard run in that made it 12-0.

Evergreen came back after that and scored, Leitufia Tuitoelau had a 17-yard run that made it 12-8, capped off nicely by a Jose Adames 2-point conversion run dragging tacklers into the endzone. Still 1:29 to go in the third quarter at this time, so, a whole lot of time with the whole fourth yet to play out.

Evergreen stopped Highline on four straight downs to get the ball back, but on 2-7, from their 35-yard line, a nice run from Adames was called back due to a penalty, a nice 20-yard run.

Then, on third and 17, the Wolverines tried a lateral ‘out’ pass that the Pirates shut down nicely.

That was the momentum turn right there as the Pirates went in to score, another Andrews TD, this time powering 34 yards through would-be tacklers to the endzone, 19-8, after a Joey Young extra-point.

You held off Evergreen’s rally there in the third quarter late?

“We did,” said Juan Cotto, Highline’s first year coach. “We made some mistakes in this game, but defense saved us.”

Who would be?

“Well, Brandon Connolly had the interception, and the defensive line did a great job stuffing the run, Jordan Warner, Denzel Deloney...”

And what else, rather ,who else?

“Lewis Andrews had a great game,” said Cotto.

Did he ever!

And how he had it was a nice sight to see. Andrews, a 5-8, 160 junior, scored twice in a win over Mount Rainier on Sept. 19 but then the next game on the 26th against Kennedy he was...

“Knocked unconscious,” said Andrews.

Kennedy wasn’t too nice to you were they?

“No, they weren’t,” said Andrews, adding, “but they are a great football team.”

So then what, Tyee was next?

“I didn’t play against Tyee because of my concussion,” said Andrews.

So then he came back and played in this one.

Glutton for punishment it sounds like.

“No, I love the game,” said Andrews. “I love the adrenaline rush and playing with my family, the bond with my team.”

Andrews scored a third TD -- a 20-yard run, with five minutes left, his third of the game.

Nice comeback from a concussion, eh?

“That’s the most touchdowns I’ve scored in my career,” said Andrews.

Now a rest, it’s a bye week. What about that time off now, not playing this coming week in a football game.

“It’s a bye week he said,” said Andrews. “He said, ‘But don’t let this bye mess up your momentum. The seniors need to take this team to how far they really want this team to go, as far as they can possibly get it.’”

The fans came in force to this one for the Pirates, cheering throughout, waving a Pirates flag back and forth, being into the game. The sideline Pirates players, especially on that Evergreen crucial third and 15, were altogether in unison saying ‘Defense. Defense’ and clapping their hands in sync.

It worked! The Pirates shut down the Wolverines on that sequence already explained above, and Cotto explains what he likes best about this team right now.

“The kids have worked really hard as students,” said Cotto. “I found out we have a 2.95 g.p.a. for the whole team.”

For 30 kids, 40?

“That is for 60 kids,” said Cotto. “That is where we want to excel. I am very excited about that.”

And the football? Excited about that too?

“Yes,” said Cotto. “We are improving each week. We made a lot of mistakes, but we overcame them. We have a bye week now. We will use it to become better students. The kids have really worked hard in practice and in the classroom.”

The Pirates take a two-game win streak into playing Foster in their next game Oct. 23 at Highline Memorial Field.

Evergreen will just keep on keeping on, according to their coach, Lewis, who comes with playoff winning experience from Oregon schools, in Hermiston and Molalla, and, California the last decade or so. He says that he will bring that kind of success to Evergreen, but it won’t come overnight.

“We are extremely young,” said Lewis. “Mostly sophomores and juniors out here. Last year’s team had 16 senior starters and they’ve graduated, 20 seniors total on that team.”

That team made the playoffs the last two seasons under the departed Shaun Tarantola, now at Juanita. But Tarantola’s first season was a lot like Lewis’, having only two, three wins that time around. So there is hope for Evergreen to develop and build, and, win. Hopefully this year that still can happen.

“We have a great, young program,” said Lewis. “We’ll be fine. We got to be strong and stay together. We are going to be a great program.”

Evergreen plays Renton at Highline on Friday night at 7 p.m.