BELLINGHAM – After the Bayhawks went into the locker room at halftime with a 21-0 lead, the eerie feeling of “will it happen again” sank deep into the home fans in attendance. “It” being a fourth straight second-half collapse.
Bellingham made sure that “it” wouldn’t happen again this time, as the Bayhawks scored the next 32 points in the second half before surrendering a late touchdown run, and defeated South Whidbey 53-6 at Civic Stadium on Thursday night.
Not only was it the first win of the season for Bellingham, but it was a night of many firsts.
It was the first varsity football game for senior wide receiver Wyatt Stephan. The track star used his sub-11 second 100-yard dash speed to perfection on the football field, and finished with six receptions for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
It was the first time in over 40 years that a Bellingham player caught 12 passes in a single game. Steve Jones did it against Mount Vernon in 1980, and current senior Josh Tolle replicated the feat on Thursday night, as he hauled in 12 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
It was also the first time that senior quarterback Josh Leonard had thrown for five touchdowns in a game, and he did it by completing 23-of-30 passes for a 355 yards, the second most in school history for a game.
And, when sophomore outside linebacker Jordan Stone sprinted after a high snap that went over the quarterback’s head in the fourth quarter, he tossed the quarterback aside to insure he would be the one to scoop up the football. When he did that and easily scored a touchdown, he became the first player in school history to score two defensive touchdowns in the same game.
Stone intercepted a pass a quarter earlier and took it 53 yards for a touchdown.
Even though it’s just the beginning of the season for the Bayhawks, it has probably felt like a very long season to this point, and this win was crucial as they forge ahead.
Junior running back Tyler Frost scored on a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and finished with a team-high 54 yards on the ground, and junior tight end Gabe VanHofwegen caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to begin the scoring in the second half, and he currently sits at 20 receptions for the season.
Not to be overlooked, Elias Togagae had a superb game at defensive end for Bellingham. The 6-foot-5 220-pound junior finished with 13 tackles, four quarterback sacks, a tackle for loss and a pass deflected, while sophomore safety Owen Hanstead intercepted a pass in his fourth consecutive game this season.
The Bayhawks (1-3) will host La Conner (0-2) next Friday at 7:00.
Bellingham 53 South Whidbey 6 SW 0 0 0 6 - 6 BEL 14 7 20 12 - 53 BEL - Tolle 22 pass from Leonard (Isaly kick) BEL - Stephan 36 pass from Leonard (Isaly kick) BEL - Frost 2 run (Islay kick) BEL - VanHofwegen 9 pass from Leonard (Isaly kick) BEL - Tolle 36 pass from Leonard (kick failed) BEL - Stone 53 interception return (Isaly kick) BEL - Stephan 31 pass from Leonard (kick failed) BEL - Stone 3 fumble recovery (pass failed) SW - 4 yard touchdown run (run failed) SW BEL 41-122 Rush Att-Yards 18-85 7-13-3 Comp-Att-Int 23-30-2 47 Passing Yards 355 Individual Leaders RUSHING - SW: N/A. BEL: Frost 7-54, Bates 2-11, Stone 3-7, Jackson 4-7, Stephen 1-5, Bryant-Pearson 1-1. PASSING - SW: N/A. BEL: Leonard 23-30-2-355. RECEIVING - SW: N/A. BEL: Tolle 12-183, Stephan 6-147, VanHofwegen 4-27, Bates 1-(-2).
