ISSAQUAH – The magic had to run out at some time, but if you ask within the Sehome football community, it wasn’t magic. It was a family. A brotherhood, and a true sense of the word team. The togetherness and winning attitude that second-year coach Kevin Beason brought to the Mariners has already taken place. However, it was the 4th seeded Patriots that upended Sehome 21-14 in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs on Friday night at Liberty High School.
Liberty got out of the gates quickly by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but the Mariners weren’t about to fold right away. It was actually the third time that had happened to them this season, and Sehome had recently been getting used to having to play from behind.
Multiple back-and-forth drives by both teams took most of the next quarter and a half. Some three-and-outs, some turnover on downs, and some costly turnovers by both teams, and the game stayed 7-0 for a while.
A Liberty interception gave the Patriots the ball at the Sehome 30-yard line late in the second quarter, and they would end up scoring after a few strong run plays. Just like that, Sehome was down 14-0 at halftime.
The Mariners began the second half with a strong drive that saw sophomore quarterback Jacob Kaepernick connect on 4-of-5 passes, including a 12-yarder to senior wide receiver Brett Meggyesy that brought Sehome to the five yard line. Senior running back Dylan Roberts scored two plays later from two yards out on a direct snap.
Each team possessed the ball three times after Roberts’ scoring play, but they would end in punts or turnovers on downs. Kaepernick was then picked off in the fourth quarter and it was returned 30 yards for a touchdown, and Sehome was running out of time.
The Mariners did look sharp on the ensuing drive, though. Kaepernick found Meggyesy on a nine yard pass on 4th-and-9. The two connected again on a 23-yard pass on a 3rd-and-10. It happened again on a 12-yard pitch and catch on a 3rd-and-5. The Mariners were then faced with a 3rd-and-goal from the one-yard line, and the decision was easy. Get the ball to Sehome’s most prolific receiver in school history, and Kaepernick did just that by zipping the ball into the end zone on a quick out.
The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Patriots, but a strong Sehome defensive push forced Liberty to punt it away.
Meggyesy ended the game with 11 catches for 112 yards and a score.
The Mariners were able to drive down the field again, but an interception ultimately lost the game, and ended the season for Sehome (7-4).
Sehome 14
Liberty 21
SE 0 0 7 7 – 14
LIB 7 7 0 7 – 21
LIB – 89 yard kickoff return (kick good)
LIB – 8 yard touchdown run (kick good)
SE – D. Roberts 2 run (Nelson kick)
LIB – 30 yard interception return for a touchdown (kick good)
SE – Meggyesy 1 pass from Kaepernick (Nelson kick)
SE LIB
36-103 Rushing Att-Yards 30-118
22-41-3 Comp-Att-Int 4-7-0
170 Passing yards 71
Individual Leaders
RUSHING – SE: D. Roberts 28-77, Kaepernick 6-16, Smith 2-10,. LIB: N/A.
PASSING – SE: Kaepernick 22-41-3-170. LIB: N/A.
RECEIVING – SE : Meggyesy 11-112, D. Roberts 5-21, A. Roberts 3-15, McLin 2-19, Knudtson 1-3. LIB: N/A.
