The West Seattle Wildcats thoroughly overwhelmed the Eagles of Cleveland High School Friday night (Sept. 21) in high school varsity football at the SWAC, 51-12.

West Seattle has outscored their opponents 97-18 over the last two games. What’s more important- these were division wins. And you can be sure the other teams in the Sound Division will be taking note of this. Rainier Beach should, they’re the Wildcats next opponent on September 28th at the SWAC.

The game was an all-around victory for the West Siders. Game balls for- The defense that didn’t allow a score until late in the fourth quarter- Cleveland rarely got beyond midfield. The offence that ran around the edges so quickly that it made your head spin and was able to complete passes for large chunks of ground (and the guts to pass on a fourth and seventeen to get a first and goal on the four- game ball for you coach). And the special teams for going for, and winning, three two point conversions and causing a turnover on a punt.

West Seattle jumped out of the blocks like a sprinter with a 57-yard pass for a touchdown on their first play of the game to take a 7-0 lead. Cleveland went four and out on their first possession but got a break when the punt was muffed and while it went only about seven yards, hit a Wildcat and was recovered by the Eagles on their own fourteen yard line. The Cleveland couldn’t move the ball from there and this time their punt traveled beyond the line of scrimmage. On the very next play the Wildcats found the endzone and with a two point conversion their lead was 15-0 with 8:59 left in the first quarter.

This absolutely took the wind out of Cleveland and they played like the game was already over. West Seattle scored at will and didn’t give up any points until the 9:44 mark in the fourth quarter (garbage time) and a touchdown that came off of one of those “this doesn’t happen very often” plays. As time expired Cleveland- on the Wildcat seven- threw an interception that was run back to the Cleveland forty five… but pass interference was called on West Seattle and with time expired Cleveland got one more chance at the endzone and scored to make the outcome a somewhat respectable 51-12.

West Seattle head coach Dominic Yarrington…“We thought we had the upper hand in this game. We knew if we could get our guys (RB’s) on the edge we’d have the advantage with our speed”.

West Seattle’s next game is Home Coming against division rival Rainier Beach September 28th at the SWAC.