Find the silver lining in Shorecrest defeat at home on Senior Night

Senior Scots escorted onto the field by their parents
Photo by Rob Oxford

3A football 10-26-18

@ Shorecrest

Oak Harbor 62 - Shorecrest 27

Although still in the hunt, the Shorecrest Scots enter the next round of the State 3A Playoffs with the odds certainly stacked against them. Their next opponent will be perennial powerhouse Bellevue, ranked #2 in the state. Without question, a David vs. Goliath type scenario and hopefully one the Scots will embrace during the coming week of practice.

Friday Night the Oak Harbor Wildcats made the long drive to Shoreline Stadium and showed the few fans who made the trek with them why they are considered one of the top #10 teams in the state. Wasting no time, the Wildcats proceeded to put points on the scoreboard by driving their Wing T Offense downfield in "military fashion".

Showing the love for senior Gabe Reyes
Photo by Rob Oxford

Oak Harbor’s 21 unanswered first-quarter points set the tone for what would prove to be a difficult hill for the Scots to climb. None-the-less, during their final home game as high school football players, the Shorecrest Seniors came out and showed their ability and desire to compete on any stage.

With the score 25 - 13 at the half, Shorecrest were still within reach of a possible upset. Inevitably, at the start of the 3rd qtr., the task for the Scots Coaches would be to devise a scheme to prevent Oak Harbor from running the ball as efficiently as they had done so far.

Coaches often use such motivational catch phrases as "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog". Unfortunately, when an opposing Offensive Line averages 6' 3 and 250 lbs, sometimes it is the size of the dog.

Despite a respectable 11 - 19 and 159 yds. from Quarterback Eladio Fountain, Oak Harbor continued to rack up points on the backs of their three workhorses Aaron Martinez, Jake Mitten and Dorian Hardin who had three touchdowns rushing and another on a 91-yard kickoff return.

The world-famous Highlander Marching Band
Photo by Rob Oxford

 

During his final appearance at Shoreline Stadium, Antonio Stillwell hauled in 6 Rec. for 78 yds. and Sammy Seliga showed why he has been a joy to watch since his Freshman year.

If one were to find the silver lining in a 62 - 27 defeat at home on Senior Night, it just might be that the graduating Seniors of 2019 and 2020 managed to orchestrate a winning drive with only seconds left on the clock.

The future of Shorecrest Football certainly looks bright. However, as of this writing, the Shorecrest Highlanders of 2018 still have business to address.

The Shorecrest/Bellevue game is officially set for Saturday November 3rd, 7pm at Bellevue.

--Rob Oxford