by Greg McCorkle

On a night where thoughts drifted to visions of the big homecoming dance the Rainier Beach Vikings came to dance, but did it to a different tune.

After last week’s drubbing of the Cleveland Eagles, Wildcat head coach Dominic Yarrington warned his team not to be distracted by all of the pomp and circumstance in the week leading up to tonight’s homecoming game… unfortunately the team wasn’t thinking about the game.

The Vikings took control of the game at the outset and by halftime the contest was decided at 40-0. Rainier Beach quarterback Robert Calloway was as slippery as a greased pig at the county fair. The normally stingy Wildcat defense had no answer for Calloway’s speed when he decided to take off and run the with the ball, ripping off large gains. When the Wildcat defense moved to the perimeter to contain Calloway the Vikings ran up the middle. That brought the linebackers up to seal off the running lanes, as soon as that happened Calloway would find a receiver for another large gain. West Seattle was a half-step behind Rainier Beach on nearly every play defensively and offensively.

The Wildcats turned the ball over at crucial moments when it looked like they were getting into a rhythm, killing drives and their spirit. When the fourth quarter started Wildcat quarterback Jamie Maples was benched, and #7 Joey Kane came in and with 4:07 left in the game engineered the only score of the night to salvage some respectability in the game.

Too little, too late.

The final score was 47-7. If there was a bright spot in the evening it would be that the Wildcat defense allowed only seven points in the second half.

Coach Yarrington was embarrassed by his team’s performance on this night, and he let his team know that in the post-game huddle. “I’m at a loss for words right now” said Yarrington “but we have to move on to next week”.

A road game against the Ingraham Rams next Friday October 5th may prove to be the tonic this team needs to get back on track.