Saturday, October 20, 2007. The Friday Harbor Tigers Junior Football Team made history Saturday when they beat the Sedro Woolley Cubs, 34 – 13, on the Cubs home turf. This was the second Junior Tiger football team to end regular-season play undefeated in the 18-year history of Friday Harbor Tiger football. The first undefeated season for the Junior League came in the 2001 season.
Prior to the Tiger match-up, the Sedro Woolley Cubs were undefeated. The Junior Tigers ended the season with 7 wins, 0 losses.
The games’ offensive highlight came in the 3rd quarter at 4th-and-45 on the Cubs 30-yard line. Quarterback Donald Galt took a high snap and decided to run the ball left. After breaking several tackles, he found himself overwhelmed by Cub defenders. In a great heads-up move, he backward laterals the ball to Kaleb Warner who shakes three defenders to run the last 15 yards for a TD. Unfortunately, this TD was one of three in the game called back because of a Tiger penalty. As one Oak Harbor fan waiting for his team to take the field was overheard saying, “I don’t care what the call was, that was THE play of the season!”
This week’s Offensive MVP award went to number 34, Micah Powell. “Micah was on fire!” said Coach John Kurtz. “Without a doubt, this was his best game of the year!” And that was saying something given Powell’s stellar performance every game this season.
Nathan Steenkolk executed the defensive Play of the Game while playing middle linebacker. Steenkolk blitzed up the middle, leveled his lead Cub blocker and delivered a shocking hit to the ball-carrying running back. The Defensive MVP award went to a long list of defensive contributors including Steenkolk, Warner, Galt, Dusty Web, Marco Chairez-Aguayo, and Dylan Radden.
The team’s Most Improved Player award went to Dusty West. West executed several tackles, with two resulting in yards lost for the opponent, and came up with the game’s only interception. “It looked like he was having a great time out there,” said Head Coach Donald Galt.
The Tiger Offensive Lineman all received special awards this week. This included Dylan Demaris at tight end, Jaise Poole at left tackle, Jacob Jackson at left guard, Wyatt Phillips at center, Carson Brown at right guard, and Steenkolk at right tackle. “These guys are the most disciplined Offensive line in the Junior League,” said Coach Galt. “Without these guys we would not be where we are today!”
The Friday Harbor Tigers Junior Football team is gearing for their first play-off game Saturday, October 27, against La Connor or Orcas. Game time and location are still to be determined.
The complete roster of the history-making Friday Harbor Tiger Junior Football team: Alec Kurtz; Austin MacDiarmid; Austin Hargrove; Carson Brown; CJ Woods; Donald Galt; Dusty West; Dylan Demaris; Dylan Radden; Jacob Jackson; Jacob Justiniano; Jaise Poole; Jonathon Stump; Kaleb Warner; Levi Demaris; Marco Chairez-Aguayo; Marquis Napier; Micah Powell; Nathan Steenkolk; Nick Falls; Riley Rousar; Patrick O'Brian; Tate Brumsickle; and Wyatt Phillips. The team is led by a stellar coaching staff - Head Coach Donny Galt, Defensive Coach Rick Morris, Coach Cliff Swirtz and Coach John Kurtz.
Friday Harbor Tiger Football is sponsored by the Friday Harbor Athletic Association (FHAA).
