Victory will be theirs
On a crisp fall night at Spokane’s Joe Albi Stadium, the Rogers High football players warm up on the field for their Greater Spokane League football game with Gonzaga Prep.
Rogers faces a tall task in trying to reverse a 22-game losing streak against the second-ranked Class 4A team in the state.
The roughly two dozen Pirates players – the entirety of the varsity roster – go through their pregame walk-through at one end of the field while a similar number of G-Prep players do the same on the opposite half.
Then, with a burst of energy and a cheer from their fans, the rest of the Bullpups come down the ramp and storm onto the field to join their teammates. The Rogers players try not to look, but they can’t stop themselves from sneaking a peak.
Football is a numbers games and the north Spokane school will suit up about half as many players as its opponent on this night, as is the case with most league games. For a variety of reasons, mostly socioeconomic, Rogers doesn’t get the same turnout as other GSL schools.
That is a reality of which the Pirates players and coaches are aware, but they continue to press on – week in and week out – trying to remember that it’s not all about the scoreboard or the standings.
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“We’ve got a lot of kids here playing for pride. What else can you do?” says assistant coach Doug Dial as the team exits the locker room at halftime, trailing 35-0 against G-Prep’s potent option offense.
A game that started at 6:15 p.m. is essentially out of reach just 30 minutes later when G-Prep goes up 28-0 on its fourth possession as the first quarter winds down.
G-Prep has scored on three big plays and a fourth-down score from the 1 on a play in which Rogers made the initial stop before seeing the running back spin away from the pile and into the end zone, ending after a spirited goal-line stand.
“C’mon, you guys can do it!” shouts one of the dozens Rogers fans in the stands.
“We had that. Good job you guys,” says Pirates head coach Ted Lyon.
Rogers’ offense has struggled. The first three series result in three-and-out. The Pirates don’t gain a first down until the fourth series – on a Bullpups penalty. But the game isn’t over, reminds assistant head coach Matt Miethe.
“C’mon, gentlemen, get your heads up. Let’s play some football. Don’t quit on us!” he says.
It’s a message the players hear often and have heard on this day in a fiery pregame speech by Lyon. He will reinforce the concept at halftime. After he and Miethe discuss “X’s” and “O’s” with the offense and defense, several players in the locker room sport looks of dejection.
Many are hobbled by aggravations of season-long injuries and appear to be summoning the strength just to return to the field. Lyon directly takes on the unspoken mood which hangs in the room.
“When we go out in the second half, let’s play inspired football,” he says. “Guys, I saw your heads hanging down – and it’s hard not to. I told you (before the game), ‘What kind of man do you wanna be? What kind of man do you want people to look back on?’
“You don’t decide what kind of man you’re going to be when you’re up by 35. You decide what kind of man you’re going to be when you’re down by 35. Go out in the second half, put it (the first half) out of your head, and play with fire! If you do that, you can be proud of yourself and I can be proud of you.”
The coaching staff does what it can for its players, trying to give them an attainable goal against G-Prep.
“Let’s win this quarter,” says Miethe.
The players huddle for a cheer and leave the locker room with their energy somewhat renewed as the coaches lag behind to discuss some possible strategies.
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Walking down to the field to start the second half, Miethe acknowledges that decades of a losing tradition and the lack of depth hurts a team like Rogers.
They have already lost one of their expected stars early this season. Senior running back-safety Sean Adebayo watches this game in street clothes. Adebayo and most Rogers players are two-way athletes – playing on both offense and defense.
“When you lose a player like him – because they do so much – it’s like losing three or four position players,” says Miethe.
Miethe, however, is not discouraged. He is a Rogers graduate who played on the school’s last winning team in 1994 and said it is his “life goal” to see the turnaround of his alma mater.
The team hasn’t won more than one game in a season since 2000, but the school tasted victory at least once every year from 2001-04. This year’s team was teased the week before the G-Prep game, when Rogers led North Central 12-7 at halftime before eventually falling 23-12.
The core group of seniors will play one more GSL game and a season-ending “crossover” game against an as-yet-undetermined Columbia Basin 3A foe. Many of the seniors were on the roster as sophomores in Rogers’ last win, in 2004 over West Valley.
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“Seniors, you only have 21/2 games left,” Lyon reminds them before the start of the second half.
Yet, despite continued solid fundamental play by those seniors, G-Prep scores on its first two possessions of the second half to make it 42-0. The Bullpups have their reserves in the game.
