A sought after football showdown between Sammamish plateau rivals Skyline and Eastlake went down to the wire in a battle for bragging rights.
With Skyline leading Eastlake 17-14 late in the fourth quarter, Eastlake had one final chance to earn a victory.
Eastlake quarterback Ben Howard, whose team was backed up deep in their own territory, connected with Cody Cox on a 60-yard pass down the right sideline with less than two minutes left in the game. Cox was tackled at Skyline’s 18-yard line and it appeared Eastlake was in business. Howard hit Cole Brinkman for a three-yard catch on first down but then threw three consecutive incomplete passes as Eastlake turned the ball over on downs to Skyline with 38 seconds left in regulation.
Skyline’s offense ran out the clock on the ensuing offensive drive, preserving a 17-14 win on Sept. 16 at Skyline High School in Sammamish. Eastlake’s best chance to score the go-ahead touchdown on their final drive came on second down as Howard lofted a pass down the left sideline to a wide open Eastlake receiver. As Howard’s pass arrived in his wideout’s hands, Skyline right cornerback Varun Damodarasamy recovered after being burned on the play, separating the Wolves’ receiver from the ball as the pass fell incomplete with 53 seconds left in regulation. Damodarasamy thought there was a good chance Eastlake’s offense would target him with the game on the line.
“I knew our pass rush was going to be quick and they (Eastlake) were just going to throw it up,” Damodarasamy said. “I was ready for it. The ball was up. I didn’t turn around and I just smacked his (Eastlake receiver) hands after the ball got there. Our defensive line did an amazing job. That is what sealed it. Their quarterback had two seconds or less to throw for most of the game.”
Skyline defensive lineman Matt Oss was confident Damodarasamy would make the play in the defensive backfield with the game on the line.
“I have known Varun since youth ball,” Oss said. “Varun has been working so hard and he’s been waiting for an opportunity like this his whole life. He has been doing a great job for us this season.”
Skyline head coach Mat Taylor was thrilled Damodarasamy made a huge play to seal the victory.
“It was going to be a touchdown unless he made a great play,” Taylor said. “It was a total battle. I’m proud of the way the kids played. It really could have gone either way tonight. We have a lot of things to fix but the bottom line is the kids fought really hard at the end. It shows the grit and toughness of our kids to continue to fight at the end. Last week (overtime win against Gonzaga Prep) it came down to the last play and this week it came down to it. We showed a lot of character.”
Eastlake head coach Don Bartel said his team played well but had trouble with Skyline’s stout defensive line consisting of Matt Cindric, Henry Bainivalu and Oss.
“Skyline’s front line was the difference in the game. Those kids just battled and that is just a good group of dudes. We knew going into it that those guys were going to be tough,” Bartel said of Skyline’s defensive line.
Skyline got on the board first on a Isaiah Shim 5-yard touchdown run with 6:53 left in the first quarter, giving Skyline a 7-0 lead. Eastlake answered with a Howard 18-yard touchdown pass to Parker Lester with 4:20 left in the first quarter, cutting Skyline’s lead to 7-6. Skyline extended their lead to 14-6 on a Riley Gill 19-yard touchdown scamper on fourth down with 11:52 left in the second quarter.
Eastlake tied the game at 14-14 when Hank Pladson hauled in a 5-yard touchdown catch from Howard with 3:32 left in the third quarter. Cody Cox caught the two-point conversion attempt despite being drilled in the endzone, tying the game at 14-14. Skyline got the lead for good when kicker Kevin McGrane connected on a 33-yard field goal, giving the Spartans a 17-14 lead with 52 seconds left in the third quarter.
Oss believes the relatively new rivalry between the Skyline and Eastlake football programs is a good thing for the community.
“I feel like this rivalry kind of takes the place of the Issaquah rivalry. These guys (Eastlake) are up here (plateau) and it is the battle for the hill. We have been playing against these guys since we were kids. It is a great new rivalry for sure,” Oss said.
Bartel said his team will regroup from the first setback of the 2016 season.
“The reality of it is they were better coming into Week 3 than we were,” Bartel said. “Coach (Bill) Doba (former WSU head coach) used to say this all the time. It is never as bad as you think it is and it is never as good as you think it is. We tip our hats to them (Skyline). They finished what they needed to do and we didn’t.”
The Spartans (2-1) will face the Newport Knights at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23 in Factoria in a KingCo 4A football matchup. The Knights are winless on the season thus far but Damodarasamy said his team won’t underestimate their opponent.
“We can’t take them lightly. We just have to come out playing our game,” he said.
Eastlake (2-1) will play the Inglemoor Vikings at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23 in Kenmore.
