Curtis, Rogers secure playoff spots in three-way 4A SPSL tiebreaker

In a three-way high school football tiebreaker Tuesday night, Curtis and Rogers secured the final two playoff seeds out of the Class 4A SPSL, while Sumner was knocked out.

Curtis (6-3) won the No. 3 seed and will travel to French Field to play Kentwood (4-5) at 6 p.m. Saturday. Rogers (5-4) is the No. 4 seed and will meet second-ranked Mount Si (8-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Snoqualmie.

All three teams — Curtis, Rogers, and Sumner — finished 5-3 in 4A SPSL play. Rather than using point differential to break the ties, the three programs competed in a multi-drive Kansas tiebreaker at Art Crate Field in Spanaway, where each team received two possessions from the 25-yard line.

Two games decided who got through, and a third determined seeding between the Vikings and Rams.

Game 1: Rogers 56, Sumner 49

The first game was a long one.

Sumner had the ball first and made the most of the opportunity, with Blake Tannehill scoring a 25-yard touchdown run.

That left the Rams in a do-or-die situation from the start, and they answered with a quarterback sneak touchdown run up the middle by Makaio Gillespie on their second play.

Gillespie followed that with a 25-yard pass for a touchdown on the team’s second possession.

Sumner answered, as Tyler Ruch muscled his way into the end zone, sending the game into a first overtime.

Ruch scored again immediately on a 25-yard run to regain the lead.

But, Gillespie scrambled and managed to squeeze up the middle for the Rams for a crucial gain. He then found Josiah Drain for a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Sumner quarterback Austin Grondahl then found a receiver deep in the end zone on the very first play to tie the game up once again, sending the game into a third extra period.

Ruch ran in another touchdown for Sumner. This was followed by Gillespie following blockers for another rushing touchdown.

At the start of the fourth overtime, Gillespie scored again. But, Sumner answered again.

Ruch scored yet another rushing touchdown. Gillespie then would find Ashton Barton in the end zone to send it to the sixth overtime.

On the eighth possession, Gillespie would gave the Rams a 56-49 lead on another rushing score.

That is where it would stay, as Rogers got the first, and only, defensive stop of the game to seal the win, forcing a Sumner fumble on the final play.

“It was wild,” Gillespie said. “I don’t think we’ve scored this many points, I don’t think we have yet this year. It was just wild to come out every single drive and score.”

This is the first time Rogers has advanced to the district playoffs since 2012.

“It feels great, I’m so proud of our guys. They’ve worked so hard to get to this point,” Rogers coach Gene Bowen said. “I love these guys, I love their attitude, I love that good things have come to them.”

“We went back to our bread and butter, which helped us get in the end zone,” Gillespie said. “They told me, ‘When in doubt, just run it, just run it.’ They know that I have legs so they said, ‘Don’t try to force a throw, don’t cause a turnover, just try to get as many positive yards as you can.’ ”

With the win, Rogers secured a playoff spot, and had to wait on the outcome of the next game to determine where they would be seeded.

“It’s a short week. We only have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,” Bowen said. “We’re going to watch what the other team does, and make sure we’re at least lined up right, because that’s half the battle is getting lined up right.”

Game 2: Curtis 6, Sumner 0

This game was substantially shorter, with Sumner reeling from the opening loss.

Sumner turned it over on the first possession, and the Vikings took advantage with a quick touchdown run by Adrian St. Germain, who walked in untouched.

The Vikings attempted a two-point conversion, but it failed. It didn’t matter, as Sumner fumbled the ball, bringing an end to their season.

Game 3: Curtis 8, Rogers 3

This game determined who got the No. 3 seed, and who got the No. 4.

The Curtis defense held the Rams to a field goal on their first possession, and Vikings quarterback Kyle Russell hit Jordan Parker in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. They also converted on the two-point conversion, taking an 8-3 lead.

The Rams couldn’t score on the next drive, giving Curtis the No. 3 seed.

This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 10:07 PM.