Athlete Spotlight: Malia Pinder

^{Shy Yamasaki, Staff Writer}

For this athlete spotlight, the Belltower interviewed Malia Pinder, who plays on the softball team as a Junior here at Saint Martin’s University. She started playing at a young age, being only in the second grade playing in high purple socks. Which, for her, was the start of her softball career. The inspiration behind her many years of softball is her father. He was her coach growing up and bonded through softball, amongst other things. “He taught me to compete, to be passionate, and to work hard. Over time, the values he instilled in me continued to inspire me to be a better athlete, student, and community member,” Malia states. Furthermore, Malia has very important goals to accomplish during her time here at SMU. 

One goal she has is to teach underclassmen how to compete in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, or GNAC’s. Malia states, “The conference can be tough, and I want them to succeed to elevate the program after I graduate.” She was also lucky enough to earn First Team All-Conference and All-Region honors last year. So, she is determined to strive to get those titles again this year. A core memory for her was when the softball team traveled to California and had a huge dance party on the field before their second game. Malia stated, “It was just so fun to dance with everyone and type each other up. Dance parties are my favorite.” Besides playing softball, Malia is an active community member here on campus. She is the Co-SAAC President alongside Jas Dhatt, a senior at SMU. Malia is also the Senator of Athletics on our Associated Students of Saint Martin’s University, or ASSMU for short. Additionally, she had an amazing opportunity to intern at Capitol City Law as a legal assistant and loved the overall experience. Lastly, she works for the Office of Admissions giving tours to prospective students.

You may be asking how she has time to manage all these great accomplishments. She states, “Time management is so tough! It’s all I know though. My whole life I have been a student-athlete, so you get into a routine and you understand what works for you.” Malia tries to get a lot done before practice so she can focus hard and be in the zone. Whenever she is tired after practice, she ensures she eats and goes to bed on time. “I’m a morning person though, so this works really well for me.” Malia states. A tip or trick Malia has to give to any student is to prioritize the things that make you most happy and that you can find a purpose in. “Don’t get too caught up in any one thing, find a healthy balance! Sports don’t define your worth as a person, no matter how much of your identity it is. The kind of teammate, person, and active member of society you are is so much more important,” Malia states. Even though balancing school, sports, and having a social is tough, so many people in the community here at SMU are living proof that it can be done.

The Legacy of Bob Grisham

^{Shy Yamasaki, Staff Writer}

The belltower is saddened to announce that the former athletic director of SMU, Bob Grisham, passed on Sunday, January 22^nd, 2023 due to a sudden medical issue. A service will be held at Saint Martin’s University on Saturday, March 11, at 2 p.m. in the Marcus Pavilion. He has served as our athletic director for over 37 years, which he championed as a prominent person for athletics at SMU, the community, and the athletic conference (Saint Martin’s University, 2023). His loss will impact many individuals here at Saint Martin’s University, along with his friends and family. Within his 37 years serving as our athletic director, Bob Grisham also served as head coach of the men’s basketball team for 17 years and 20 years as the women’s golf coach. 

Grisham has left his impact by expanding the athletics program from only having a men’s and women’s basketball team to 15 sports overall. (Saint Martin’s University website, 2023) Between 1988-2008, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s golf, cross country, soccer, track field, baseball, and softball were added. Bob Grisham also oversaw the transition to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and now SMU’s athletic program is part of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). (Saint Martin’s University Website, 2023)  

Under Grisham’s leadership, our athletic program has experienced many successes wherever possible on and off the playing field. 

In addition, Saint Martin’s has seen five conference championships, 14 regional appearances, and three national appearances. We saw not only the many accomplishments under Grisham but also many other program achievements, including several All-Academic championships, All-Conference selections, all-Americans, and the first-ever NCAA National Champion in 2016. (Saint Martin’s University Website, 2023)  During the 2022 Hall of Fame/Hall of Honor awards, Grisham shared, “I am proud of what our staff, coaches, and student-athletes have accomplished with their successes in winning athletic and academic awards, honors, and championships. It represents what we’ve been striving for, and that’s raising the bar.” (Saint Martin’s University Website, 2023)  

Grisham also made many outstanding changes to campus as he served as our athletic director. He expanded the campus by adding six different facilities, which included the baseball field, the construction of the first-class soccer field, and an outdoor track with jumping pits and throwing cages. (Saint Martin’s University Website, 2023). The Charneski Recreation Center opened its doors in 2009 with full-sized basketball courts, an indoor track, a dance studio, a classroom, and a full-sized weight room. Just recently, in 2017, he added the tennis courts, replacing the open-field tennis courts. (Saint Martin’s University Website, 2023) At the same time, Bob raised the bar in our community outreach with thousands of hours of our student-athletes serving in our local community.

