ANACORTES, Wash. — Editor's note: After KING 5 aired the story Oct. 25, the school's booster club received more than $23,000 in donations, which was enough to purchase portable bleachers and play the playoff game at home.
Rex Larson and Garrett Smith have been playing football together since they were 7 years old. This is their senior year with the Anacortes High School Seahawks.
It's a year that has brought the whole team together like family. That closeness has propelled the Seahawks to an 8-0 record this season — an admittedly rare accomplishment for Anacortes High.
"We're all very close to each other," Garrett said. "We all hang out outside of practice. We go to team dinners together and just hang out like a group of friends."
But, a rule about spectator capacity could bring a problem to this dream season.
The team is headed to the playoffs with an opportunity to do something special for a community that has seen its football team mired in mediocrity for years.
"We all kind of grew up coming to games, but it wasn't necessarily something to look forward to on a Friday night," said Rex, a team co-captain and quarterback, with a laugh.
The team is not allowed to host playoff games on their home field because the school doesn't have bleachers for the visiting team. Due to capacity concerns during the playoffs, visiting teams must be provided the same number of seats as the home team.
"With our post-season games, WIAA (the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) requires us to have away seating," said Sarah Davies, a parent and booster club president.
This dilemma has parents scrambling to raise $30,000 to buy a portable set of seats they'll be able to roll out for this and future seasons.
But the clock is running down.
The first playoff game just two weeks away on Friday, Nov. 10.
"We're doing this to make sure these kids who worked so hard can host. They worked their butts off to be able to have home field advantage, and they should have it," Davies said.
For now, Rex, co-captain Garrett, and the rest of the team are hoping the community can mount one final comeback to get the boys back on their turf — a hometown miracle needed to restore their home field advantage.
"It would be an amazing opportunity to play here," said Rex. "It would be heartbreaking to lose that opportunity."