The Wolverines six-year reign as Island Cup kings came to a decisive end as Orcas reclaimed the inter-island trophy with a crushing 21-6 victory Friday in Friday Harbor.
With the victory, the Vikings tallied their first Island Cup win since the 2003 season and avenged last year’s bitter loss in overtime against Wolverines (1-1) at home.
“This is the best feeling of my life so far,” said Vikings senior Jacob Hansen. “I’ve been trying to win this trophy since I got here. This was my goal.”
Orcas drew first blood.
Quarterback Robbie Padbury rambled into the end zone with the first of his two rushing TDs, and then split the uprights with a point-after-attempt, to put the Vikings out in front 7-0 with just under four minutes left in the opening period. Though the Vikings (2-0) dominated the first half on both sides of the ball, miscues, penalties and an opportunistic Friday Harbor defensive squad prevented Orcas from widening its lead before the break.
Friday Harbor sophomore Donny Galt almost single-handily kept the Wolverines within striking distance in the waning moments of the opening half by picking off not just one, but two passes in the end zone. Friday Harbor went into the locker room trailing by just a touchdown after the first 24 minutes of play.
“I kept telling myself just stay back, stay back,” Galt said. “I don’t know, it just happened.”
The tables turned quickly in the second half. The Wolverines, held to minus yards rushing in the opening half, fell further behind as Padbury scored his second TD on the final play of the third period. The Vikings converted a 2-point point-after-attempt and led 15-0 going into the fourth and final period.
“Offensively, we did well and we controlled the clock,” Vikings first-year head coach Scott Harris said. “And the defense dominated. It’s exciting for the kids. It’s been a long time for us.”
Sophomore Micah Powell breathed life back into the Wolverines chances by turning a fake punt into a dazzling 54-yard touchdown run midway through the final period. Friday Harbor, which then failed to convert a two-point point-after attempt, trailed 15-6 with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.
“We had some big plays here and there,” Friday Harbor head coach Darrin Scheffer said. “But there were a lot of little things that didn’t go right. You’ve got to give Orcas a lot of credit. They were geared up, they came ready to play, and they had a game plan and they carried it out.”
The Vikings dominated the scoreboard and the stat sheets. They gained 179 yards on the ground and 95 in the air, for 274 yards of total offense. Padbury completed 12-of-17 pass attempts, tossed two interceptions and tallied two TDs on the ground. Senior Michael Longworthy tallied the team’s final touchdown and the Vikings staked a 21-6 with just under three minutes to play.
