Less than an hour after the 5:00 p.m. start of the Kansas City tiebreaker, the WesCo 3A playoff picture became crystal clear.  Although the Saturday night tiebreaker didn’t have the same excitement as the usual Friday night games, with three teams fighting for two spots in the playoffs, the stakes were still high. In the end, the Hawks left Shoreline Stadium with a taste of disappointment.

In game one, the Hawks played Everett in a rematch of the memorable homecoming game a week ago.  The Hawks had a golden opportunity to score the first points of the overtime-style game, getting down near the Everett goal line with a few Devante Downs runs.  However, a sack pushed the Hawks back to the 16-yard line, which was followed up by a failed fourth down conversion.  Everett got the ball back but turned the ball over on downs.

Everett took possession to start the second offensive series and made the most of it. Faced with 4th-and-2, the Seagulls scored a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.  The ball went back to the Hawks and they needed to score to force another overtime.  Many costly penalties set the Hawks back and eventually set up an undesirable 4th-and-7 situation.  An incomplete pass ended the game, giving Everett the victory.

At that point, Terrace students and parents were nervously awaiting game two of the Kansas City tiebreaker, pitting Everett and Shorecrest.  The Hawks needed Everett to beat Shorecrest to have a shot at the WesCo No. 4 seed.  Shorecrest scored a touchdown and decided to go for a 2-point conversion. The conversion was successful, putting pressure on Everett to score and Terrace fans on the edge of their seats. Everett had their backs against the wall with a fourth down situation. On the last play of the game, the Seagulls went deep for the end zone but the ball glanced off the tips of the receiver’s hands, giving Shorecrest the WesCo No. 3 seed and Everett the No. 4 seed.

Mountlake Terrace finished on the outside of the playoff picture.

For the Hawks, a great season full of high hopes fell short. A second trip in as many years to the playoffs was denied. Although the Hawks won’t be playing in the postseason, they can rest on the fact that they competed each and every game. With a 6-3 record, the Hawks have completed back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 1980s and just the second time in the school’s 50 year history.