Upset stuns both teams’ fans

Jackson gives No. 3 Kamiak a 31-20 loss

By Jennifer Langston

Herald Writer

Morgan Van Ness is the kind of fan who stays to the bitter end, whether his team is up by 50 points or unexpectedly getting stomped.

Dressed in an itchy, frizzy lavender wig and a purple robe with lightning bolts on it Thursday night, the Kamiak High School senior watched his previously undefeated football team get beaten by Henry M. Jackson High School.

He and friends from his advanced placement physics class are at every game, dressed in "spirit gear," bellowing until they get headaches and heckling the cheerleaders.

There’s lots of yelling, the occasional duct-tape war, and hugs that knock friends over in the bleachers.

But it’s a measure of a true fan to love your team even when it’s losing. And for those in the stands, games aren’t just about what’s happening on the field.

"I just love football," Van Ness said. "At football games, all the little predetermined groups of people go away. I’ve met a bunch of new people, because you can just talk to whoever’s next to you."

Die-hard Kamiak fans were stunned to watch their team, ranked third in the state, lose 31-20 to Jackson at Everett Memorial Stadium. Kamiak had already clinched the Western Conference South Division championship, guaranteeing it a playoff spot.

"I don’t know what’s going on, but I think Jackson’s cheating," said senior Blake Berry. "This is not possible. This is not happening."

Fans in the Jackson section were equally shocked. Junior Rita Patterson said that when the score was tied 7-7 early on, she whispered to a friend that the team might lose respectably.

Nobody really dreamed they’d score on a kickoff return, make a long field goal and muscle the ball over the line after forcing a pivotal fumble.

"Our theory is that Kamiak was just kind of expecting it to be an easy game, but maybe they’ll think twice about that next time," Patterson said.

Lindsay Schramm, a Cascade High School junior who goes to the Jackson games to cheer on friends, said people really showed up just to show support for the team, which finished the season 5-4.

"I really didn’t think there was a chance they’d win. People just assumed it was going to be a shoo-in," she said. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jackson fans any happier than they’ve been tonight."

Kamiak fans had to console themselves with the fact that they still have playoff games to rally around.

Senior James Wiker, dressed in an eggplant-purple Tina Turner wig, shoulder pads and denim flames sewn onto the wrists of his shirt, has gone to every game this year to watch his stepbrother play.

He said he’s not sure how much longer the fan traditions will last after his die-hard crew graduates. Since it’s such a new school, each class gets to create new rituals.

"The cheers are our own. We make them up," he said. "If we left and no one carried it on, it would be kind of sad."

Kamiak senior Sara Dunn, with "#10" drawn on her cheek in purple eyeliner, said the crew of girls who go to every game were already trying to figure out what they could do at school today to make the team feel better.

They hate to lose, she said.

"We love them no matter what. They’re in the playoffs, and we’re really proud," she said. "But I know our boys. They’re really, really upset right now."

You can call Herald Writer Jennifer Langston at 425-339-3452

or send e-mail to langston@heraldnet.com.

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