 Grisham initiated and organized the start of SMU’s Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor. SMU’s Athletic Department has recognized over 100 players, coaches, teams, and supporters. (Saint Martin’s University Website, 2023) “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the growth and evolution over the years of Saint Martin’s University and our athletic programs. Most people don’t stay or last with that type of longevity. I am proud of this and proud of our many accomplishments.” – Bob Grisham  

Athlete Spotlight: New Athletic Director

^{Shy Yamasaki, Staff Writer}

As we started the beginning of a new academic year, we welcomed a new Athletic Director here on campus. Steve O’Brien grew up in San Jose, CA. His interests were playing soccer, baseball and running track. He spent his time at Boston College and transferred to Santa Clara University, where he majored in History and Economics. During his time at Santa Clara University, he was a member of the men’s cross-country team. During his college years, he met Julianne at an alumni function, who is a civil engineer and ran cross country at Santa Clara University. O’Brien played on the USC men’s club soccer team and even attempted to pursue competitive soccer opportunities at the next level after he graduated. In addition to his education at Boston College and Santa Clara University, O’Brien studied at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law. He practiced transactional finance and in real estate as an attorney. After his practice in transactional finance and as a real estate attorney, he was able to pursue his career in college athletic administration. O’Brien’s stops were at Santa Clara University, the University of California, Santa Barbara, the United States Naval Academy and San Jose State University before he joined us at SMU. 

O’Brien hopes to focus on making the athletic department more process-oriented. O’Brien stated, “I believe that ‘winning teams’, the measure by which most people may consider the defining benchmark of success in athletics, is a lagging indicator.  In order to get to that point, and in order for competitive success to be more sustainable and of greatest consequence, a foundation for that success must be built.  That will happen by taking a series of deliberate steps. For the purposes of this article, I think we can boil it down to 5 steps.” Within those steps, he has mentioned that relationship building and assessment are ‘key constituents inside athletics, across the campus, and throughout the community.’ Furthermore, with this step, it will help keep the trains running on time and address time-sensitive issues. The other steps include plan development, experimentation and scaling, have Saint Athletics produce across three critical areas and assess, refine and re-attempt. Another hope O’Brien has for SMU, as a whole, is to demonstrate a robust and competitively successful mission aligned intercollegiate athletic program. With that, he also wants that intercollegiate athletic program competitiveness here so it can ‘positively contribute to the overall development of student-athletes while simultaneously benefitting the entire campus community, advancing strategic institutional objectives and serving a critical relationship building function with families, alumni and local/regional community partners.”  

O’Brien is a hard worker and very dedicated to the things that are important to him. Much of his free- time centers around his family and youth sports. He has helped coach his eldest son’s soccer and baseball teams. He is looking forward to being more involved with his younger son’s team when he is able to start playing. O’Brian also enjoys running the trails here on campus. “The trails around Saint Martin’s campus are incredible!” O’Brien stated. He also is looking forward to exploring more of Washington and the PNW with his family. Currently, he is committing himself to becoming more adept at using social media.

Favorite Teams at SMU

Eric Bell, Staff Writer

Editor’s Note: Eric Bell is a member of the Saint Martin’s Soccer team

Do you ever find yourself bored or struggling to find something to do outside of class? Is there something you have always wanted to try? Are you looking to meet new people and make new friends? If the answer is yes, you should seriously consider getting involved in Saint Martin’s sports. This doesn’t necessarily mean joining a sports team, although I highly encourage it. There are many different ways to be a part of athletics here. 

During my first year on campus, I have realized the importance of getting involved in the community here, and a great way to do this is through sports. From my experience, getting involved in athletics has given me many great memories, and many amazing friendships. This school does a good job at trying to get students involved, and we should take advantage of these opportunities. 

The cool thing about athletics is that there is always some sport going on all year long. Because different sports have different seasons, going to multiple sporting events is very easy. Also, because Saint Martin’s is such a small campus, getting to these sporting events when the Saints play at home is super convenient. The sports facilities are close together, so you don’t have to travel far to catch all the action.

