Rainier Beach Rallies To Defeat Central Kitsap, 36-21

The Rainier Beach Vikings kicked off their 2025 football season with a statement, storming back from an early deficit to defeat Central Kitsap 36-21 in a non-league game Thursday night. After trailing 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Vikings scored 36-unanswered points, showcasing dominance on both sides of the ball before the Cougars added two late touchdowns.

The game opened with promise for Central Kitsap, who controlled the ball early and found success on a 50-yard touchdown run by Kevin Morales. The Cougars led 7-0 after the first quarter, but the momentum soon shifted.

Rainier Beach’s defense came alive in the second quarter, led by tackles from Achilles Reyna, Daniel Haynes, and Jay’Shaun Banks-Hall. A key interception near the goal line by SirJewel Glover stopped a Cougar drive and gave the Vikings new life. While Rainier Beach had difficulty converting the turnover into points, they kept Central Kitsap off the board for the remainder of the half.

With five minutes left before halftime, Oteko Mwamba broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run, putting the Vikings on the scoreboard. Though the extra point failed, the Vikings had cut the deficit to one, 7-6. That score held at halftime.

The second half belonged entirely to Rainier Beach. Zevion Watkins exploded out of the gate with a 65-yard touchdown run on the Vikings’ first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Esquire Williams followed with a two-point conversion to give Rainier Beach its first lead at 14-7.

Watkins scored again later in the quarter on a 19-yard run. Then, following a defensive stop and a Central Kitsap turnover, Williams connected with Marques Illi-Meneese for a 10-yard touchdown. Another successful two-point conversion extended the lead to 28-7 by the end of the third.

In the fourth, Williams struck again—this time through the air with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Ameer Johnson. He capped the drive with a rushing two-point conversion of his own to make it 36-7.

Though the Vikings appeared to have the game in hand, Central Kitsap showed late resilience. Grant Figueroa threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final minutes, including one to Larry Williams Lii as time expired. Both were followed by extra points from Leo Bosh, trimming the final deficit to 15 points.

After the game, Rainier Beach head coach Corey Sampson acknowledged the win but stressed the need for sharper execution.

“We have to figure some things out. We had too many penalties, but besides that, not a bad job tonight,” Sampson said. “First game of the season, I know there are some jitters there, but we have to start off fresh next week. This game is over, and next week is a big one.”

Rainier Beach will next face the defending state champion O’Dea Fighting Irish in what Sampson called “an even bigger game.”