Maybe next year.

Decatur's first football season in the Class 3A South Puget Sound League ended with a 14-6 loss to Auburn-Mountainview on Thursday, Oct. 28, putting the Gators' final league record at 0-5 and their overall mark at 1-8.

But the next time around the 3A circuit in 2011 could be different, as indicated by their regular season finale against Auburn-Mountainview.

Decatur came back enough to have a chance to catch the Lions in the end, but two fourth quarter plays in particular helped to stave off the surging Gators.

The first occurred as the time remaining clock slipped past the 10 minute mark. Decatur's Yohiness Jennings gained 10 yards on a left end run but was stopped from getting the two more yards he needed to get a first down out of the fourth down play.

The Gators then got a break of their own as Auburn-Mountainview fumbled the ball away with 5:51 left.
Decatur took over on the Lions' 47, then found the end zone from 45 yards out on the third play from scrimmage.

Jennings caught a pass from quarterback Jason Wiley and bolted down the right sideline for the score. The play closed the Gators' gap to 14-6 with 4:41 left to play, but Spencer Smith's kick for the extra point was blocked.

Auburn-Mountainview then marched from its 35 to the Gators' 47, where it was forced to punt.
Smith fell on the ball at the Gators' 8-yard line, then they moved to their 27 with 1:12 to go.

But the biggest play of the game caught Decatur in the end.

Cramer Helton of the Lions snatched a Wiley pass to take away the ball for the last time. Auburn-Mountainview ran out the clock from there.

The Lions scored their first touchdown early.

Skyler White returned a punt and ran it into the end zone with 4:56 to play in the first quarter. The kick for the extra point failed to put the score at 6-0.

White, who is the Lions' quarterback as well as the kick returner, scored the next touchdown on an 11-yard run with 10:25 left in the second quarter. White went for a two-point conversion, hitting Derek Pierce in the end zone to round the score up to 14-0. Then Decatur could not get the score any closer than 14-6.

SPSL teams will now play crossover games with other leagues and divisions to cap off their season. The top four in the North and South Class 4A divisions will play playoff games, while the lower teams are playing for consolation and bragging right purposes.