SEATTLE – The Bainbridge High varsity football team scored its first win of the year on the road Friday, Sept. 23 with a 20-7 defeat against Lakeside High.

The highly anticipated win marked yet another leap forward for the scrappy Spartans, who have made gains in every gridiron outing so far this season after a much celebrated start featuring a new coach and a much bigger roster.

The win earned for the island squad a 1-3 overall season record.

The Spartans will return to play their second home game of the year at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 against Bishop Blanchet.

“It feels good to win,” said Spartan Head Coach Jeff Rouser. “Hopefully, the players bring the same type of effort to the next game.

“[It] should give us confidence,” he added. “We will soon see.”

Against Lakeside, BHS scored first, in the second quarter, and the daring defense kept LHS scoreless until the third, when both teams put up seven.

In the fourth, Bainbridge again kept the Lions off the board and put up another seven themselves to earn the win.

Eric Jung carried the day for BHS, scoring all three of the Spartan touchdowns. The first he managed off a 25-yard interception return; for the second he caught a 28-yard pass from quarterback Gannon Winker; and the third was an impressive 63-yard run.

Kicker Tanner Shattuck went 2-for-3 in point-after conversions.

Winker passed 100 yards even, and BHS junior Ethan Peloquin led the reception game, notching 52 yards.

Any celebrating was quick-lived, however, as Rouser said most of the team spent the next week, “out with the flu.”

With the Spartans playing markedly better in each outing, Rouser said the challenge now was to focus on only the next opponent.

“If we continue to maximize our effort and intensity in our preparation and during the game we will continue to improve,” he said. “That’s all we coaches can ask.”