Bone rattling hits, relentless pursuit to the football and execution on offense has paid dividends in the first two weeks of the high school football season for the Skyline Spartans.
The Spartans are off to a sizzling start after registering a 48-21 victory against the Issaquah Eagles in the season opener and a 49-0 win against the Newport Knights in the second week of the season.
Skyline’s defense unveiled a game for the ages against Newport. The Knights didn’t get a first down until the 9:54 mark of the third quarter and had -18 total yards at halftime. Newport lost four fumbles against a Skyline defense that has a nose for the ball. It was total domination in all facets on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.
I have covered high school football games since September 2005 and it was the best defensive performance I’ve ever seen. Newport isn’t a pushover; they are a very well-coached solid football team. The Knights have a sizable frontline, but it didn’t matter as the Spartans controlled the line of scrimmage from the onset.
Not only is the Spartans defense dominating, the offense is playing just as well. Skyline junior quarterback Blake Gregory is shredding secondaries in his first season as the starting signal caller. Gregory has six touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns through eight quarters of play. He doesn’t get rattled and certainly doesn’t look like a first-year starter. The poise he’s exuded in his first two games bodes well for his team down the road.
Gregory’s supporting cast on offense is immense and the guy leading the charge is Spartans’ junior running back Rashaad Boddie. Boddie’s bruising running style combined with breakaway speed is a unique skill-set most high school running backs don’t possess. This was evident on the Spartans first offensive play from scrimmage of the 2014 season against Issaquah. Boddie hauled in a quick screen pass from Gregory and rumbled 81 yards down the sideline for an electrifying touchdown. You can’t ask for a better start to the season than that.
The 6-foot, 225-pound running back has six rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns through two contests. Spartans’ wide receivers Derek Loville and Danny Sinatro are viable threats in the passing game as well. Both players have great speed and run precise routes.
The Spartans have put last season’s 26-20 loss to Federal Way in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs behind them.
“One of the biggest things we talk about with our players is that every season we create a new identity,” Skyline head coach Mat Taylor said after an August practice session. “We respect the past and protect the tradition of this program but we want to recreate our identity as a team every year.”
The identity of 2014 Spartans looks pretty darn good right now.
Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com
