Football
Football: A Haunting 2nd-Half for Seattle Prep on Friday the 13th
An early-season battle between Metro League rivals left one team with a hard-earned victory and the other scrambling for a bounce-back game.
On Friday the 13th, Seattle Prep endured a haunting second half, as Dalton Anderson and the Roosevelt offense overpowered the Panthers’ comeback effort to secure a 36-22 final score in favor of the Rough Riders at Memorial Stadium.
Roosevelt put the pressure Prep early and often through RB Deon Vann and WR Zaire Griffin, both of whom tallied first-half scores to put the Panthers on their heels. Vann and Griffin’s efforts were supported on the defensive side of the ball by Pana Tupatala and Tate Bagley, who got into the Prep backfield to disrupt the Panthers’ offensive momentum.
Prep didn’t have an easy path throughout the game though, as the Panthers replaced starting quarterback Beau Oaksmith with back-up Leo Harniteaux to finish the first half. Whether that was injury or performance related remains to be seen. But Harniteaux didn’t seem too fazed by the surprise action, as he connected on a 36-yard strike to WR Alec Greenwood for a score. Unfortunately, for the Panthers this was too little too late as the Roughriders had already doubled the score.
Roosevelt made a statement on Friday, a rebound from their tough season-opener loss to Camas. The second-half offensive surge from the Rough Riders might show more to come for this team as the Metro League season plays out. Roosevelt heads to Bishop Blanchet tonight, who’s coming off a tough Week 2 loss to Eastside Catholic.
As for Seattle Prep, they were coming off a 48-0 blowout win over Snohomish; however, Friday gave them what could be summed up as a reality check. Only time will tell if it was a fluke or not. But the path to recovery doesn’t get any easier, as the Panthers now must travel to First Hill and take on the O’Dea Fighting Irish tonight at 7PM.