Skyline ends season with loss against Glacier Peak
The Skyline Spartans suffered a disappointing 49-21 defeat against the Glacier Peak Grizzlies to close out their football season Friday.
Both teams came out with strong defenses in the first quarter that prevented anyone from getting to the end zone, and the quarter ended scoreless.
But the excitement started in the second quarter when Skyline receiver TJ Crandall returned a punt for a 95-yard touchdown, putting Skyline ahead 7-0. Then, Grizzlies’ quarterback River Lien answered with a pass to wide receiver Torey Watkins for a touchdown, tying it 7-7.
The Grizzlies would score again when running back Mathew Lillich bulldozed through the Skyline defense for a 1-yard touchdown, giving them the 14-7 lead at halftime.
Glacier Peak continued its offensive dominance in the third quarter, while Skyline seemed helpless. Grizzlies running back Trey Leckner found the end zone, and so did tight end Ryan King. Then, the Spartans fumbled the ball. It was picked up by the Grizzlies’ Jacob Erickson, who ran 93-yards for another touchdown. The third quarter ended with Glacier Peak leading 35-7.
In the fourth quarter, Skyline made a series of successful offensive plays. Running back Bronson Terpastra crashed through the Grizzlies defense to score. But the Grizzlies answered with another touchdown as wide receiver Ashton Olson dashed for the end zone and juked the Skyline defenders, keeping their lead at 42-14.
The Grizzlies maintained the offensive pressure, moving the ball within 5-yards of the end zone. Lien then passed the ball to running back Jaden Claps for a touchdown that stretched their lead to 49-14.
With seven minutes left in the game, Skyline needed five touchdowns to tie — not likely. Regardless of how fruitless the rest of the game would be, the Spartans wanted to end on a positive note. Quarterback Joaquin Valdez was able to make a pass to wide receiver Nathan Fischer for a touchdown to cap the night and add the final points on the board for the Spartans’ 2021 season.
