Saturday marked the official end of the fall season for Clark County high school sports.
But before we close the book on the fall and move on to the start of the winter season, it’s worth one more look back at the Skyview and Union football teams and their performances last weekend.
If you did not know how Union and Skyview fared last weekend, you might be thinking that the Titans and Storm were getting ready for state champioship games this week if I shared these facts with you.
n Union held Bellevue to 165 yards of total offense and kept the Wolverines’ vaunted offense out of the end zone.
n Skyview put up 41 points and piled up 481 yards of offense against Ferris of Spokane. Quarterback Austin Dodge threw four touchdown passes, and Matt Spears rushed for 118 yards.
Despite these facts, both the Titans and Storm find themselves out of the football playoffs and left to look back on the highlights of successful seasons while lamenting the opportunities they let get away.
Even though Union and Skyview played two very different types of games last weekend, it’s hard not to acknowledge the similarties.
n Turnovers: Each team had two key turnovers in the first half of its contest. Union fumbled twice, one that set up a Bellevue field goal while the other killed Union’s best scoring chance of the first half. Skyview had two first-half interceptions, including one that was returned 38 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the first half on a play that was a puzzling as it was gut-wrenching.
n Hurt by big plays near halftime: Skyview gave up that huge interception return for a score on the last play of the first half. Union gave up a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the first play of the second half.
n Fighting to the end: Despite giving up those huge plays, neither team folded in the second half. Even though neither team was used to playing from behind, both Union and Skvyiew kept battling to stay within reach of their opponents.
n Last-minute drives: Fourth-quarter scores by Bellevue and Ferris put Union and Skyview down by two possessions with less than four minutes to play. But the Titans and Storm did not give up. Both teams drove the field to score touchdowns that kept their hopes of winning alive.
n Onside left by the wayside: Needing one more break, both teams tried onside kicks after their final touchdowns, but were unable to recover them. The results? A six-point loss for Union (19-13); a five-point loss for Skyview (46-41).
But last weekend was not the first time that Union or Skyview had been met with adversity. The ability of the Titans and Storm to battle back helped put them into position they were in last weekend.
For Union, it came in the 35-31 win over Camas. In regular-season finale, the Titans were down 31-14 entering the fourth quarter before rallying for three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 17 seconds left. That win gave Union the 3A Greater St. Helens League title.
For Skyview, it was a 21-20 win over Mountain View. In the league opener, the Thunder led 14-0 at halftime and 20-15 midway through the fourth quarter before the Storm rallied back to win the game with a score with 1:23 left. It was a win that sparked Skyview to another 4A GSHL championship.
Or if you’re looking for parallels, you can go back to Week 1 of the high school football season, when Union played Skyview.
In that game, the Titans’ offense struggled to score points, depending on their defense to keep them in the game. Like in the Bellevue game, Union was shut out in the first half against Skyview. And like against Bellevue, Union’s offense produced two second-half touchdowns against Skyview.
For Skyview, the Storm battled hard all night in that opener against Union but found themselves down by two scores, just like they were against Ferris. And like it did against Ferris, Skyview found the resolve to keep battling against Union, marching 80 yards to score a touchdown with 13 seconds left against Union.
Then came the onside kick, which was recovered by the receiving team.
So you could say the seasons at Union and Skyview started and ended with onside kicks.
But in between, there were enough highlights and memories to last a lifetime.
Tim Martinez is the assistant sports/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached by phone at 360-735-4538 or e-mail at tim.martinez@columbian.com
