For all intents and purposes the game was over between the Eastlake Wolves and Newport Knights football teams this past Friday night.

Eastlake, which led Newport 55-9 with mere seconds remaining on the clock, had to get through just one more play for their homecoming contest to come to a conclusion. On the final play of the night, Newport quarterback Brandon Steinberg broke free along the Eastlake sideline and appeared to be en route to a long touchdown jaunt as time expired. While Steinberg was careening toward the end zone, the clock hit triple zero’s. It appeared to me from my vantage point on the sidelines that Steinberg would waltz into the end-zone with ease.

I was wrong.

Eastlake junior safety Cole Brinkman came out of nowhere, hustling down the sideline and made a touchdown-saving tackle at Eastlake’s three-yard line. He never gave up on the play much to the delight of the entire Eastlake sideline and especially proud head coach Don Bartel. The play exemplified Eastlake’s football program team motto of “One Way, All day, Every Day”.

“I told Cole after the game that play means everything to me,” Bartel said. “The horn goes off in the middle of the play and he hocked him (Steinberg) at the 3-yard line. That right there is what we do. It’s not just a logo, a saying, a phrase or a cute motto to go on shirts. I’m so proud of him for doing that. What a great representation of our program to finish the game like that.”

Like the legendary quote from arguably the best football coach in the history of the game, Vince Lombardi said, “You don’t do things right once in awhile, you do them right all of the time.”

In one play that had no effect on the outcome of the game, Brinkman exuded everything the Eastlake football program stands for. It is certainly something Bartel will never forget. Neither will I.

Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@issaquahreporter.com