Ingraham tops Rogers in offensive showdown
Two football teams with similar pasts squared off to begin their 2005 seasons. Ingraham, from Seattle, has not had a winning season since capturing the Metro League’s only public high school state championship in 1989. The Rogers Pirates had fared little better.
But this year is different for the Rams, who have high expectations in their division of the Seattle league.
They have 22 seniors and a fourth-year starting quarterback in Jeffery Soloman, who had thrown for 4,030 yards coming into the game.
The Pirates countered by unveiling their Gun Option offense, quarterbacked by sophomore Andrew Durant.
With Durant flanked by two running backs in the shotgun look and receivers spread wide, the result was an entertaining game in front of a sparse crowd at Joe Albi Stadium Friday night. The visitors prevailed 53-34, but were impressed by the effort of the Pirates’ hardy band of 27 players.
“They’re a good team,” said Ingraham’s fourth-year coach, Anthony Williams, who remembers when he started with just 17 football players, but watched turnouts increase with success. “I’d never seen the Gun Option before. They had our guys on their heels.”
His coaching counterpart at Rogers, Ted Lyon, was similarly encouraged.
“I hated to be put in the half a 100 club,” he said glancing at the scoreboard, “but the last few years we had decent defensive games and lost. It was hard to keep their heads up when you don’t score. They’re excited.”
The game was played in fits and starts. After recovering a goal-line fumble, the Pirates gave up a safety and touchdown to trail 9-0, but countered with Sean Adebayo’s 89-yard kickoff return to cut the deficit to three points.
All told, the scoring spree took a total of 37 seconds.
Ingraham, operating out of an I and Power-I set, rode Soloman’s arm, the receiving of Nick Baker and Myron Beck, who also had a 94-yard interception return, and rushing of 5-foot-6, 230-pound load Sean Kelley to a 32-6 lead over the next 13 minutes.
Before half, Rogers scored twice with quickness on Durant’s passing, hitting Anthony Swim for two touchdowns 17 seconds apart in the half’s final 2 minutes, making it 32-20 at intermission.
Pirates defenders stopped Ingraham on the goal line as time expired.
“That’s the first time here we’ve ended the half with two scores and stopped a team,” said Lyon. “I’m so proud of my kids.”
In the second half, Ingraham powered its way to two more scores and put the icing on the cake with Soloman’s 29-yard fumble return.
But Rogers scored twice in the fourth quarter, Durant sneaking one in and throwing for the other.
“We’ve got some great athletes and now we have a good team,” said Williams. “I have to say up front I didn’t respect these guys, but I’ve got to say I respect them now.”