“Here we go – let’s go!” encourages Lyon as the players come off the field, touching one of them on the helmet.
On the ensuing kickoff, a long kickoff return sets up Rogers with its best starting field position of the night – its 45-yard line.
Junior quarterback Andrew Durant continues to drag his body over to the sideline between every play to get the call from Miethe. Durant missed several games with a bad knee and is limping through this one. G-Prep’s defense has inflicted a lot of punishment, but he has taken every snap and continues to persevere.
On the first play of the drive, his 6-yard quarterback scramble on first down and two runs by teammates give Rogers a first down. Then, on an ensuing third-and-8, G-Prep is called for a 15-yard pass interference penalty on a Durant pass intended for sophomore Jacob Partridge.
“Move the chains!” yells a Rogers fan.
“First down!” shouts another.
Rogers has a first-and-10 at the G-Prep 25 and some momentum.
Two runs result in a net gain of 1 yard, forcing third-and-9 from the G-Prep 24. On the next play, the Pirates go for the end zone and it works as drawn up: The line gives Durant time, he lets one fly just as he’s hit, and Partridge lays out and collects the pass for a touchdown.
The score sets off a celebration on the sidelines and in the stands. The Rogers pep band and cheerleaders – who have remained energetic throughout the game – launch into the school song. Durant then connects with Partridge on a two-point conversion pass and they congratulate each other.
“Can you feel it?” one Rogers player says to another in an animated fashion.
“What?” his teammate replies, baffled.
“A comeback,” says the first player, busting out into a wide grin and a giggle, proud of his dark humor.
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Rogers still trailed 42-8 and knew its 23rd straight loss was inevitable and it would fall to 0-7 on the season. Still, the Pirates continue to play disciplined defense and slow down the G-Prep option.
As the third quarter comes to an end with G-Prep driving, Miethe says, “We won the quarter. Good job, gentlemen.”
As the final quarter begins, the deeper Bullpups continue to pound the ball against the tiring Rogers players.
“First down, White,” the referee indicates minutes later as Prep reaches the Rogers 7. Four plays later, the drive ends on downs at the Rogers 14 after two tackles for losses.
“Nice stand,” says Lyon to his defensive unit.
Durant is intercepted on a long bomb on the next drive, but the Pirates get one last offensive possession after another stop. They move the ball to the G-Prep 40, where they face fourth-and-2 on what would turn out to be the last play of the game.
As time expires, Durant’s bomb to the end zone just barely eludes the outstretched hands of Partridge as his body lands with force on the rain-soaked Albi turf. Partridge pounds his hands, palm-down, onto the turf in frustration. After a brief moment of reflection, he gets up and heads up the Albi ramp with his teammates.
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As the bus back to Rogers is boarded, Durant admits it is tough to work hard every week and not get a win.
“It’s been really hard. We haven’t won a game, but we came close last week against NC,” said Durant. “But you’ve got to keep your head up, keep working hard, and hopefully – eventually – it will come.”
When asked about the chances of seeing a turnaround for his senior season, Durant expresses hope but says he’s focused on just getting through this season.
A leader on the team, Durant thinks that Rogers has already changed what matters most.
“Definitely, we’re going the right way off the field,” he said. “We’ve had way less problems than we did in the past few years.”
The coaching staff has made it clear that players who may have talent but bring too much baggage are not welcome in the program. They are demanding a greater commitment from players every year and match that work ethic with many extra hours every week devising game plans, yet it is not enough.
“Obviously, we’re not where we want to be yet,” Lyon said after the game. “Nobody likes to lose, and you don’t want to go into games so overmatched that you have very little chance to win. But, I like my kids. I think they’ve gotten a lot better in character over the past three, 31/2 years, and so I appreciate their effort.”
Lyons said more depth would be great, but that’s not where the program is.
“But, you know what? The kids played and they fought hard tonight. What are you going to do? You’re up against it, you can either walk away from it or you can go out and play. The kids went out and played tonight,” he said.
Miethe said he is inspired by kids such as Durant and wants “Hillyard kids to have the same opportunities I had.”
He went on to play at Whitworth and was the first in his family to earn a college degree.
“I want to see it turn around. I want to see it change,” he said.
He believes the change will come eventually. In fact, there are promising signs at the junior varsity level.
“What I really want is for them to experience what it feels like to be a winner,” he said. “Not just to act like or to talk like it, but to actually win some games and to know that now they have the chance.”