3A Prep Football: Kelso’s comeback stalls out against Mercer Island

Hard Way to Go — Hilanders fall 40-30 at home to undefeated Islanders

Kelso running back Aden Mintonye is surrounded by Mercer Island defenders during a 40-30 loss to the Islanders, Saturday, Nov. 9, in a crossover playoff football game at Laulainen Stadium. — Skyler Smith / Framed Photogrpahy

Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com

KELSO — It wasn’t supposed to end like this for the Hilanders. Not in front of their home fans. Not with a senior group with a collective backstory to rival the original Star Wars trilogy. And not with a senior quarterback and his father the head coach, hoping to make a few more memories on the gridiron before the inevitable end.

But football is no fairytale and Mercer Island doesn’t care about the feelings of landlocked I-5 pitstop towns. And after four quarters of blood, sweat and swear words Kelso wound up on the wrong end of a classic high school football game that was worth more than the price of admission, even if the Hilanders faithful fans didn’t exactly turn out in droves for the final chapter of such a memorable group of young men in blue jerseys in golden helmets.

Kelso quarterback Tucker Amrine is tackled by the Mercer Island defense during a 40-30 loss to the Islanders, Saturday, Nov. 9, at Schroder Field. — Skyler Smith / Framed Photography

The final score was 40-30 in favor of the visiting Islanders, but that information only does so much to reveal the true nature of the contest.

“It was a really special group, and I’m so proud of how they embraced it and played hard,” Kelso coach Steve Amrine said after his 12 consecutive playoff appearance was officially over. “I’m very proud of all those guys. They played hard and gave it all they had. It’s just a tough way to lose.”

You see, it’s a dopamine rush to mount a comeback in real time. The mind races with visions of glory and redemption. But when a rally runs out of steam, or is otherwise yanked from the clutches of the underdog, the ensuing pain is fortified while imagined immortality recedes into the realm of what might have been.

And to understand just how precipitous that fall was for the Scots, one must realize how far away they were, how close they came, and how it all came crashing down.