BY MAKAYLA SPARKS – For Whatcom Preps
BELLINGHAM – The Bellingham Bayhawks knew they would be playing their last game of the season on Friday night when they faced off against the Sultan Turks at Civic Stadium, and they made sure it was a game everyone would remember.
In the 47-21 win, five different Bayhawks intercepted a pass, four put up over 100 yards of offense, and two returned kickoffs for touchdowns.
Leading the way offensively was quarterback Josh Leonard. The senior lefty started the game on full throttle, quickly completing a 35-yard pass to senior wide receiver Wyatt Stephan, and never looked back. He ended the night with 311 passing yards and two touchdowns on 24 completions.
The pass to Stephan gave way to Bellingham’s first touchdown, a three-yard run by junior running back Tyler Frost.
On the Bayhawks’ next drive, Sultan got its first positive play of the night when one of their defenders stepped in front of the pass and picked it off. But it was all for not when Bellingham sophomore safety Owen Hanstead returned the favor. It was Hanstead’s Whatcom-County leading seventh interception of the season and he now has eight total in his young career.
Both the Bayhawks and Turks added a rushing touchdown to their totals as the first quarter of play continued. Bellingham’s was run in by senior running back, Holden Bates from 25 yards out. He finished with a game-high 171 yards on 15 carries.
Sultan attempted to take the momentum when it rushed into the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown, but Stephan had had an answer on the ensuing kickoff. Stephan caught the kickoff, evaded multiple defenders, and raced 84 yards to the house, giving his team the 20-7 advantage.
Just under two minutes into the second quarter, Bayhawk junior defensive back Bly Henderson snagged a Sultan pass attempt, which set up his teammate, senior wide receiver, Josh Tolle to score on an 18-yard touchdown pass. Bellingham headed into the locker room at halftime with a 27-7 lead.
Tolle broke another school record in the game by catching 14 passes, and he turned those into 143 yards.
After the third quarter started, it didn’t take long for the Bayhawks to prove they were still in charge.
Tolle grabbed the team’s third interception of the game just before pulling in a 40-yard reception a few plays later. The pass set up Frost for his second rushing touchdown of the game and Bellingham explained their lead to 33-7.
Sultan scored on the next drive to close the gap. However, it didn’t last long. Tolle received the following kickoff and was off to the races. He tripped up a couple of defenders and sprinted 90 yards for the touchdown.
As time ran out on the quarter, Bellingham junior linebacker Gabe VanHofwegen intercepted yet another Sultan pass and gave his team the ball heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bayhawks ended their scoring campaign on an 18-yard touchdown pass to Stephan near the beginning of the final quarter. Stephan finished with six receptions for 106 yards.
The Turks returned the subsequent kickoff for a touchdown on the third kickoff return for a touchdown in the game. However, Frost intercepted a Sultan pass on their next drive and Bellingham was able to kneel out the clock.
The Bayhawks concluded their season with the 47-21 victory, and an overall record of 6-4.
Bellingham 47 Sultan 21 SUL 7 0 7 7 - 21 BE 20 7 13 7 - 47 BEL - Frost 3 run (Islay kick) BEL - Bates 25 run (pass failed) SUL - 38 yard touchdown run (kick good) BEL - Stephan 84 kickoff return (Isaly kick) BEL - Tolle 18 pass from Leonard (Isaly kick) BEL - Frost 2 run (kick blocked) SUL - 1 yard touchdown run (kick good) BEL - Tolle 90 kickoff return (Isaly kick) BEL - Stephan 18 pass from Leonard (Isaly kick) SUL - 82 yard kickoff return for a touchdown (kick good) SUL BEL 26-201 Rush Att-Yards 20-174 9-17-5 Comp-Att-Int 24-33-1 110 Passing Yards 311 Individual Leaders RUSHING - SUL: N/A. BEL: Bates 15-171, Frost 3-3, Leonard 2-0. PASSING - SUL: N/A. BEL: Leonard 24-33-1-311. RECEIVING - SUL: N/A. BEL: Tolle 14-143, Stephan 6-106, Henderson 2-40, VanHofwegen 2-22.
