Saturday, November 3, 2007. The Friday Harbor Tigers Junior Football Team took home the Division “B” championship after beating the South Whidbey Falcons 28 to 19 on Saturday. With the win, the Junior Tigers again made history by being the first Friday Harbor Junior Football team to take home their Division championship.
The Juniors Tigers started the game at a full roar and proved why they were the team to beat. Receiving the kick-off from the Falcons, the Tigers ran the first play of the game from the middle of the field. Alec Kurtz as quarterback took a clean hike and pitched the ball right to Halfback Micah Powell. Powell threw a textbook 40-yard pass to number 16, Donald Galt, who ran the ball in for a touchdown. The Tigers were on the scoreboard in the first 20 seconds of the game.
“Wow, I don’t think there was any better way to start a game!” said Head Coach Donny Galt. “And the Tiger Fans were unbelievable; we heard their cheers loud and clear down on the field.”
As it turned out, those first 20 seconds set the tone for Tiger first-half performance. Highlights included: Powell carrying the ball for the second Tiger touchdown; the Tiger defense denying the Falcons offensive drive at the goal line; Galt running 40 yards on a quarterback keeper; QB Kurtz dishing a 10-yard pass to Powell for a third touchdown; Tigers upping the score with a Powell-kicked 2 point field goal; Galt stripping the ball from a Falcon kick-off receiver for a turnover; Powell throwing another perfect pass to Galt for a fourth Tiger touchdown; and Powell booting the ball between the posts for another 2-point field goal.
Near halftime, the Falcons were finally able to convert a possession into a touchdown. Score at the half showed Tigers 28, Falcons 6. What a half.
Both teams drove the ball hard in the second half, with the Falcons scoring two touchdowns with conversions while holding the Tigers scoreless. However, the Tigers stellar performance in the first half was enough to carry them to the win.
The Offensive MVP awards went to both Galt and Powell with two touchdowns each. Dylan Radden, Jacob Jackson and Jaise Poole received special recognition for the number of offensive yards each contributed while carrying the ball.
Defensive MVP of the game went to Marco Chairez-Aguayo. Chairez-Aguayo led the team in tackles, with his biggest contribution being the four open-field tackles he made on South Whidbey’s star player number 60. “Marco made all the difference defensively,” said Defensive Coach Rick Morris. “He was solid against a kid twice his size.” Other defensive notables were Galt with a stripped ball and Powell with an interception. Also, Dusty West came up with a fumble recovery off of a hard hit Powell delivered in the fourth quarter.
The Junior Tigers team now sets their sites on the ‘big trophy’ as they prepare to play in the Junior Football League Championship Game against the Anacortes Seahawks Saturday, November 10. The Tigers beat the Seahawks in regular-season play 24-12.
The Tiger Football and Cheer teams are sponsored by the Friday Harbor Athletic Association (FHAA).