Right now, one of my favorite sports to go watch is basketball. It is a great spectator sport for multiple reasons. First off, the men and women play during the same season, so there is almost always a game going on every few days. Second, there are lots of people who fill the stands, so it is easy to meet new people. Simply sit down next to some unfamiliar spectators and you can leave having made a few new friends. Finally, the games are played indoors with heat and music. Who doesn’t love being inside during these bitter cold months?

I couldn’t write an article about this without adding soccer as my favorite sport at Saint Martin’s. I feel like I have a slight bias towards the sport because I’m on the men’s soccer team, but selfishly I hope some of you guys also find soccer as your favorite sport here.

It is hard to pick just a few sports to call my favorite here because one thing that makes Saint Martin’s so special is how sports support each other. Members of one sport will come out to volunteer at another sport’s game, doing things to help the game run smoothly. For example, I can recall members of the basketball team retrieving balls at a soccer game. This was helpful because when the ball went out of play and rolled far into the grass, someone other than a player could go and get the ball. It also helped us from losing soccer balls, which is another positive. Another example is that the men’s soccer team volunteered at a women’s soccer game at the beginning of the year to raise money and awareness for a cause important to one of the coaches on the women’s soccer team. These instances show how Saint Martin’s is such a caring community- one we are lucky to be a part of. 

Do you have a favorite sport here at SMU? If so, what is it? If not, what can you do to change that? College is all about making the most out of your time here, and what better way to do that than supporting your school’s teams? 

See you at a Saints home game!

Tom Brady (Finally) Retires

Eric Bell, Staff Writer

Growing up, who did we think of as the best quarterback in the National Football League (NFL)? Who was the guy that even when his team was losing, you knew he still had a chance? That man was none other than Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, better known as Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time. Commonly referenced as the GOAT. While you can argue with that opinion, and there are some pretty good quarterbacks in history that you could argue for, you can’t argue with the statistics. According to nfl.com, the 199^th overall pick in the 6^th round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots played in 318 games, threw for 84,520 yards, and scored 624 touchdowns. If that alone isn’t enough to convince you he is the best; he is a seven-time Super Bowl champion and a five-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP). That alone is ridiculous, the fact that he has only been to the Super Bowl and not been the MVP of it two times. He has been to the Pro Bowl 15 times, an honor which is given to players nominated for having the best seasons that year. No other quarterback has done what he has in NFL history, and he will certainly be in the NFL Hall of Fame the first chance he can be inducted into it, in five years. If that doesn’t convince you that he is the greatest, I don’t know what will.

As of February 1, 2022, Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement from the NFL. He has decided to hang up his cleats after 22 unbelievable seasons, playing 20 seasons for the New England Patriots, the team who drafted him, and playing his last two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is much speculation as to why he decided to retire, with many people making the argument that he still had a couple more years left in the tank. While no one but Brady knows for sure, of course, roster injuries, upcoming contract situations, and teammate drama on the Buccaneers could have factored into his decision. It is certainly thought that he could have played for at least another year, and many agree with this narrative. 

As if Brady retiring is not crazy enough, there was some drama about his retirement going public. On January 29^th, Adam Schefter, ESPN’s highly regarded senior NFL insider, broke the news that Tom Brady was retiring. This turned the entire sports world upside down. Media pages were putting together montages of Brady’s career and everywhere you looked, the news of Tom Brady calling it a career was front and center. Only it wasn’t true. News broke later that day that Brady had, in fact, not made his decision and informed the Buccaneers General Manager that he had, contrary to what the media had leaked, not retired. With the sport’s world on edge, Tom Brady finally announced his retirement two days later. This time, it was for real. All the drama was seemingly for nothing. 

Aside from Tom Brady being the GOAT, he has provided all of us with a sense of inspiration that we incorporate into our own lives. As mentioned early, Brady was the 199th overall pick in the 6^th round of the draft, so it wasn’t exactly like he had the pedigree to be a starting quarterback in the league. The Patriots already had a quarterback and drafted Brady as a backup plan. Instead of getting angry that he was taken so low in the draft, Brady continued to work to be ready for any opportunity. Forced into action due to injury, the rookie out of the University of Michigan took his chance and ran with it. He never gave up the starting quarterback job.

This is what we should incorporate into our lives, the determination to never give up. In life, you need to take advantage of any opportunity, just like the greatest quarterback of all time did.

