Perhaps a seasonal metaphor is the best way to discuss Friday’s game.
The 56-35 Spartan loss at home against Seattle Preparatory was like a horror movie series, with each quarter being the next film in the franchise.
The first quarter/film was awesome. There was action, give and take. The Spartans scored first and the visitors scrambled to even it up by the end.
The sequel was OK. There was some solid playing going on out there, and one touchdown achieved by each team left the audience with a compelling cliffhanger of an ending going into the second half.
The third one, perhaps inevitably, was the worst. It was one-sided, depressing and it took forever. More than a few people walked out early. Five touchdowns by Prep put them solidly in the lead, and the run and extra point conversion that BHS managed to pull out in the final moments didn’t leave many fans much faith in the end of the story.
The fourth quarter — think of it as the remake — was actually an improvement. BHS refused to go down quietly and managed two touchdowns, including one end zone catch by Spartan juggernaut Oskar Dieterich which was nothing short of miraculous, against Prep’s one. However, despite a little more flash and a lot more hype, the ending was disappointing and the series’ final installment’s only real achievement was how much it made the audience want to re-watch the first one.
The loss left Bainbridge ranked last in the Metro Mountain Division with a league record of 0-3 (2-5 overall).
Eastside Catholic holds the first place spot with an unblemished league record of 4-0, O’Dea remains in second place with 3-1 and Lakeside trails in third place a 2-2.
The win boosted Prep to fifth place (1-3).
During the post-game huddle, one BHS coach made reference to a “seven-minute stretch,” outside of which, he said, the Spartans matched their opponent play-for-play.
It was an assessment that Spartan Head Coach Andy Grimm agreed with.
“It was the last seven minutes of the third quarter,” he said. “Especially defensively, during that time we just couldn’t find a way to get them stopped.”
He credited Prep with playing an excellent game, and perfectly capitalizing on the momentary lapse of the Spartans.
“You hope that when you score 35 points or so there, that that’s going to be enough to at least have it close and give you the opportunity to win,” he said.
The stats say the Spartans played well, even if the final score didn’t agree.
Quarterback Kyle Jackson led the team offensively, he finished the night with 14 carries for 81 yards, one touchdown and a total of 160 passing yards.
Sam Wysong managed two touchdowns in his 12 carries for 80 yards.
Peter Lindsey finished with six carries for 15 yards, and Ben Fisher contributed two for 18.
Dieterich, the team’s star receiver, managed four receptions for 60 yards.
Wysong chipped in with 2-for-18 on the receiving end, while Fisher finished the game at 2-for-47, Max Wickline completed 1-or-32, and Casey Brink, 1-for-19.
Brink also had one blocked field goal.
Defensively, the Spartan to watch was Sam Roth. He ended the game with 13 solo and three assisted tackles.
Brink also put up big defensive numbers (10-2), along with Jackson (6-2), Jack Fricleton (7-0) and Wysong (6-0).
Jackson was injured late in the game; a minor knee sprain according to Grimm. He will return to play Friday.
“Casey [Brink] did a good job,” Grimm said of the second-string quarterback. “He stepped in and did a good job.”
The Spartans will play their third straight home game at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 against Evergreen (Seattle). It will be the last BHS home game of the regular season and, according to Grimm, a good chance for the Spartans to gain some late-season momentum.
“Their team is struggling a bit in their conference,” he said. “But they’re coming from a strong conference. This should be a good opportunity for us.”
