BELLINGHAM – 20 years from now, it will still be talked about up on Sehome Hill. The goal line stand by the Mariner defense that brought victory over Ferndale.
The Golden Eagles had the ball first-and-goal on the Sehome 5-yard line with 39 seconds to go, armed with two timeouts and down 10-3. Sophomore Isaiah Carlson, who had surpassed 100 yards rushing on the previous play, was stopped for a one-yard gain on two consecutive plays, which forced Ferndale to use its final two timeouts.
On third-and-goal from the the 3-yard line, senior quarterback Haiden Rasmussen completed a quick pass to junior Thomas Broselle but a tackle by sophomore cornerback Max Malo at the 1-yard line forced the Golden Eagles to scramble.
It was now 4th-and-goal, and the time continued running, Ferndale was able to get the snap off with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Rasmussen handed the ball off to Carlson, but Malo made another big play by wrapping up Carlson’s ankles at the line of scrimmage and senior safety Colin Dorsch dove in to finish the play, ultimately turning the ball over on downs inches away from the goal line.
With one second remaining, Sehome quarterback Jacob Kaepernick then took a knee in the end zone for a safety, and the Mariners remained unbeaten with the 10-5 win over Ferndale on Saturday night.
Both defenses deserve high praise, as they both had numerous stand out players during the contest.
The Mariners got on the board first when junior Aidan Andrews booted a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter. Sehome was able to move the ball in the first half, but interceptions by seniors Andrew Monks and Jaxson Pike, as well as junior middle linebacker Jazen Guillory, made it tough to get into the end zone.
The Golden Eagles took away the momentum on numerous occasions, but Sehome’s defense always found a way to make a big play to turn the ball over on downs. Mariner defensive lineman Gavin Ortega also intercepted a screen pass and took it 35 yards into Ferndale territory. The 6-foot-5 250-pound junior also had nine tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass batted down.
The Golden Eagles finally got on the board in the third quarter with a line-drive 29-yard field goal by senior kicker James Werth, and the game was tied at three going into the final quarter.
Dorsch scored the only touchdown of the game on a 28-yard run down the right sideline that saw him break three tackles before sprinting into the end zone. He finished with a team-high 71 yards on 13 carries.
Dorsch and his safety mate Tim Malo made play after play in run support during the game, as they combined for 21 tackles. Sophomore outside linebacker Tommy Funk also did an incredible job on the edge with 10 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack.
Ferndale was led defensively by sophomore defensive end Jake Mason who finished with 8.5 tackles, three sacks and a tackle for loss.
Sehome (3-0) hosts Squalicum (2-1) on Friday at 7:00, while Ferndale (2-1) will ne hosting Burlington-Edison (2-1) on Thursday at 7:00.
Ferndale 5
Sehome 10
FERN 0 0 3 2 – 5
SEH 3 0 0 7 – 10
SE – Andrews 24 FG
FER – Werth 29 FG
SE – Dorsch 28 run (Andrews kick)
FER – Safety, Kaepernick kneel in the end zone
FER SEH
50-145 Rushing Att-Yards 20-49
8-15-1 Comp-Att-Int 16-27-3
57 Passing yards 148
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – FER: Carlson 26-106, Pelton 11-27, Broselle 10-15, Rasmussen 2-(-3). SE: Dorsch 13-71, Kaepernick 7-(-22).
PASSING – FER: Rasmussen 8-15-1-57. SE: Kaepernick 16-27-3-148.
RECEIVING – FER: Broselle 6-52, Pelton 1-6, Carlson 1-(-1). SE: M. Malo 6-50, T. Malo 5-71, L. Evans 4-31, Dorsch 1-(-4).
Way to go Dorsch !!!
Way to go Funk!
Go Colin! You are the best!!!
You all played a fantastic game. I’ve not seen Mariners work harder then this team did that night! It was a great game! They Never Never Never gave up!!! Good job!