Teuaililo Time had to act. Lincoln’s quarterback faked a fourth-down handoff and scanned the field when an untouched Seattle Prep blitzer pounced in the second half of Saturday’s state championship game. There wasn’t time to wait.
On 4th and 5 — 4th and ‘Gotta Have It’ — Abes receiver Zion Robinson earned a step of separation on a go-route. She was Time’s last hope, Time’s last chance to avoid a turnover late in a one-possession game at Federal Way Memorial Field.
50-50 ball, anyone?
“I threw it up and was like, ‘Zion, I know you can catch it. I know you can do it,’” Time said.
“And then she did it. She did her job.
“I just had to put the ball there, and I know my teammates got my back.”
A deep heave with a title at stake, Time’s toss was perfectly placed. Robinson initially tipped and juggled the ball, then secured a 17-yard touchdown with both hands on her way to the ground. A crowd mostly made up of the Abes faithful erupted.
“My first thought was, ‘I need to catch this,’” Robinson recalled. “I really wanted to prove myself out on the field today, so I thought it’d be better for me to finish strong instead of letting it drop.”
TOUCHDOWN, Lincoln: On 4th Down, Zion Robinson comes down with a clutch, 22-yard TD. What a catch!
— Tyler Wicke (@WickeTyler) February 15, 2026
Abes lead 21-7 early in the second half @tntprepspic.twitter.com/yBC6XWYcFn
No play was more decisive or dramatic, a circus catch that proved the game-winner in No. 1 Lincoln’s 21-14 win over No. 10 Seattle Prep in the WIAA’s inaugural 3A girls flag football championship. A crisp, clear Saturday afternoon at Federal Way Memorial Field ended with a brand-new, gold football trophy in the hands of Lincoln head coach Shalls Jacome. He held (and kissed) it with pride.
“Look at the stands. It’s all Lincoln, man,” Jacome said, also Lincoln High’s football offensive coordinator. “I’m at a loss for words. The girls worked so hard and persevered at the end. It means so much. In an inner-city school like Lincoln with low resources, we don’t see too much of this.”
After their final kneeldown from victory formation, Lincoln circled their head coach and waited with anticipation for the clock to hit 0:00. Only then did they shower Jacome with water, sharing the first-place trophy for photo ops.
Girls Flag Football — 3A State Championship
— Tyler Wicke (@WickeTyler) February 15, 2026
FINAL: No. 1 Lincoln 21, No. 10 Seattle Prep 14
Abes are 3A champs! @thenewstribunepic.twitter.com/NE20aT8GhY
This Abes team began their season 0-2. Then they won 21 straight.
“I know their record shows one thing, but people don’t know the trials and tribulations that they went through on a weekly basis,” Jacome said. “It’s a testament to their hard work.”
The Abes are the state’s first-ever 3A champion. The WIAA sanctioned girls flag football as an organized sport last April, the first added since girls bowling in 1999.
Seattle Prep knew better than to play in Cover 2, but Time conquered the Panthers’ Cover 3 to the tune of three touchdown passes, finishing her senior year with a total of 98.
“I calculated (98 as) second in the nation,” Jacome said. “She’s generational. We’re going to miss her.”
Time and the Abes struck on the game’s opening drive when the Lincoln QB found Peyton Fualaau at the left pylon for a 6-yard score.
Seattle Prep QB Amelie LaPorte-Manahan shoveled a 1-yard touchdown pass to Estee Swan that knotted Saturday’s score late in the first half. Time threw her second score just before the break, a 2-yard pass to Iaeli Time on an out-route to the left pylon. Lincoln led, 14-7.
Robinson’s juggling catch pushed Lincoln’s lead to two possessions before Seattle Prep’s Swan caught her second touchdown of the game, a similar shovel pass from four yards. A pair of controversial penalties provided the Panthers another chance in the game’s final minutes — but the Abes defense stood strong.
“I’m just so grateful to have the coaching staff we do, the teammates we do, the energy we have,” Time said. “Honestly, Lincoln’s energy… you can just feel it right when we walked in.
“When we walk away, people are like: Why’s it so quiet?
“Well, it’s because we left.”
FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD
1A/2A: No. 1 Lynden 21, No. 3 Squalicum 7
3A: No. 1 Lincoln 21, No. 10 Seattle Prep 14
4A: No. 3 Skyline 28, No. 1 Issaquah 21