Tiger football: Double win last Saturday….

Muddy but happy Junior Tigers celebrate Saturday's playoff win.

Wahoo! The Junior Tigers & The Senior Tigers both won in their playoff games on Saturday – here’s more from Tiger Reporter Kris Brown:

Seniors win in final seconds: 12-6

A yellow flag lay on the Friday Harbor Tigers’  three yard line. Down 6-0 late in the fourth quarter, the Senior Tigers were being called for pass interference in a hard fought, first round playoff game against Arlington White at Oak Harbor’s Nugent Field.

The Eagles’  first series produced a 60-yard touchdown run (with a missed point after). For three quarters, an unrelenting Tiger defense thwarted the Eagles scoring attempts. Offensively the Tigers turned over the ball five times. Defensive coach Fred Woods, confident the Tigers could prevail, repeated more than once during half-time “just do your job.”

Then the Tiger’s luck changed. The heart-breaking pass interference call was miraculously offset by a holding penalty against Arlington. Friday Harbor players and fans breathed a sigh of relief as the ball went back the Tigers’ 40 yard line. The Eagles eventually gave the ball up on downs.

With 2:54 left in the game, Tiger Nate Steenkolk’s long pass was tipped by an Eagles player into the waiting hands of Friday Harbor’s Levi Demaris who took a few steps into the endzone to tie the game 6-6. Steenkolk missed the go-ahead point after kick.

A deep Tiger kickoff and on-fire defense held the Eagles at midfield despite their double reverse play and short advances. With overtime likely and only 9 seconds left in the game, the Eagle quarterback threw up a perfect pass right to wide-open Tigers’ middle linebacker Steenkolk. He took the interception 75 yards for a touchdown as time ran out. Game over. Tigers 12, Arlington 6. Friday Harbor rushed to catch the 6p.m. ferry.

The Senior Tigers advance to round two of the playoffs on November 7 against number one seed Sedro Woolley.

Muddy win for the Juniors 20-7

The Junior Tigers played an equally exciting, but not as heart-stopping game. Ranked second, the Tigers faced the seventh ranked LaConner Braves in round one of the playoffs in Anacortes.

With a slippery, midfield mud bowl and a smell that rivaled False Bay at low tide, the Tigers scored first on a run by Willy Blackman. The always strong Junior Tiger defense held the Braves to seven points–one touch down and a conversion (conversions earn one point in the NCYFL while point after kicks count for two points).

Another run by Blackman, a point after kick by Gabe Lawson, and a touchdown pass from Jerray Napier to Bill Revercomb put another 14 points on the scoreboard for Friday Harbor. The game ended with Tigers ahead 20-7.

The mud-covered team celebrated their first round victory with a three team members taking a mud bath after the game. They will meet Anacortes or Lynden Blue in the next round of the playoffs on November 7.

For game locations, check out http://fridayharbortigers.blogware.com/.

After the game on Oct. 24th, the Junior Tigers leave the field: Defensive coach Fred Woods exits the field with (from left to right) Dusty West, Alex Kurtz, Nate Steenkolk, Austin McDiarmid, Austin Hargrove and Coleton Cartmill.

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