Athlete Spotlight: Noah Boyd

Eric Bell, Staff Writer

As the second semester is off and running, we have moved along into a new sports season! Spring seasons are gearing up and before they get completely underway, The Belltower decided to catch up with a student-athlete on the Saint Martin’s track and field team, Noah Boyd. 

Noah Boyd is a freshman on the team. Before he was a Saint, Noah attended Olympia high school where he played football, track, and was also a member of the basketball team. Way to go Noah!

Currently, Noah has found an event he is very passionate about, competing in the 400 hurdles. With being so busy, he was gracious enough to take some time to share a bit about his first year as a Saint. 

“It’s been pretty good”, said Boyd, “I’ve had decent grades as far as school goes and track has been pretty good.” Boyd then got into more about being a student-athlete here at Saint Martin’s. “Honestly, just everyone has been really friendly.” This is a common theme from students about being here. With such a small campus, everyone seems to know everyone, and the people seem to be able to develop pretty close connections here. Maybe it’s because people have a better chance of getting to know each other, but everyone is friendly and welcoming. As a lot of Saint Martin’s is comprised of student-athletes, many people here understand what each other are going through and respect the time and effort it takes to juggle school and sports. Even for people who don’t play sports here, the school does a good job at getting people involved, so much that many people do some sort of extracurricular activity.

“A lot of people on the track team have been very talkative and been really open to me,” Boyd said. It is awesome that freshmen especially feel like they have a place here, as we all know transitioning into college from high school can be very difficult. 

Teammates being communicative and open are important because they can help answer any questions new student-athletes on campus may have. These types of teammates can also help others feel comfortable just being themselves. People should feel all they need to be is themselves, and it is great if others can help them get there. This is a lesson to all of us, whether we are teammates or not, is to be able to appreciate people for who they are.

Finally, when I asked Boyd about what he is excited for in the future here, he replied with, “Competing, honestly.” That is a great answer, and an answer that resonates well with many student-athletes. I think I can speak for the majority of athletes on this one: we just want to play. It is truly a blessing to be able to play the sport we love at this level, and we are all truly grateful to be where we are today.

Boyd then goes on to say, “I’m a walk-on so I haven’t got to go to any meets yet, but I look forward to getting better and hopefully getting a scholarship soon.” That is a great mindset to have, and I am confident that his goal of getting better is what will help him going forward. I wish him all the best. Good luck Noah and enjoy your time here. 

Saint Martin’s University Track and Field/Cross Country logo

Via: Saint Martin’s XC/TF (@SMUSaints_XCTF) / Twitter

Mental Health in Student-Athletes at Saint Martin’s

Malia Pinder, Staff Writer

Athletes are provided with trainers to help with any sort of physical problem that could stop them from performing, but unfortunately, a majority of athletes are not provided this same care for their minds. If you ask most athletes, they will say that their sport is more mental than physical, that they prepare their minds just as much as their bodies for competition. So why is this care for the mental side not provided? 

It’s because athletes are not typically portrayed as people who struggle with mental health. Athletes are portrayed as confident, tough, and untouchable. What people do not see is that most athletes are perfectionists who face failure and defeat daily. Olivia Schmidt, a junior on the softball team at Saint Martin’s, said “We as athletes expect perfection just as much as our coaches do… We as athletes put the most pressure on ourselves, fearing to let down those around us”. This pressure, added to the stress of being a full-time student, is a lot. Student-athletes spend upwards of 20 hours a week practicing. Schmidt compared this to having a full-time job. This does not include team meetings or individual practices. The pressures of class and athletics pile up quickly and require the care of someone who understands that struggle. Without that proper support, it’s easy for athletes’ mental health to decline.  

Along with struggling to balance school and athletics while facing failure, the attitude towards competition is just that: compete. Athletes are raised to be the best and anything less than that is not good enough. When you get to the collegiate level, “the level of player is just as good as you or even better”, said Nathan Mclellan, a sophomore on the men’s soccer team. Athletes go from being the best in their town or on their club team to an environment where perfection is expected all the time. What this does to your mental health, he said, is “cause many people to go into a downward spiral with confidence and overthinking whether you truly belong”. Schmidt said something similar, saying that “there is so much exterior pressure on athletes in general but what people don’t see is the self-inflicted pressure and standards that athletes hold in their name”. 

