Redhawks win on last minute touchdown over Redmond

It has been a rocky start for first-time head coach Bryce Jones at Renton High School so far this season, with the Redhawks at just 1-3 in four weeks of play. But in his first close game at the helm for the Redhawks, Jones’ side was able to climb out of a 14-point hole in the second half.

Renton is now at 2-4 so far this season. A week ago, Newport dismantled the Redhawks, winning 48-12. But against the Redmond Mustangs, Renton needed a touchdown and two point conversion in the last 30 seconds to win 37-36 on Oct. 4.

“Our team can go through dog fights and come out on top. I feel like as we get better every week so when we get those close games we are battle ready,” senior Patrick Turner said.

At two different points in the game, Renton trailed by two touchdowns, but never really felt out of the game.

“One of the most important things I saw with this group was grit. We showed a lot of grit… These types of games will set us up for our future,” Coach Jones said.

Running back duo Patrick Turner and Major Bloodsaw did everything for the Redhawks in the one-point win. Turner was taking snaps at quarterback and Bloodsaw lined up at wide receiver throughout the game. The two combined for all five touchdowns.

“It’s a one-two punch that I don’t think will go away,” Turner said.

On each team’s first possession, they lost a fumble. Redmond struck first on a 43-yard passing touchdown to Brayden Bartoletti. Renton responding was a common theme in this game and it started with the ground attack. Patrick Turner and Major Bloodsaw were the thunder and lightning for Jones. The two combined for the score as Bloodsaw sprinted away from Mustang defenders from 23-yards out. Turner converted the two-point conversion.

Redmond soon went on to score back-to-back touchdowns and slowed down the potent Redhawk offense. Redmond was up 21-8 before Renton was able to score just before halftime.

Patrick Turner ran a quarterback sprint-out to his left and decided to tuck the ball and run it in from five yards out with 19.5 seconds left with the score 21-16.

“At halftime I told the guys, this game is going to determine what type of team we are going to be,” Jones said.

Renton followed the strong end of the half with a strong start of the second. The Redhawks drove the length of the field and Turner scored his second touchdown of the night from 36 yards away erasing the 14-point Redmond lead and instead leading for the second time in the game, 22-21.

After that drive, the Redmond defense found a way to get the Redhawks off the field. This allowed the Mustangs to take a stranglehold of the game, scoring two touchdowns late in the third quarter.

As the fourth quarter started, Renton was trailing 36-22. With 8:48 left in the game, Renton quarterback JayJay Saechao found MyKah Golden and he fumbled the ball on the five yard line. But Bloodsaw was right there, picked it up and ran it in for the score. The Redmond lead was cut to 36-29.

Redmond then fumbled on its next possession, but then Golden also fumbled again, giving the Mustangs the ball back with under four minutes left in the game.

The Redhawks needed a stop, and they got one. Turner, who put himself on defense at linebacker, made two tackles on the Mustang drive. One was for a loss, the other to stop Redmond on fourth and two.

“That showed where we can be. That was a great defensive stand. If we look back on this season, we’ll remember this stand right here,” Jones said.

The Redhawks knew the task at hand. Redmond had run the ball on them all over the place in that second half. But on that drive, Turner and the defense stood tall.

“We were just flowing as a united defense, that is why we got the stop,” Turner said.

“He seized the moment…He has a lot more in the tank. He’s a great kid, we are very blessed to have him on our team,” Jones said about Turner.

Renton had the ball with just over two minutes and needed a touchdown. The Mustangs had slowed the run game and forced Renton to throw. They did on the final drive, and Bloodsaw was interfered with and moved Renton down the field 15 yards.

“Those moments are what I dream of. Having the opportunity to help us be successful is my dream… Believing in my guys and them believing in me,” said Jones

Three plays later on a second and three from the six-yard line, Bloodsaw ran it in for his third score. When confronted with the tie or the win, there was no hesitation from Renton.

Turner lined up as the quarterback and got to the edge and lunged toward the endzone, knocking over the pylon for the one-point lead, 37-36.

“There was no doubt about it,” said Jones.

“It felt great, I was happy. I dove and I knew it was good. I told coach just trust me. That was the result,” Turner said.

Renton is going to need all the momentum they can grab as they take on Mercer Island, currently tied for ninth in the 3A AP-Poll.

“We got a tough one next week that we are looking forward to,” Jones said.

“All year we have understood that we are going to be the underdog in every game. If we come to practice ready to work, that is a winnable game,” Turner said.