Oak Harbor’s varsity flag football team’s season is over.

The Seattle Prep. Panthers shut out the Wildcats in the first round of state playoffs on Saturday, eliminating them from the postseason with a 14-0 loss.

“Disappointed we’re not moving on to the semis because I think we could’ve done some real damage,” head coach Mike Lonborg said.

Heavy rain and wind at the Southwest Athletic Complex in Seattle played a factor in the Wildcats’ performance, Lonborg explained. Errors which flared up previously in their postseason campaign, however, did so again.

Frequent interceptions and incompletions were prevalent in the Wildcats’ first two playoff games but only hurt them in the second, amounting to a 28-14 loss to the Monroe Bearcats. That forced Oak Harbor into game action again the next day in order to make state.

“Bottom line is, we did not execute like we usually do. We dropped some balls that don’t usually get dropped. We struggled to get good throws. Defense did well and did everything they could. We just couldn’t score,” he said.

The loss concludes an otherwise impressive inaugural season for the Wildcats, in which they accumulated a 9-1 record in the regular season and an 11-3 record overall, including playoff wins against the Ferndale Golden Eagles and Everett Seagulls.

Next season will present new challenges to the Wildcats as the roster will shed 10 seniors. Replacing them will be tough, Lonborg conceded, but he is confident returning players will bring newfound experience and knowledge.

Regardless, Lonborg said he is “proud” of his team this season, particularly considering how they fared against schools with older flag football programs.

Seattle Prep. followed up their win against the Wildcats with another in overtime over the Roosevelt Rough Riders immediately after. The Panthers are scheduled to play the Liberty Patriots in the semifinals on Feb. 13.