(UPDATED MONDAY with information on injured players)

ORIGINAL FRIDAY NIGHT REPORT: A somber end to tonight’s Southwest Athletic Complex football game between Chief Sealth International High School and Decatur HS (visiting from Federal Way) – two Sealth players were taken away by ambulance. While several players were down for several minutes at a time at various points in the game, including one toward the end, emergency responders weren’t brought in until the game was over; we were driving out of the stadium lot when we noticed SFD units arriving, so we turned around and went back to see what we could find out. All we know so far is that the two players were transported by private (AMR) ambulance rather than SFD medic unit because both were conscious, indicating their injuries were not believed to be major. We hope to be able to find out later how they are doing.

Meantime, the rest of the game story is after the jump:

It was a hard-fought game, won by Decatur, 21-19, leaving Sealth with a 1-1 record (after their lopsided win against Evergreen last weekend).

Decatur scored first, with 7:07 to go in the first quarter, a TD and extra point. Less than three minutes later, Sealth got on the board with its first touchdown, by #5, senior Diego Jackson (above, being hugged post-TD by #52 Angelo Laudermilk), bringing the score to 7-6 (a two-point-conversion attempt failed), and that’s where the first quarter ended.

Decatur went up 13-6 after a touchdown with 4:20 left in the first half; again, Sealth answered with a Diego Jackson TD within three minutes, and a failed two-point attempt. Gators 13, Seahawks 12 was the score going into halftime.

In the third quarter, what looked like a massive touchdown run for Sealth drew a flag, so no score after all. At 4:02 remaining in the third, Decatur’s TD and 2-pointer brought their lead to 21-12. At the end of the third, the Seahawks again had touchdown hopes, canceled quickly, after an interception and short run that the refs ruled against. The final scoring of the game was done by Sealth with 11:10 remaining in the game, a TD and extra-point kick, and that’s what took the game to its final score, Decatur 21, Sealth 19.

Next week, head coach Ted Rodriguez (above) and the Seahawks are back at SWAC, this time against crosstown rivals West Seattle High School in the annual Huling Bowl crosstown-rivalry game, 7 pm Friday, September 15th.

ADDED MONDAY AFTERNOON: Athletic director Ernest Policarpio tells us three players were hurt – one with a kidney laceration, one with a fractured hip, and one with a concussion.