Decatur downs Eagles in Friday night classic

To call Decatur High School football a favorite is a rare pairing of words. But after their Sept. 13 win over rival Federal Way High School, the Gators are looking like the team to beat in the NPSL.

Coming into the rivalry game, Decatur was full of momentum after defeating Enumclaw to start the 2024 season. The Eagles also had momentum on their own after a convincing win over Auburn Mountainview and a chip on their shoulder from last year’s two-point defeat at the hands of Decatur.

“Beating Fed feels like winning a trophy,” junior Jasonni Prum said.

But neither side could have expected the game to go the path that it was destined for. Decatur walked away with a 35-34 win over the Eagles in a contest that looked like Federal Way had the game done and sealed.

Decatur trailed by 21 points with nine minutes to go and were able to come out on top.

“They are resilient. It is one of those things where they are looking to believe in themselves. Until they started believing it was possible, there was nothing I can do. It was good to see them own the work they put in and have faith in each other,” Head Coach Matt Vaeena said.

The Gators came out hot, even on the opening kick. After the ball came off the boot of Zamarie Tellez to start the game, Decatur’s Eric Havili looked to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. But he was ruled out of bounds at the Decatur 47 yard line. That didn’t phase the Gators, as they went on to score on a four-play drive capped by a 34-yard touchdown reception by Maddox Heyliger.

“It was great to see him stand up… I am proud of him, he is one of my favorite people in the world,” Vaeena said about his receiver.

Federal Way was not deterred by the early Decatur momentum. The Eagles used that Decatur momentum against them and countered with their own drive. Quarterback Andy Cortez got the ball to his playmakers — notably, Austin May. On the first drive, May caught a beautiful ball from Cortez and made a spin to run into the endzone from 46 yards out.

The next Eagle drive was just one play because Cortez hit May in-stride and May used his state-sprinter level speed to just outrun the Decatur defense for a 75-yard touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, Federal Way led 14-7.

In the second quarter, the Eagles kept the Gators under pressure. On special teams, Tellez made his impact felt — he picked up a bouncing punt and took it 65 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles enjoyed a 20-6 lead before Decatur answered in the closing minutes of the first half.

“For years and years they have been the standard. There is a pride there that they played with. I am proud of those kids (Federal Way),” Vaeena said.

A ground and pound drive was just what the doctor ordered for Decatur. Quarterback Spencer Holloway and Sefa Leapai combined for the score with Holloway cashing it in. At halftime, the score was 13-20, and seemed like a game that was ready to go down to the wire.

In the second half, Federal Way kept its foot on the gas. The Eagles’ defense showed no yield to the Gators’ offense in the third quarter, and on offense they were giving the ball to number seven.

On the first drive of the second half, Cortez found May again, who broke away for a 46-yard touchdown. May finished the game with five receptions, 178 receiving yards for the Eagles. “I love that kid… He’s not the biggest guy which gives teams a false sense of security. But he is a dawg, he is tough and lightning fast. It was cool to watch him play, I love watching him play,” Vaeena said.

The Eagles took a 26-13 into the fourth quarter, and on its first fourth quarter drive, they faced a fourth and nine from the Decatur 29 yard line. A breakdown in coverage left Miles Fuavai wide open for a touchdown, which appeared to put the game out of reach. With 9:10 left in the game, Decatur trailed 34-13.

But boy did the Gators find something on the ensuing drive. Decatur drove the length of the field and Holloway cashed in for his second rushing touchdown of the game from a yard out. The drive took 1:02 and Federal Way had 8:08 left to ice the game.

“We just never gave up,” said Spencer Holloway.

The Eagles were stopped on third down and brought out Tellez to punt. Tellez is a skilled player and a good one at that, and had kicked the ball well for the Eagles so far. But he bobbled the snap and Decatur picked it up and ran to the Eagles’ 34-yard line.

From there momentum was snatched by the Gators. Holloway found senior Sam Corbett in the endzone on a one play touchdown. With 5:39 left, the Eagles were clinging to a 34-27 lead, and Decatur was playing with all the confidence in the world.

“There were things open the whole game, but we just weren’t executing. We went out and made plays when we had to. It felt like a movie out there,” Holloway said.

After running a pair of running plays to Jojo Fuavai, the Eagles were tasked with a third and long in their own end of the field. Head Coach Marcus Yzaguirre elected to throw the ball, and Cortez found Jayden Sinclair, but Decatur defender Jasonni Prum forced a fumble and gave the Gators a golden opportunity.

The Gators had the ball, and the Eagles’ defense looked to rise to the occasion, forcing a long fourth down play. On fourth and nine from the 23 yard line, Holloway rolled out to his left and Heyliger leaped in the air and snatched the ball in the endzone to tie the game with 2:30 left.

Decatur elected to go for two and Holloway ran it in on a quarterback power play to give Decatur the 35-34 lead.

“We couldn’t have done it without Spencer,” Prum said.

Heyliger and Holloway have a special connection — the two have been starters since their freshman year. Now they are reaping the rewards.

“He is my guy. That is the guy I am always going to throw to in those moments. He’s clutch,” Holloway said.

But the game wasn’t over. Federal Way had the ball and over two minutes left to take the lead. But Prum intercepted Cortez for the second time to seal the game for the Gators.

“I was speechless,” Prum said

Decatur has now beaten Tahoma, Enumclaw and Federal Way twice and was eight points away from a state berth. Back in 2018, Decatur wasn’t even close to winning these games. But now they are built for it.

“They are not afraid of it. They are OK standing and facing those moments. As long as there is time on the clock, there is a chance,” Vaeena said.

That is two emotional wins for a side that has never sniffed the state tournament. But now that reality is coming to fruition. For the Eagles, this is just another chip on the shoulder of a very dangerous team.