Pirates upset Cardinals in landmark victory

As is their tradition, the Vashon High School football players and coaches huddled at the middle of the field after the game last Friday.

Coach Rick Sassara’s voice rose into the cold, autumn night: “Do you believe?” The unhesitating, unified response, 40 athletes shouting with one voice, came loud and clear: “We believe.”

The chant was repeated, gaining in speed and volume, until it finally erupted in a joyful cacaphony of celebration. Vashon had just defeated Orting, 34-14, in what most outside observers would call a major upset. For the Pirates, however, it was simply a statement of belief.

They believe they are the best team in the Nisqually 1A League. They believe they will win the league title. They believe they will play for the state championship. And after what was assuredly one of the biggest victories in the history of Vashon football, they have a lot of people taking notice.

Orting is a traditional powerhouse in the league. No one remembers when the last time Vashon beat Orting may have been. Last year the Cardinals lambasted the Pirates, 50-7. The Pirates must have come into this game quoting Monty Python: “And now for something completely different.”

The Pirate offense played one terrific game, but the key to this victory rests with a Vashon defensive unit that neutralized the Cardinals’ main offensive threat, running back Braden Cordes. Cordes came into the game averaging 177 rushing yards per game and racking up an average of 24 points per game. The Pirate defense held him to 111 yards rushing and didn’t allow him to score.

Vashon’s confidence was boosted early when it took only six plays on its first possession to hit paydirt. Quarterback Quinn Holert picked up 20 yards on a second down keeper and Nathan Betz, who gained 162 yards on 22 carries with three TDs, rambled for 34 yards to the Orting 5. Adrian Arceo muscled into the end zone to put Vashon out in front.

On Orting’s next possession, the Pirate defense bent but it did not break. Orting took 12 plays to march from its own 35 to the Vashon 36. On fourth down, the Cardinals completed a pass, but the receiver was stopped short of the first down, and the Pirates took over.

Vashon gave the ball back to the Cardinals on their own 30-yard line, when it was stopped short on a fourth and 1. The Pirate defense held firm, taking the ball back on its own 27-yard line when Orting failed on a fourth and 7. The next play,

Betz broke free and sprinted 73 yards to put the Pirates up 13-0 as the quarter ended.

Orting completed a 20-yard TD pass with four minutes left in the half. The teams went to the locker room with the Pirates ahead, 13-7.

An eight-play Pirate scoring drive that featured a 26-yard run by Holert was capped when the quarterback punched it in from the 1. The two-point conversion was successful, and Vashon took a 21-7 lead. The ball was clearly rolling Vashon’s way when Orting fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Pirates recovered on the 1-yard line. Betz took it in from there, and Nick Fox-Edele’s second PAT of the night made it 28-7.

With eight minutes left in the game, Orting pulled to within 14 points with a touchdown pass from the 5. After forcing the Pirates to punt, Orting took over on the Vashon 30. Fox-Edele ended the threat when he picked off a Cardinal pass and ran it back 60 yards for a touchdown that sealed the victory.

— Steve Edele is kicker Nick Fox-Edele’s father.

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