When asked how to support the mental health of athletes, Schmidt said “keeping [athletes] mental health in the forefront of their minds and to combat their thoughts and emotions as soon as possible” is essential. She said that “mental health should always be addressed in support of athletics and academics”. Mclellan added that “by giving [athletes] more outlets for support” such as “a day or two to dedicate ourselves to mental health support whether that’s therapy or other ways with mental health professionals”, athletes will see a decrease in mental health conditions and can have a healthier time playing sports. 

To support mental health awareness, Saint Martin’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee held a Mental Health Awareness Night at the men’s basketball game on Jan. 27. Members of SAAC handed out green Saint Martin’s shirts to those who attended the game, and information on mental health resources were provided throughout the night. 

If you are struggling with mental health, there are multiple resources at Saint Martin’s. The Counseling and Wellness Center provides free care on campus, in person, or over Zoom. There is also Timely Care, an app that offers online care 24/7. The Saint Martin’s NAMI Club is a club on campus centered around mental health as well. Saint Martin’s is here to provide support wherever they can. 

New Updated NCAA Covid-19 Guidelines

Eric Bell, Staff Writer

What do we do, or have to do now? With the start of the spring semester now upon us and in full swing, Saint Martin’s athletics are continuing or starting back up! As teams come back together for practice and competition, people are wondering how the rise of Covid-19 and the Omicron variant is coming into play and how things are being accounted for. We all need to continue to stay safe and protect ourselves and others through these unprecedented times. Right now, are all trying to figure out how to do so.

With the uncertainty surrounding the new developments of the pandemic, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released updated Covid-19 guidelines to try to bring about some ease during these anxious months. Saint Martin’s University, along with all other NCAA-affiliated schools, has adopted these guidelines and have already begun implementing them throughout the athletic department. 

A large part of this update is that the NCAA has adjusted its definition of “fully vaccinated” individuals. Earlier in the pandemic, being “fully vaccinated” meant that individuals had either received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine series, or the Moderna vaccine series. The vaccine series for Pfizer and Moderna means that individuals have had both doses of the vaccine. With the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, individuals only need to get one dose, because it is different than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Per the NCAA’s update at ncaa.com, now to be “fully vaccinated”, individuals need to be either within two months of receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, five months of receiving the Pfizer vaccine series, or six months of receiving the Moderna vaccine series. In addition to this, if student-athletes have received the vaccine earlier than the described windows above, they must have received a booster vaccine to qualify as being “fully vaccinated.” Finally, student-athletes who are within 90 days of a Covid-19 infection qualify as equivalent to being “fully vaccinated” because they now have the antibodies and won’t get it again for a while.

The second major part to come out of the NCAA’s update is the change in quarantining and isolation periods for student-athletes who test positive for Covid-19. Earlier in the pandemic, the quarantine time for individuals who tested positive was ten days. Per the update, the quarantine time has been cut in half, down to five days as long as the student-athlete has no symptoms or their “symptoms are resolving.” After those five days, the NCAA suggests the individual masking around others for five more days, except during athletic activities which follow a negative test. 

As for isolation, fully vaccinated individuals who have come in close contact with someone who tests positive do not have to quarantine but are suggested by the NCAA to wear a mask when not participating in athletic activities. Unvaccinated individuals, on the other hand, should still quarantine for five days if they come in close contact with someone with Covid-19.

This is a systemic change, as before student-athletes did not need a booster vaccine to be considered “fully vaccinated”, and they only needed to have the regular doses. The other big change here is the quarantine period has been cut in half, allowing student-athletes to return to the field and the classroom earlier than before.

These new updates are important to follow because the NCAA is not creating guidelines on its own. It is following the guidelines which the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has laid out. The NCAA’s update is merely bringing these new guidelines to the world of college sports.

Although the guidelines have changed, the overall idea hasn’t: do what you can to keep you and others as safe as possible.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) logoVia:  NCAA (@NCAA) / Twitter

Athlete Spotlight: Eber Navarrete Vieira

Eric Bell, Staff Writer

This year, returning to sports gives us a new sense of normality. The Belltower decided to catch up with someone whose primary season coincided with the year’s first half. Eber Navarrete Vieira is a freshman goalkeeper for Saint Martin’s. Hailing from Longview, Washington, Vieira shares a bit about his first season as a Saint.

