For many Sequim sports fans, this last state high school football game was simply another in a long line of gut-wrenching playoff losses.

It was also an incredible game. Parents and coaches could see what players looking through tear-streaked eyes couldn’t: for Sequim High football this was simply one of the best.

I was kicking around some ideas for this blog’s first real entry and figured I’d go with this: What is the best Sequim High School game of all time? Meets, individual sport-driven tourneys (wrestling, cross country, etc.) are out — we can discuss that later.

I’ll give my top-15 list here and leave it open to debate. Keep in mind that I didn’t start covering Sequim sports in earnest until the 2001-2002 school seasons. So if you have a blast-from-the-past great game, pass it along.

This list is a little football-heavy but it’s hard to find bigger drama than these few. But I may be wrong.

1. Sept. 8, 2006 (football) — Port Angeles 34, Sequim 31
Hard to beat this one. A back-and-forth duel, the Wolves and Roughriders left it all on the field in Port Angeles this night. Sequim’s Erik Zangara four rushing touchdowns to help Sequim overcome a 27-6 halftime deficit to take a 31-27 lead. Not to be outdone, P.A. quarterback Stephan Walker led a heroic, 80-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 40-yard catch-and-run to Levi Fahrenholtz with 26 seconds left. Zangara finished with 228 yards. This game is the one Sequim fans may remember Adrien Gault being carted off the field after a big hit. The youth had to have brain surgery later that season.

2. Nov. 9, 2007 (football) — Tumwater 22, Sequim 20 (class 2A state playoffs)
A wild one. Vastly favored in the opening round of the state playoffs, host Tumwater sought to crush the Wolves and give coach Sid Otton his 300th career win. It nearly didn’t happen. Sequim’s Kincaid Nichols, who earlier had an 87-yard touchdown run, took a fourth-down-and-four reverse handoff for 57 yards for a touchdown and a 20-19 Sequim lead. But Tumwater came back to boot a 27-yard field goal with 35 seconds left for the victory, keeping Sequim from its first state playoff win.

3. Feb. 21, 2004 (boys basketball) — Sequim 75, Lakes 63 in overtime (district tourney quarterfinal)
The Wolves, 17-4 at the time and needing a win to stay alive in the West Central District tournament, survived in a tough road game at Lakes High. Sequim guard Chris Mobley scored 16 of his 18 points after halftime, including what most onlookers thought were two clutch, game-winning free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining, but he was called for a foul with no time left on the clock. Lakes’ Raheem Reggler, however, missed the second of two free throws to send the game into overtime. Sequim jumped all over the Lancers, blasting their hosts 15-3 in the extra frame for a trip to the double-elimination bracket at districts.

4. Oct. 22, 2004 (football) — Sequim 36, Port Townsend 29
A playoff game-style atmosphere for a regular season game, this was perhaps a turning point for Sequim football. On their way to an undefeated season, the Wolves had to knock off previously unconquered Port Townsend in a homecoming game to be remembered. Quarterback Tim Dosey threw for two touchdowns, and Ryan Rutherford caught five passes for 240 yards and three scores as the 10th-ranked Wolves came back from an early deficit to toppled the state 2A sixth-ranked team.

5. Nov. 14, 2008 (football) —Centralia 21, Sequim 14 (class 2A state playoffs)
Another heartbreaker on the gridiron. Finding themselves an underdog in the state playoffs once again — in Tumwater stadium, again — Sequim battled back from a 14-7 deficit to tie the game at 14 apiece. But Centralia stuffed a Sequim fourth down try with less than a minute left, and Tiger QB Forrest Ahrens found Dominick Courcy from 26 yards out in the end zone with less than seven seconds left, a stunning toss that got between three diving Sequim defenders. Sequim running back Travis Decker had 177 yards and two scores for the Wolves, who lost their starting quarterback and best linebacker a week before the game.

6. May 22, 2004 (fastpitch) — Sequim 1, Washington 0 (district consolation finals)
This one was a ticket to state — Sequim fastpitch’s first in school history. The Wolves managed to scrape across three hits, but Alanna O’Hara hit a single in the bottom of the fifth and came around to score for the game’s only run. Star pitcher Jessica Rosencrants, who earlier in the tourney lost a 1-0 decision to Division I-bound Tiffany McDonald’s North Mason team, was lights out against Washington, striking out 11 and allowing just three hits.

7. Feb. 9, 2007 (girls basketball) — Sequim 52, North Mason 43 (OT)
On their way to the Olympic League’s 2A title, Sequim needed — and got — a huge win against their rivals from Belfair. Justine Textor scored five of her game-high 18 points in overtime as the Wolves won their final regular season home game. For 32 minutes, it was a classic battle of rivals and the top two 2A teams in the league, but when Bulldog Stephanie Hicks hit a desperation bank shot to send the game into overtime, something clicked for Sequim. Something to the tune of a 9-0 whitewashing. The Wolves went on to make the state tourney for the first time in 20 years.

