Goal Line Stand Hinge Point in Pirate Victory over Lake Washington

Highline Pirates turn season around in 13-7 win against Lake Washington Kangaroos. The October 11, 2024 game belonged to Pirates and new head coach JT Jackson at their home field, Highline Memorial Stadium.

The Lake Washington Kangaroos came with a simple game plan: run the ball down the throat of the Highline Pirates. Given the Pirates’ defensive struggles this season, it was a good plan, but not good enough. Last night, Highline proved they are back.

The Kangaroos handed the ball to Junior Runningback Ronin Holmes 15 times in the first half. Holmes delivered 68 yards, grinding out first downs.

Lake Washington began with a 45-yard, 11-play drive, but the Pirates finally held them on the Pirate 37. The Pirates answered with an anemic 8-play drive that ended in a punt to close out the first quarter 0-0. Q1 did not bode well for Pirate fans hoping to see the team break out of a tough string of losses.

The Kangs began their second drive on their own 21, moving the ball to the 50 before punting the ball to the Pirate 2-yard line. At that point, the Pirate Air game began to get momentum. Senior Quarterback Ronan Rasmussen threw seven passes, connecting on six with his new array of fleet receivers. Sophomores Tristan Gandy and Derean Garrett broke out last game and continued to show expanding confidence throughout this game. These two new weapons have created space for lead receiver and speedster Adam Estrada-Varela to unleash his legs.

With the Kangs focused on the passing game, Head Coach JT Jackson had Estrada-Varela come around on an end sweep, and once through the crease, the Senior star was off on a 28-yard gallop to the end zone and the night’s first score: Pirates 7, Kangaroos zero at the half.

*Highline Pirates Adam Estrada-Varela in the end zone against Lake Washington Kangaroos 10-11-24 (courtesy Dumas Digital)*

However, the game’s most important play was at the start of the second half. The Pirates received the kickoff, but penalties stalled their drive, and the Kangaroos took over on the Lake Washington 47. Five carries by Holmes moved the Kangs to the Pirate 10 on a first and goal. The Kangs gained five on Holmes first run from the 10. It looked like the Pirates would give up the lead and momentum. But in a huge step forward, the Pirate defense stiffened. Defenders began flying to the ball. The next three plays were for zero gain, a two-yard loss, and on 4th and goal, the Pirates smothered Holmes after a two-yard gain. The Pirates had held. On the field, there was a sense that something more than the Kangs were stopped. There was a resurgence of confidence that had been bleeding out.

The Pirates took over on downs from their own five and put together an 11-play drive that did not score but changed the field position. The Kangs began the 4th quarter with the ball on their 21-yard line, and after a ground-pounding 12-play drive, punted to the ball. The Pirates started their next drive at their own 37, and the air attack resumed. In 3 plays, the Senior QB had his team on the 49 of Lake Washington. Then, the explosion. Estrada-Varela lined up wide and ran a perfect post pattern while Garrett and Gandy, now true threats, drew defenders to the edges. In a perfect strike over the extended arms of a Kang defender, Estrada-Varela took the ball in stride for a 49-yard, perfect senior-to-senior connection for a touchdown—Pirates 13 – Kangs 0 with 3:09 left in the game.

Between the rise of the Pirate defense and the establishment of a multi-weapon pass attack, the Pirate players, coaches, and fans knew something had changed. The Pirates are back.

The Kangs made a game of it at the end, successfully avoiding the shutout and putting together a tidy 8-play, 63-yard drive to save their honor and finish the contest with a score of 13-7. But the night belonged to the Pirates, especially Rookie Head Coach JT Jackson.