The Kingston Buccaneers came all the way from their home in Whidbey Island to take on the injury-ridden Hawks at Edmonds Stadium. The Hawks were able to make just enough big plays in order to survive and come out on top over the visiting team, 22-20.

The battered Hawks came into this game without their starting senior quarterback Michael Jenson as well as senior linebacker Tanner Munnis and junior lineman Javante Sims.

After suffering a huge 21 point loss to rival Lynnwood Royals, the Hawks were fired up to get a win in front of their fans on their home turf.

“[Our mindset] was win, win, win,” senior running back Jordan Bishop said.

The Buccaneers were the ones who had a quick start. They rushed out to an early 7-0 lead over the Hawks by the end of the first quarter.

The Hawks took their time and slowly but surely made their way downfield. Backup quarterback Garrett McDowell capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown, making the score 7-6 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

After forcing the Buccaneers to a 3-and-out, the Hawks would storm downfield with a ferocious attack on the ground. They would cover 79 yards in only 10 plays before scoring another touchdown and taking their first lead of the game, 14-7.

“[What we did well was] we kept running the ball over and over again,” Bishop said. “We knew we could win if we ran the ball well.”

Before a minute of game time passed, the Buccaneers were able to take advantage of shoddy defense and tie up the game before halftime at 14 point apiece.

“We had some errors with [our defense] and our blitzes,” Bishop said. “It was miscommunication [that caused it]. We just need to clean up.”

The tempo of the second half was completely different from the first half as both teams went to a more conservative style of play calling. It took about 11 minutes of game time but the Hawks would be the first to get on the board in the second half, giving themselves a 22-14 lead after another successful two-point conversion attempt. With 1:20 still left in the third quarter, the game was still up for the taking.

The Buccaneers scored right as the fourth quarter started but failed to convert on their two-point attempt and thus trailed 22-20. With 11 minutes to burn, the Hawks stuck to their run game and attempted to milk the clock as much as they could.

The Hawks were able to get all the way to the 15th yard line until they were forced in a 4th and 7 situation. They elected to go for it but weren’t able to pick up the first down. This meant life was still there for the Buccaneers.

This was where the Hawks’ defense stepped up. Through four critical downs, the Hawks ramped up the pressure and were rewarded with the ball back after a turnover on downs by the Buccaneers.

This sealed the deal for the Hawks as they ran out the remaining three minutes of game time and would go on to win the game, 22-20.

Although this was the last game of the Hawks’ regular season, the Hawks still have two games left. These games are called the crossover games and this year, if the Hawks want to get into the state playoffs, these two games might be their only ticket in.