BELLINGHAM – The Bayhawks had a 52-yard touchdown run by Tyler Frost called back in the fourth quarter due to a penalty, in what could have been the play of the game, and the lead.
Instead, Bellingham was forced to punt and allowed a 45-yard touchdown pass by Chief Sealth as the Seahawks eventually downed the Bayhawks 32-27 at Civic Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Bellingham got on the board first when a Holden Bates punt pinned Chief Sealth inside its own 5-yard line. When the Seahawks were then forced to punt, a low snap into the end zone caused a forced fumble and senior Ruarc O’Malley recovered the ball for six points.
Chief Sealth answered at the end of the first quarter with a 1-yard quarterback sneak, and then scored on a 63-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Seahawks also kicked a field goal in the second quarter, and they held an 18-7 advantage at the half.
The Bayhawk offense picked its game up in the third quarter, mostly behind the powerful runs of the 250-pound Frost. Averaging nearly 3-4 broken tackles per carry, he was leaving opposing defenders in the turf as he rumbled for a career-high 123 yards on 17 carries, as well as a touchdown in the third quarter.
Senior quarterback Josh Leonard also found a good rhythm in the third quarter, especially connecting with junior tight end, Gabe VanHofwegen. The two hooked up for a 13-yard touchdown pass late in the third, which gave Bellingham a 21-18 lead.
The Seahawks scored again in the fourth, to take a 25-21 lead before the Frost touchdown run that was nullified.
Leonard, known for his ability to stand tall in the pocket, scrambled late in the fourth quarter and scored on a 21-yard touchdown that saw him likely run more than 50 yards on the play, but the comeback came too late.
Senior defensive lineman Jesse Harward and sophomore outside linebacker Kaiser Barker each had two stops behind the line of scrimmage to lead the Bayhawk defense, which also got two interceptions from junior safety Nate Laas and a toe-tap interception on the sideline from sophomore safety Owen Hanstead.
Bellingham (0-1) will be back at Civic Stadium on Friday to take on Meadowdale (1-0), at the early kickoff time of 5:00.
Chief Sealth 32 Bellingham 27 CS 7 11 0 14 - 32 BEL 7 0 14 6 - 27 BEL - O'Malley recovered ball in the end zone (Isaly kick) CS - Martinez 1 run (Petronijevic kick) CS - Ruson 63 interception return (Ngonevolalath pass from Martinez) CS - Petronijevic 20 FG BEL - Frost 6 run (VanHofwegen pass from Leonard) BEL - VanHofwegen 13 pass from Leonard (kick failed) CS - Maota 10 run (Petronijevic kick) CS - Guy 45 pass from Martinez (Petronijevic kick) BEL - Leonard 21 run (pass failed) CS BEL 37-147 Rush Att-Yards 32-126 16-27-3 Comp-Att-Int 17-34-1 212 Passing Yards 194 Individual Leaders RUSHING - CS: N/A. BEL: Frost 17-123, Bates 6-30, Laas 1-8, Leonard 2-4. PASSING - CS: N/A. BEL: Leonard 17-34-1-194. RECEIVING - CS: N/A. BEL: Laas 8-31, VanHofwegen 4-44, Bates 3-43, Henderson 2-76.
