HS Football: Lincoln's Offense Stays Hot In Competitive Win Over Peninsula

11/3/24

Lincoln (Tacoma) Abes 36, Peninsula Seahawks 25

(Tacoma, WA) With Lincoln and Peninsula knowing they will play in the Round of 32, there was still a lot on the line on Friday at George Nordi Field. Whoever won the contest between two of the top teams in the PSL was looking at, in all likelihood, hosting a Round of 32 game. That intensity showed on Friday night, as there was a playoff atmosphere in the air, and the two sides showed why they were at the top of their divisions.

Lincoln won the toss and wanted the ball first, and for good reason. The Abes were riding a five-game win streak, scoring 26 points or more in all five wins marched down the field, but faced fourth and one from the 16-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Sione Kaho called his own number, bounced it outside, and got to the corner of the end zone for the touchdown to give Lincoln an early 7-0 lead. The Abes forced a Peninsula punt and put together another good drive, and on the 12th play of the drive, Maurice Gosby took a handoff, cut to the left, and outran everyone for a 41-yard touchdown as Lincoln led 13-0 with one minute left in the first quarter.

Peninsula answered as they drove down the field but were stopped inside the ten-yard line and settled for a 25-yard field goal. Trever Bingham knocked it through to make it a 13-3 game, with Lincoln leading just two minutes into the second quarter. Lincoln quickly drove down the field, and in six plays, Sione Kaho hit his target, Kasey Williams, for a 13-yard touchdown to give Lincoln a 19-3 lead with seven and a half minutes left in the first half. After a Peninsula punt, Lincoln drove down the field again but fumbled into the end zone. The Seahawks jumped on it and got the ball at the 20-yard line after the touchback. The Peninsula offense again drove down the field and faced second and goal from the six-yard line with under a minute left in the half. The Seahawks, in the Halloween spirit, went into their bag of tricks for a double pass, where Mana Smythe hit Lucas Wiseman in the backfield, who tossed it to Hayden Bundy to get the touchdown and, with 15 seconds left in the half, make it a ten-point ballgame, with Lincoln leading 19-9.

In the third quarter, Peninsula had the ball to begin the half, but Lincoln got an interception and returned it to the 25-yard line. The Abes drove down to the one-yard line, where Maurice Gosby punched it in for the touchdown to make it 26-9, with Lincoln adding to their lead. Peninsula responded with a ten-play drive that saw Kobe DeJohnette break through the line, cut up field, and go 21 yards to the end zone for the touchdown as Peninsula made it a 26-15 game in the third quarter.

Lincoln drove inside the five-yard line, but Trever Bingham read the route perfectly, jumped in front of the pass, and got an interception for Peninsula in the end zone to give the Seahawks the ball. Lincoln got an interception of their own on the ensuing drive, as Tyrone Jones leaped up to make the interception and get a touchback for the Abes. After a Lincoln punt and a Peninsula turnover on downs, Lincoln drove down the field, and Maurice Gosby completed the hat trick. Gosby ran in his third touchdown of the evening, this time from two yards out, to give Lincoln a 32-15 lead with two minutes left. Peninsula added a late touchdown, with Mana Smythe hitting Trever Bingham for the late score to make it 32-21 as that’s what the final score would be, with Lincoln getting the victory.

Our elisportsnetwork.com Game MVP went to Lincoln’s Maurice Gosby, who had three rushing touchdowns and many other great runs. He was very hard to bring down and typically required multiple Seahawk defenders to bring him down. Lincoln had another good performance from Sione Kaho, Dominique Ervin ran the ball well too, and the offensive line of Brad Amsden, Taumaoe Tusi, Egesi Mendoza, Zion Ulugalu, James Ongosia did their part to allow the Abes to have a big night on the ground.

Peninsula had another great performance from Kobe DeJohnette, who plays both ways and many snaps, had a touchdown, and was in the middle of many tackles defensively, Trever Bingham was busy with a TD, INT, and a made field goal, and Royal Charles was outstanding on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Seahawks.

Lincoln improves to 7-2 on the season and will host Rainier Beach on Friday in the Round of 32. Peninsula drops to 4-5 on the season and will take on Kennewick on the road on Friday in the Round of 32.

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ESN Talks With Game MVP, Lincoln’s Maurice Gosby