SEATTLE Wash. (KPTV) - The Seahawks hosted the Minnesota Vikings in their final home game of the year Sunday while honoring a high school coach from Camas with a major award.
After winning four in a row, the Seahawks have now dropped two straight games - both at home. But unlike a week ago against the Packers, the Hawks had a shot to take down the Vikings - falling 27-24 in a furious 4th quarter.
Seattle's dwindling playoff hopes are still there but they need to win their last two and hope the Rams lose next week to Arizona in order to claim the NFC West Division title.
Prior to this soggy Sunday against Minnesota, the Hawks handed out a nice honor to Camas High School's Adam Mathieson.
SEE ALSO:
Coaches will tell you they don't do it for the accolades but they're sure nice when they come.
"It's pretty cool. It really is, right?" Mathieson said. "This goes back to 1983, 1984 for me and watching Curt Warner and Dave Brown and Steve Largent and those guys so it's special. It really is."
Mathieson was beaming with Papermaker pride in the Emerald City. The Camas High leader was the recipient of the Seahawks' High School Football Coach of The Year from the Evergreen State.
"I grew up in eastern Washington, so [the Seahawks] practiced at Cheney and I've always been a practice guy," Mathieson said. "The game, this is awesome, right? But to do to a practice and see the ins and outs, I've always nerded out on that."
This was Coach Math's first season leading Camas, but the P.E. teacher and athletics coordinator has been a fixture in Clark County for years after arriving at Vancouver's Mountain View High from Ferndale in 2008.
"In fact, I have a bunch of old Mountain View coaches here and former players that bought tickets a couple of weeks ago knowing that this was going to happen, so southwest Washington has been good to my family and I, and Camas is a special, special community," Mathieson said.
What a cap this was to Mathieson's 26th season of serving, teaching and mentoring kids through football in Washington state.
"In tough situations, it's OK to feel pain but you do have to get up the next day and keep swinging and our kids at Camas will keep swinging," Mathieson said.
SEE ALSO:
The Camas kids just placed second in the state with a 13-and-1 record, falling just short of the ultimate prize on a last-second field goal to Sumner in the 4A championship at Husky Stadium earlier this month. While a title would have been great, the memories in Mill Town together are forever.
"The journey is the journey, right? The kids are so special, and I think why that hurts so bad at the end, right?" Mathieson said. "You want to see the kids and the reactions but even the kids, they've been hanging in my office all week and working in the weight room, kids are more resilient than adults sometimes and so the journey was special. We had a lot of greatness accomplished this year."
Mathieson and his family took the long journey home after another home loss, 3-and-6 on the year, as the 8-and-7 Hawks' postseason wishes continue to evaporate. It was the Vikings' first win in Seattle since 2006 as they chase the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The Hawks will next be in Chicago on Thursday before closing out the season in Inglewood against the Rams. L.A. is in the driver's seat to win the west as the tiebreakers are in the Rams' favor.