‘This was a shock-the-world game.’ No. 9 Lakes ousts No. 3 Lincoln for 3A PCL title

Six seasons have passed since Lakes High School football last asserted its dominance over the South Sound.

From 2007-11, the Lancers won five consecutive undefeated league titles — one in the Class 3A Western Cascade Conference, followed by four in the 3A SPSL — and built a 30-game winning streak in the 3A SPSL before Peninsula snapped it in 2012.

Lakes hadn’t won a league championship since — until now.

“We’ve had a drought,” said Lakes coach Dave Miller, now in his 19th season with the program. “It was time. It was time to get it back, and I’m proud of our kids, they’ve earned it.”

The ninth-ranked Lancers, riding a five-game winning streak since opening the season with back-to-back losses, emphatically won their first 3A Pierce County League title Friday night, downing third-ranked Lincoln, 42-24, at Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma.

The Abes (6-2) had won the past two consecutive league titles, were looking for a third, and had dropped just one game in league play since the 3A PCL was created in 2016 before the annual meeting with the Lancers.

“It means everything,” Lakes senior Khalil Lewis said. “It’s been (six) years since we locked up a league title, and we did it tonight. We set history tonight, and we’re about to put up a banner on Monday. It means everything, especially coming to their home and setting the tone.”

Lakes (6-2) did that early on, never let up, and never trailed, scoring three second-half touchdowns to pull away, and leaving no openings for an Abes comeback.

“We wanted to start fast, punch them in the mouth, establish some physicality,” Miller said. “A lot of people haven’t done that to them, to see how they respond to it. I think once we got ahead they got a little frustrated.”

The opening drive set a noticeable tone. Lakes marched just beyond midfield, but the Abes forced a fourth-and-2. Camyron Gaulke lined up to punt, but instead pulled down the ball and scurried for 27 yards to give the Lancers a fresh set of downs.

“Everyone was already coming out disappointed (on fourth down),” Gaulke said, noting that Miller was making a subtle hand gesture for a fake. “Our coach was pointing to the chains. Right when I caught the ball, I saw them rushing in, and instantly, right then, I was like, ‘It’s now or never.’ ”

“We saw it on film, and Cam is a really good athlete,” Miller said. “We thought, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ ... When you’re playing for a championship, you have to go for it.”

Quarterback Liam Bladow found Daeshawn Wayne on the following play for a 27-yard score to give the Lancers a quick lead.

Lincoln drove to the 3-yard line on the following drive, but the Lancers popped the ball out on a handoff, lineman Howard Golden scooped it up, and rumbled 95 yards to return the ball to the Lincoln 1. Gaulke punched in the touchdown two plays later.

“On the road in a hostile environment, when you get up 14-0, it gives you belief,” Miller said. “But, then they came right back and we had to respond.”

Lincoln scored on the ensuing possession, capping an 80-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown connection between quarterback Caden Filer and Romere Williams.

The Abes tied the game with four minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the second quarter when Filer found sophomore standout Julien Simon on a quick pass, and Simon squeezed through two defenders to score the 12-yard touchdown.

But, that was as close as the Abes got to taking control of the game.

Lakes provided a quick answer, scoring on the second play of its ensuing drive, when Philip Riley burned a defender, hauled in a long pass from Bladow, and sprinted in for a 70-yard score.

“We thought we could throw the ball on them,” Miller said. “They were pretty tough against the run. (We picked) our spots, and our defense did a good job of bending an not breaking.”

Bladow finished 12 of 21 passing for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Riley (two catches, 86 yards) led the Lancers in receiving, while Bronson Pe’a added 78 yards on four catches, and Wayne had two receptions — both touchdowns — for 53 yards.

Despite Lincoln limiting Lakes to just 105 rushing yards, Gaulke finished with 67 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries.

Lincoln’s Gabriel Foster connected on a 35-yard field goal as the first half expired, but the Lancers took a 21-17 lead into the break, and Lincoln never got closer.

After forcing a three-and-out on Lincoln’s opening drive of the second half, Lakes scored again, this time capping a three-minute drive with the second of Gualke’s three rushing touchdowns.