“My first year at Saint Martin’s started pretty well. At the end, I got to experience new styles of play on our team and everything, so I felt like it went pretty well”

Navarrete Vieira In Discussion to the Fall Season

The soccer team still has a spring season and a regimented winter offseason program, so the team is far from finishing everything. To touch on the new styles of play Vieira referred to, the team started out the season playing with three defenders in the back half of the field. This was an experiment by the head coach to see if this way of playing would fit the team better. After a few matches, however, the team moved back into a more traditional setup of four defenders in the back half of the field. This seemed to work better for the team, as players were better suited and equipped to play this formation and style of soccer.

 When The Belltower asked Vieira about his overall experience as being a student-athlete at Saint Martin’s for the first time he said, “”Yes, I can definitely say that I enjoy it.” A very definitive and solid answer, providing a fantastic platform for younger players, especially freshmen, to grow and thrive here during their time on campus.

Before he became a Saint, Vieira attended Mark Morris High School, where he was an honor roll selection, a 4-year varsity letter winner, and the team MVP in his senior season! Way to go, Eber!

It is essential to get the insight of younger athletes here at Saint Martin’s because they are the future of SMU’s athletics. Getting to know them and getting to hear their thoughts on how things are going is important and can lead to improvements across the athletic department as we advance. It is not all about just making big changes, which are important for sure. It is just as important to highlight the things that are going well here in Saints athletics. Many people in various sports here on campus have consistently made the all-academic team and have received awards for their dedication and excellence in the classroom. While it is vital to push and foster change, we must recognize the accomplishments of our athletes. These accomplishments should be celebrated and, in my opinion, more well-known and documented. The Belltower would like to congratulate all who have received this honor as well as those who will be receiving this honor in the future. As you all know, there is a world away from the field or the court, and our Saints athletes are prepared for life after college, whatever that may be.

Seattle Seahawks vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Eric Bell, Staff Writer

Stepping into the enormous, enclosed, well-lit press box was like entering a whole new world. Writers feverishly typed away on their various devices, desperate to get their voice out to fans following along for updates and inside access on the contest. Sunlight, a rarity in Seattle on the final day of October, is shown through the large, clean, glass windows that looked out onto the field. Numerous wide-screen televisions displayed other games around the league taking place in the earlier 10 AM PST slate. Fans start to pile into the stadium and find their seats. Here comes the noise. Seahawks fans are nicknamed the “12s”, as they have become the 12th man for their defense, as there can only be 11 players on the field at one time. They are out in full force today on this Halloween afternoon despite their team’s rocky start to the season.

The fans became even louder when the Seahawks took the field. The roar became deafening, even through a sealed-off and supposedly sound-proof press-box. Everyone in the stadium then rose to their feet and removed their hats for the playing of the national anthem. The voice ran out through the only momentarily silent stadium.  After the anthem, the decibel rate rose even higher, with almost all of the fans having made their way into Lumen Field. The build-up to the kickoff was a feat, with the bright blue with white “12s” block letters being raised and fired up the fans even more than they already were. People were trying to talk between rows, and it was impossible to hear even at that short distance. The atmosphere was electric. Honestly, words cannot justify how loud, and crazy the environment became throughout the game. If you ever have the opportunity to come to a match and witness this extraordinary setting, it is definitely a worthwhile experience

Seahawks Versus Jaguars

Now to the game: After a Jaguars punt on their opening possession, the Seahawks started off on the ground, then got a 27-yard pass to Tyler Lockett to set up a Geno Smith 1-yard rushing touchdown to cap off their opening drive. The Seahawks then got another big play with Quandre Diggs picking off rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. After the interception, the Seahawks marched methodically down the field, setting up a D.K Metcalf touchdown. After making an unbelievable catch over former Seahawk’s cornerback Shaquil Griffin, the Seattle star receiver ran to the padding on the goalpost stand and climbed on and hugged it, like a bear hugging a tree. He got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the celebration, but the play stood, and the Seahawks went up 14-0 with nine minutes to play in the second quarter. The Seahawks seemed to move the ball on offense as well, with little resistance from a struggling Jacksonville defense which picked up their first win just the previous week. The Seahawks added a 31-yard field goal just before halftime to make it 17-0 at the break. In the third quarter, D.K. Metcalf caught his second touchdown pass of the game, making it a 24-0 Seahawks lead. The Jaguars finally got on the board near the end of the game, with a five-yard touchdown, breaking the shutout Seattle was hoping for. After the score, the Jaguars tried an onside kick which was recovered and returned 43 yards for a touchdown by Seattle’s Travis Homer, capping off a successful day at the office. That’s how this one ended, with the Seahawks winning 31-7 over the Jaguars.