8. Dec. 7, 2004 (boys basketball) — Port Angeles 53, Sequim 49 (OT)
In a seesaw basketball game that saw the Wolves hold leads late into the fourth quarter and overtime, Port Angeles edged their Peninsula rivals. P.A.’s Brian Hoch had 14 straight points in the fourth quarter and Roughrider Chris Stone sealed the win with a three-point play with less than a minute to play in overtime. Sequim’s Ryan Rutherford scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the first half as his 3A Wolves stayed with their 4A opponent on P.A.’s home court, down just 27-23 at the midway break. The Wolves held a 33-32 lead after three quarters and had a four-point lead late, but Sequim missed the front end of two one-and-one free-throw situations, allowing P.A. to even the game at 46-46 with 34 seconds in regulation. The Wolves could only manage three points in overtime.

9. Nov. 8, 2005 (football) — Lindbergh 7, Sequim 6 (state play-in game)
With less than a minute to play in the game, the Sequim Wolves had their first state playoff appearance since 1978 in their collective grasp. A screen pass and 66 yards later, Lindbergh dashed those hopes, shocking a defense that had held the Eagles in check all night. Though Lindbergh’s high-powered offense stalled for nearly 48 minutes, junior receiver John Desmarais caught a short screen pass on fourth-down-and-four, then out-raced Wolves defenders for the winning score in the winner-to-state, loser-out playoff game. “Craziest call in the world,” Sequim coach Wiker said. “He can get tackled anywhere. They know they got lucky.” The Wolves finished the year 9-2 but, for the second consecutive year, failed to make the state tourney.

10. May 4, 2006 (boys soccer) — Sequim 1, Steilacoom 0 (shoot-out)
The Wolves shrugged off losing a chance at the Nisqually League title by edging Steilacoom 3-2 in a shootout, bringing hometown fans to their feet and their own team to a No. 6 seed in the district playoffs. Down 1-0 at the half, Sequim twice came back to force ties. Tyler Linderoth scored on a free kick from 30 yards to tie the game at 1-1. Steilacoom answered soon after and the Wolves looked destined to lose their second straight game, until Greg Dunbar deflected a shot into the Steilacoom goal, his first score of the season. After two scoreless overtimes, Sequim went up 4-3 in a shootout and Antrim finished the deal.

11. Nov. 9, 2004 (football) — Franklin Pierce 36, Sequim 35 (state play-in game)
One kick sailed wide left. One kick hit the crossbar and bounced through. Sequim High School's undefeated football season — and the season as a whole — ended abruptly, with missed and made fourth-quarter extra points being the scoring difference. A bad snap on Sequim's last attempt caused Sequim’s  point-after try to line drive off to the left, leaving Sequim ahead 35-29. Franklin Pierce countered with a touchdown three minutes later, with their kicker's extra point pinging off the right upright and through the goalpost for a 36-35 lead. Sequim running back Brian Savage carried the ball 26 times for 144 yards and two rushing touchdowns on the night and threw for a score. So began Sequim football’s playoff “curse.”

12. May 18, 2005 (fastpitch) — Sequim 1, South Whidbey 0 (11 innings)
Not a playoff game, this match-up was less a warm-up and more of a barnburner. And that’s a good thing. The Wolves proved tough as nails in a 1-0, 11-inning win against previously undefeated South Whidbey. Ashley Pearson delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the 11th inning and pitcher Jessica Rosencrants got even better with the game on the line, striking out the final three batters. Rosencrants was nearly unhittable, mowing down Falcon players left and right. Of the 33 outs the Lady Wolves recorded, 16 were by a Rosencrants strikeout. She gave up just two hits and allowed no walks.

13. May 13, 2004 (boys soccer) — Sequim 2, Kennedy 1 (district semifinal)
Kennedy took an early 1-0 lead, and Sequim was having trouble controlling the offensive side of the ball, and it looked as if Kennedy would end Sequim’s season for the second consecutive season. Mario Servin broke free in the second half and made the most of his penalty kick opportunity by crushing the ball to the back of the net to tie the game. Joe Quan added the winning goal off a header with just five minutes left as Sequim goalkeeper Kyle McKenzie had 11 saves. Two days later, Sequim went on to beat Highline 1-0 for the Wolves’ first state playoff berth.

14. May 25, 2007 (fastpitch) — Sequim 4, Archbishop Murphy 0 (state 2A tourney, 9 innings)
By the end of the tournament’s first day, opposing teams were asking how a mere third seed was beating some of the state’s top teams. Sequim beat the top-seeded Archbishop team with four runs in the top of the ninth inning. Pitcher Carly Swingle allowed just three hits and zero walks over all nine innings as Sequim took down the top-seeded foe. Sequim went on to beat WF West later in the day and went on to finish fifth overall.

15. Jan. 4, 2008 (boys basketball) — Sequim 56, Port Townsend 46
This one got bigger over time. Sequim took out the favored Redskins on their home court, and it wound up Port Townsend’s only loss on the season until the state tourney, where they placed sixth. Ary Webb scored 19 points while Nic Thacker added 17 points and 12 rebounds. Aaron Gifford, P.T.’s scoring whiz managed 17 points but many of them came through double- and triple-team defensive efforts. It was a spectacular win in an otherwise disappointing season.