Anthony Medina, playing in his first season of high school football, found himself in the midst of one of the most nerve-wracking scenarios in sports: zeroes on the clock with one play left to win or fall.
The Washington Patriots had all but silenced Bremerton Memorial Stadium with a go-ahead 21-yard passing touchdown to go ahead 24-20 with less than a minute remaining before the Knights put together a string of desperation plays. All appeared to culminate at the Washington 21-yard line with 1.5 seconds on the clock, but an incomplete pass was negated with a defensive pass interference penalty.
With the ball on the 10-yard line and one play remaining, the junior quarterback took his time, breathed in and took the final snap of the game. “I was looking for Ethan in the post corner because it always works,” he said. “The (defender) bit, and I knew I was going to throw in.”
His pass was close to perfect, finding the outstretched arms of senior wideout Ethan Guerrero and sending the Bremerton sideline and crowd into a frenzy. “I have to thank my coaches and the players,” Medina said, his teammates celebrating around him. “Them helping me in the offseason helped me a lot, and I appreciate everything. We just did everything right in that moment.”
The walk-off score, the last of three lead changes in the final three minutes of the Nov. 5 game, secured a 26-24 win over the visiting Patriots and a spot in the Round of 32 this weekend in the 2A WIAA state football playoffs.
Bremerton coach Paul Theriault called the moment the high point of a series of increasingly better games for his young squad. “If you look at our track record from the beginning of the season to whenever the end is, we’ve gotten better. That’s really the most important thing about any team. I think, without a doubt, we are better.”
The Patriots controlled the majority of the game with lengthy drives led by a punishing ground game, but the Knights thrived on Patriot mistakes and the rapid changes in momentum. The first play from scrimmage, a high snap recovered by junior Dillon McKay inside the Washington 5-yard line, turned into points two plays later on a 2-yard score by junior Tremain Abuan. The Patriots scored two touchdowns over their next three drives, the first of which took the lesser part of eight minutes, but two personal foul penalties assisted the Knights in tying the game, scored on an 18-yard rush by junior Kenneth Najera.
After the first Knights drive of the second half stalled in Patriots territory, the Patriots conducted another slow-moving drive inside the Bremerton redzone where they would settle for a field goal. The score would remain 17-14 until a Washington turnover on downs with 3:46 to go gave the Knights just the jolt of energy they needed. Four-straight first downs later, Medina connected with junior Marquise Allen for a 5-yard strike to take the lead with 2:20 remaining.
Washington once again tore apart the Knight’s defense, working quickly to regain the lead, but as Medina and his teammates know, it was the last team to touch the ball that would win the day.
Bremerton advanced to take on Archbishop Murphy at Everett Memorial Stadium Nov. 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Tremain Abuan returns an interception deep into Washington territory toward the end of the first half.
