Wildcats defeat Eagles in 4A KingCo football matchup

Issaquah’s offense struggles in loss to Mount Si.

By Shaun Scott • October 7, 2018 11:17 pm
Issaquah Eagles quarterback Trevor Morine, center, unleashes a pass while being pressured by Mount Si defensive player Carlos Ortiz in the first half of play. Mount Si defeated Issaquah 38-6 on Oct. 5 at Gary Moore Stadium in Issaquah. Photo courtesy of Don Borin/Stop Action Photography
Issaquah Eagles quarterback Trevor Morine, center, unleashes a pass while being pressured by Mount Si defensive player Carlos Ortiz in the first half of play. Mount Si defeated Issaquah 38-6 on Oct. 5 at Gary Moore Stadium in Issaquah. Photo courtesy of Don Borin/Stop Action Photography

The Issaquah Eagles football team unveiled a valiant effort in defeat against the Mount Si Wildcats.

Mount Si, which is one of the top-ranked Class 4A football programs in Washington, earned a 38-6 win against Issaquah on Oct. 5 at Gary Moore Stadium in Issaquah.

Eagles’ head coach Buddy Bland wasn’t deterred despite the defeat following the game while his players made their way to the locker room.

“This doesn’t define our season nor does it define us. It is an experience we need to learn from,” Bland said of the loss to Mount Si. “Our defense played well at times. We had our backs against the wall and we fought through it. We got a ways to go. We got to rebound and keep moving forward.”

Issaquah forced Mount Si quarterback Cale Millen to lose two fumbles and junior defensive back Gaje Gunter had one interception in the loss. Issaquah defensive lineman Tyler Odegard had two sacks in the contest.

“Our defense played pretty strong the whole game. We just need to punch it in on offense when we have the opportunities,” Gunter said. “We just have to flush this one and move on to the next game.”

Wildcats’ defensive lineman Slater Macko, who finished with a game-high three sacks, made life difficult for Issaquah quarterback Trevor Morine throughout the duration of the game. Macko, RJ Bell, Andrew Edson and Carlos Ortiz consistently got pressure on Issaquah’s signal caller for all four quarters.

“It was a total team effort. We all came together as a unit. We tried to do a great job of keeping him in the pocket while at the same time getting pressure on him. We had a great night,” Macko said.

The Wildcats’ game plan on defense centered upon trying to contain Morine in the pocket due to his adept scrambling ability.

“I’m so impressed with that kid. What a tough competitor he is,” Mount Si head coach Charlie Kinnune said of Morine. “We knew that was who we had to get a handle on. It was hard to replicate that in practice but we did our best.”

Despite the pressure, Morine had multiple runs for more than 10 yards and made Wildcats defenders miss in the open field.

“It is awesome to watch him extend plays. As a receiver, it’s fun to do the scramble drill with a quarterback like him. He just makes plays and does everything we need,” Gunter said.

Issaquah’s lone touchdown occurred with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter. Morine connected with Diego Dorta on a 2-yard touchdown pass on an out-pattern, preventing a Mount Si shutout. The Eagles (3-3) will host the North Creek Jaguars at 7 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Gary Moore Stadium in Issaquah.