Eagles returned to the playoffs for first time since 2001
For the Hudson’s Bay Eagles, just getting to the playoffs was worthy of celebration.
Sure, their season is now over after a road trip to Bellevue, but the Eagles made it to November.
Bellevue topped Hudson’s Bay 51-20 in a Class 3A state qualifier playoff Saturday night.
The Wolverines led 35-0 in the first half, but the Eagles wanted to get their first postseason points in 16 years.
The Eagles got two touchdowns from Quadrese Teague. Carter Morse had the other score for Hudson’s Bay, hauling in a touchdown pass from Parker Marsh.
The Eagles finished with a 6-4 overall record and tied for third in the 3A Greater St. Helens League. It is the most wins in a season for Bay since the Eagles went 8-2 in 2001. This also was the team’s first playoff appearance in 16 years.
Hudson’s Bay coach Ray Lions told his players to keep their heads held high.
“They brought a lot of pride to the program. Fans came up to us, referees came up to us after the game, talking about how we competed until the end.”
Now that the season is over, Lions said he can take a step back to reflect.
“A lot of good things happened. We continued the success of the program,” said Lions, who took over the team this season after the Eagles went 5-4 last season. “Now we have the mentality of making it bigger and better.”
He also thought it was good for the Eagles, especially the juniors and sophomores, to play against Bellevue.
“It’s our guys’ first experience against a championship-caliber program and seeing what it looks like,” Lions said. “A lot of our young guys get to see this and take our program to the next level.”
