Football Recap: Neah Bay Comes Up Short in High-Profile Matchup with Darrington

Neah Bay faced Darrington in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Red Devils fell just short of the Loggers by a score of 38-36. The Red Devils were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Loggers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.

Several Red Devils players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jontae Akin, who rushed for 180 yards and four TDs on only ten carries. Akin's longest rush was for an impressive 57 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Caleb Cummins also helped out as he racked up 110 rushing yards.

Even if they lost, Neah Bay's defensive line still kept up the pressure with nine sacks. Eugene Ray was especially locked on to Darrington's QB and sacked him five times.

Neah Bay's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 2-2. As for Darrington, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 4-1.

Neah Bay will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Lummi at 5:00 p.m. on the 17th. As for Darrington, they have already played their next matchup, a 34-26 win against Tulalip Heritage on the 10th.