The Lancers forced another fumble on Lincoln’s next possession, and Gaulke slipped up the middle for his final 23-yard touchdown to push the lead to 35-17 with 11:54 to go in the fourth quarter.

“If we didn’t have the momentum, it would have been a totally different game,” Gaulke said. “But, we stayed on them, we (kept) hitting them. We (kept) doing our job, and that’s what really gave us the edge in this game.”

Lewis picked off Filer — his second interception of the game — on the next drive, setting up Lakes’ final touchdown. Bladow converted a crucial fourth down, scrambling for 12 yards, and then found Wayne again, this time for a 26-yard score to seal the win with less than seven minutes to play.

Lincoln scored once more with 2:57 to go on a 9-yard pass from Filer to Mykel Campbell, but it was far too late.

“Our boys just buy in to everything we do,” Miller said. “Practice is fun, and they wanted to win. It’s nice when the players want to win as much as the coaches do, and these guys really want to win.

“This team has grown more in the last six weeks than probably any team I’ve ever coached.”

Lakes consistently disrupted a typically explosive Lincoln offense, forcing four turnovers, including three that led to touchdowns, and sacked Filer three times.

“They have a really good defense,” Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto said. “We had a tough time throwing the ball because they drop eight (into coverage), but they also did a good job stopping the run.”

“They were playing at a high ceiling,” Abes lineman Giovonni White said. “We game planned for it, and we just needed to execute, honestly. I feel like they studied their game plan and executed to the highest extent. That’s a great Lakes team.”

Lincoln had a few players sustain injuries or cramping throughout, including losing standout two-way lineman Jayden Simon early in the second half to what appeared to be serious injury.

“We’re hoping he’s going to be OK,” Matsumoto said.

Filer finished 19 of 36 for 259 yards, three touchdowns and the two interceptions, with Armoni Bashay (four catches, 63 yards) as his top target. Jeddiah Hayes led the Abes in rushing with 108 yards on 17 carries.

White said he hopes the Abes will bounce back the way they did after an early-season loss to Lake Stevens — with six more wins and a Tacoma Dome appearance.

“I challenged the coaches and players, ‘Hey, this could be good for us, maybe.’ Every year we roll into playoffs, so this could be a good reality check,” Matsumoto said. “It’s up to us to see what we do with that reality check.”

While Lincoln gathered near its sideline to regroup, Lakes players and coached celebrated their first 3A PCL championship, squirting water into the air out of Gatorade bottles, cheering and embracing, knowing that this win sent a message to the state.

“It means you all got to watch out for us, man,” Lewis said, smiling. “This was a statement game. This was a shock-the-world game. And now we’re (going to) go deep in the playoffs.”

La – Daeshawn Wayne 27 pass from Liam Bladow (Bladow kick)

La – Camyron Gaulke 1 run (Bladow kick)

Li – Romere Williams 7 pass from Cade Filer (Gabriel Foster kick)

Li – Julien Simon 12 pass from Filer (Foster kick)

La – Philip Riley 70 pass from Bladow (Bladow kick)

Li – Foster 35 field goal

La – Gaulke 1 run (Bladow kick)

La – Gaulke 23 run (Bladow kick)

La – Wayne 26 pass from Bladow (Francisco Ojeda kick)

Li – Mykel Campbell 9 pass from Filer (Foster kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing: La – Bladow 12-21-0-227. Li – Filer 19-36-2-248.

Rushing: La – Gaulke 10-67; Khalil Lewis 14-30; Devon Nofoa-Masoe 4-4; Bladow 3-2; Wayne 1-2. Li – Jeddiah Hayes 17-108; Abner Siofetuai 3-21; Jaydion Laster 5-14; Filer 8-10.

Receiving: La – Riley 2-86; Bronson Pe’a 4-78; Wayne 2-53; Jayden Segarra 1-6; Lewis 2-2; Gaulke 1-2. Li – Armoni Bashay 4-63; Hayes 3-62; Williams 5-54; Campbell 3-42; Julien Simon 2-20; Jasiah Snow-Marshall 1-17; Filer 1-(-10).

This story was originally published October 20, 2018 at 8:19 AM.