Resurrected Curtis punches postseason ticket

Five weeks ago, the Curtis High football team was on life support.

The Vikings, a Class 4A state semifinalist a year ago, were mired in a three-game losing streak and seemed destined for a losing season.

But the team from University Place never lost hope, and Thursday night at Memorial Stadium in Federal Way it rolled to a 38-12 South Puget Sound League South Division victory over Todd Beamer to secure a fourth straight trip to the postseason.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces,” said Curtis coach Clay Angle, noting that his team had to replace 16 of 22 starters from last season’s team that went 12-1. “We struggled early and had those three straight losses, but the kids worked their way into their roles and kept getting better.

“Now we’re playing our best football of the season and we’ll just see how long we can make it last.”

Curtis (5-4 overall, 4-4 SPSL) finished fifth in the SPSL South and will meet the yet-to-be determined No. 5 team from the SPSL North on Tuesday in a pigtail playoff game. The winner will face either No. 1-ranked Eastlake or No. 5 Woodinville in a state play-in game.

Tailback E.J. Deveaux sprinted 38 yards for a touchdown on Curtis’ first play and added a 1-yard plunge to complete a 38-yard, seven-play scoring drive on the Vikings’ second possession.

Then, following an interception by Dom Jordan, Curtis quarterback Ty Saathoff hit Kadyn Del Toro on a 79-yard pass-and-run play that padded the Vikings’ lead to 21-0 in the first quarter.

“We wanted to come out playing hard and fast,” said Deveaux, who totaled 116 rushing yards in the first half and finished with 158 on 20 carries. “We came out flat a few times early this season, but there was no way we were going to do that tonight. Not with a playoff berth on the line.”

Beamer (1-8 overall, 1-7 SPSL) finally got on the board at the 3:55 mark of the second quarter, when Arjun Weherawatthage hooked up with Nik Bod on a 21-yard touchdown pass. But the Titans missed the extra point, and Curtis’ Jared Kingery booted a 33-yard field goal on the Vikings’ next possession to give them a 24-6 lead at halftime.

At Bethel 40, Emerald Ridge 34: Trailing 6-0 in the second quarter, the Braves erupted for 30 consecutive points and held off a late charge from the Jaguars.

Matt Vaisman returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown and John Thompson ran back a kickoff 72 yards for a score for Bethel.

Jacob Sommer completed 17 of 32 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns for Emerald Ridge. Kris Durr caught five passes for 139 yards.

SPSL NORTH

Kentlake 47, Kent-Meridian 3: The Falcons capped an undefeated regular season by romping over the Royals.

The SPSL North champs will host WesCo’s fourth seed, the loser of tonight’s Monroe-Mariner game, in the state play-in round next week.

Tahoma 48, at Mount Rainier 17: After falling behind by a touchdown early, the Bears scored 28 points in a row. Tahoma has secured a postseason berth, but its seeding has not been determined.

SPSL 3A

At No. 7 Peninsula 48, Enumclaw 6: Seahawks running back Danny Welstad ran for 323 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries as Peninsula closed out its regular season by beating the Hornets.

The Seahawks will host KingCo No. 3 seed Mount Si in a state play-in game at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.

At Auburn Mountainview 29, Decatur 12: Cramer Helton opened the game with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Victor Korchemniy ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Lions clinch their first playoff berth in school history.

In the state play-in round next week, Auburn Mountainview will play at the Greater St. Helens League’s No. 2 seed.

Staff writer Doug Pacey contributed to this report.