Eastside, Chuckanut Win as Washington Playoffs Loom
Eastside, Chuckanut Win as Washington Playoffs Loom
Eastside Lions defeated Chuckanut 29-7 over the weekend at Chuckanut's Polo Grounds.
The Lions welcomed Luke Leddy back at lock and he gave Eastside a spark.
Both teams worked hard to find a way through and Eastside's defense led to the Lions getting fir first scoring chance. No. 8 Peleki Vuatalevu broke through Chuckanut's defenses from a scrum on their 5-meter line and was over. Eastside soon increased their lead to 12-0 after fullback Parker Jackson touched down in the corner and KIeran O'Meara hit the touchline conversion.
Unfazed, Chuckanut Bay fought back with strong territorial kicks and capitalized on Eastside's lineout struggles, scoring a converted try. However, Eastside regained control and ended the first half with a 19-7 lead after prop Kolani Masunu powered through.
The second half began with both teams showing signs of fatigue in the afternoon heat, leading to a scrappy start. Eastside's Tristan Lolohea was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes as frustrations boiled over. After substitutions on both sides, the teams regained their composure and resumed their battle.
Eastside continued their dominance with No. 8 Joseph Chambers scoring a try following a clean lineout catch-and-drive by Leddy. The final try of the match was a testament to Eastside's teamwork, with a swift break down the right side by Jackson and swift passes leading to prop Etuate Tuifua's score, which was converted by O'Meara.
The final whistle blew, and Eastside Lions emerged victorious with a 29-7 win. With this victory, the stage is set for a rematch between the Eastside Lions and Chuckanut Bay in the Washington State Championship playoffs next week, on May 6.
Also this weekend the Rainier Highlanders visited Budd Bay. The scoring started early and often with seven tries in the first half, all converted by sophomore Teu Kongaika, who also added a penalty kick to the tally. With temperatures hotter than usual, in the low 80s, the second half pace slowed a bit. Newly promoted sophomore wing, Jerry Motokana, put together a hat trick of tries in his debut.
Final score was 83-0.
So now the playoffs come with Eastside vs Chuckanut, Rainier Highlanders taking on the Liberty Rugby Club, and the Budd Bay Barbarians facing off against the Seattle Vikings.
