MOUNT VERNON — The boys’ soccer rivalry between Sehome and Bellingham took an ugly turn on Saturday at the Class 2A Northwest District Tournament, leaving the Mariners battered but bound for state and the Red Raiders broken hearted and broken boned.

Sehome’s Max Dewees scored the game’s only goal on a free kick in the 32nd minute to lift the Mariners to a 1-0 win over Bellingham in a winnerto- state game at Bulldog Stadium in Mount Vernon.

The Mariners (13-6) take the No. 3 seed from the Northwest District into the Class 2A state tournament on Tuesday where they’ll travel to face the second seed from District Four.

Anacortes defeated Sultan 1- 0 in the other winner-to-state game. The Seahawks take the No. 4 seed into state from the district. Bellingham finishes the season 12-7.

“Bellingham’s our biggest rival,” Dewees said. “One kid on their team broke his leg, another broke his nose. A few kids on our team got busted up. It was a blood bath, but it was a great game on both sides. I think we all would have loved to play them at state, but unfortunately they are out.”

It was clear from the beginning that the loser-out game was going to be hotly contested, but two serious injuries and a near brawl in the second half marred the contest.

Bellingham’s Nolan Shepherd left the field in an ambulance with a possible broken leg after colliding with Sehome’s goalie, and Dylan Langei broke his nose attempting to head the ball.

Members of the two teams also started pushing and shoving each other after a particularly blatant tackle that resulted in two yellow cards being issued. Four yellows were issued during the game in all.

“It was a classic Sehome vs. Bellingham game,” Bellingham coach Jared Fields said. “It was real hard fought. I think

both teams came out with a lot of energy, it just got a little physical today. One guy got sent to the hospital, one guy is going home with a broken nose. Beyond that it was a well played game.”

Because of the physical nature of the game, it wasn’t a surprise that Dewees’ free kick was set up after a rough tackle that resulted in a yellow card. The sophomore dropped the ball in off the crossbar from about 18 yards out to score the eventual game-winner.

“Once I scored I think we all started thinking the game was in our hands,” Dewees said. “At that point it was our game to lose.”

Trailing 1-0 to start the second half, Bellingham had several good chances in the final 40 minutes to force overtime.

Sehome defender Dylan Marriner turned away a sure goal in the 46th minute after a diving stop took the Mariners goalie Logan Barnett out of the net and Barnett’s stop that injured Shepherd likely would have resulted in a goal as well.

Then Sehome somehow kept the ball out of the net on a pair of long Bellingham free kicks that caused scrums to form in front of the goal. The last Red Raider free kick came in stoppage time.

“We had some good looks,” Fields. “We had some chances to score and just couldn’t get the ball to bounce into the net.”

Along sending with Sehome to the state tournament, the win also made the Mariners the season series champions between the two schools.

Sehome won a non-league contest early in the year, but Bellingham won the Northwest Conference game on April 24.

“We knew this game was coming for a long time,” Sehome’s Nino Tursic said. “We won the first game, they won the second game, it just felt good to win the third game and to go to state. It was the most important game of the year by far.”