All good things must come to an end.
That terse sentiment sums up Enumclaw High’s recently-completed football season. It was a campaign that covered a dozen spectacular, undefeated weeks and came to a sudden close during a state semifinal loss to the top-ranked squad from Lynden High.
When the clock hit zero the evening of Nov. 26, it was 41-14 for the Lions. Lynden now plays for the state championship and Enumclaw knows what it was like – and what it takes – to reach the Final Four in the state’s Class 2A ranks.
The semifinal contest – played at Civic Stadium in Bellingham – saw Lynden jump on top 13-0 with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns.
Enumclaw answered in the second period with a TD by Austin Paulson and an extra-point kick by Noah Seabrands but the Lions reached the end zone again to take a 19-7 advantage into halftime.
Hopes of an Enumclaw comeback dimmed when Lynden added two more rushing touchdowns to take a 34-7 lead in the third quarter. The Hornets’ second touchdown of the game, and their final TD of the season, came later in the period when junior quarterback Gunnar Trachte ran into the end zone. Lynden polished off the scoring with another rushing touchdown in the final quarter.
The Hornets’ final record of 12-1 opened with a pair of nonleague victories over larger schools, followed by a 7-0 championship romp through the South Puget Sound League 2A season. That brought a postseason win against Lindbergh High and, upon reaching the 2A’s Sweet 16, state playoff victories over Olympic High and Othello.
Of the state’s 62 teams that make up the 2A ranks, Enumclaw and Lynden were the only ones boasting a 12-0 record heading into last Saturday’s semifinals. Now, the 2A season will come to a championship close Dec. 3 when Lynden squares off against North Kitsap at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
The 2022 season will be remembered not just for Enumclaw’s 12-week run of success, but also for the team’s dominance on both sides of the ball. During those 12 victories, the Hornets put 588 points on the scoreboard, an average of 49 per outing, while allowing just 152 points (just shy of 13 points per game).
