FB 2012-10-06 vs Meadowdale

It wasn't advertised as a playoff game as neither team would be eliminated from the post season, but Friday night's WESCO crossover football game between Oak Harbor and Meadowdale had all the flavor and excitement of a playoff game.

Both teams were 2nd in their respective divisions - OH in the north and Meadowdale in the south.  Both teams had 3-1 league and 6-2 overall records.

The first quarter had all the markings of a Wildcat blowout.  Oak Harbor started by taking the opening kickoff at their own 41-yard line and marched down the field, using just over 4 minutes to run 11 plays, ending with a wide open Dakota Sinchak catching a 19-yard Ian Kolste pass in the end zone.

After holding Meadowdale to a 3-and-out, it was Kolste to Sinchak again, this time from 31 yards out and Sinchak had to blow through two Maverick defenders to reach the goal line.  Frank Grecco's kick was good again, giving OH a 14-0 lead with 2:43 to go in the first quarter.

Meadowdale got their offense uncorked in the second quarter, completing a 45-yard TD pass.  The PAT kick was mishandled, picked up, and the Maverick player attempted to throw for a score.  The ball bounced off a receiver's hands at the 2-yard line and fell into the hands of another Maverick was was in the end zone.  With 8:44 left in the 2nd quarter, it was now OH 14, Meadowdale 8.

Now it was Meadowdale's turn to hold the Wildcats to a 3-and-out, and after the OH punt, marched 60 yards in 10 plays, ending with a 3-yard plunge to take a 15-14 lead.  That score would stand until halftime.

Neither team punted on their first possession of the second half - both teams electing to go for it on 4th down in their opponent's territory, and using a lot of time in the process.  The 3rd quarter ended with the score still 15-14 for Meadowdale, and the Mavericks with a 1st and goal at the OH 10 yard line.

Meadowdale then scored on the first play of the final quarter, boosting their lead to 22-14.  Oak Harbor got the ball at their own 22 and drove deep into Maverick territory before a Wildcat pass was intercepted at the Meadowdale 12 yard line and returned to midfield.

After the interception, the Wildcat defense held, forcing a Maverick punt.  The kick went down to the OH 7 yard line where Jojo Webster caught the punt and returned it 41 yards to the OH 48 yard line, but with time becoming a factor.  Again the Wildcats drove into Meadowdale territory, but a 4th down pass attempt fell incomplete in the end zone.

Taking over at their own 22 and less than a minute to go, Meadowdale took a knee, but OH had all their timeouts and forced Meadowdale to punt.  The punt went out of bounds at the Meadowdale 41 with just 19 seconds on the clock.  Oak Harbor's first play was a 25-yard Kolste completion to Jojo Webster down to the Meadowdale 16, then an incompletion in the end zone stopped the clock with 0:00.1 seconds showing on the scoreboard.  The final Wildcat play resulted in a sack, ending the game with Meadowdale winning 22-14.

While it's never good to lose a game, the Wildcats might be in a better position in playoff bracketing.  Because of their win, Meadowdale finishes in 4th place in WESCO and travels to Bellevue to take on #2 ranked Eastside Catholic.  The Wildcats finish in 5th place and travel to Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, the SPSL league champion for a Friday night matchup.  In the most recent AP poll, the Wildcats were ranked 10th and the Seahawks were unranked.  In the Seattle Times rankings, Peninsula is #8 and OH is unranked.  WHEN the Wildcats beat Peninsula, they will play the winner of the Nathan Hale/Shelton game.

Peninsula finished the regular season with a 5-0 league record and 6-2 overall, losing to Bellarmine Prep and Union early in the season.

Photos from the OH/Meadowdale game are posted HERE.

Video highlights are HERE.


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