5 takeaways from the high school football state quarterfinals

And then there were two.

Nine high school football programs from the South Sound advanced to the state quarterfinals, but only Puyallup and Fife are headed to next week’s semifinals.

Here are five takeaways from the high school football state quarterfinals.

1. Fife makes semifinals for first time

Fife wasn’t projected to beat an undefeated Steilacoom team for the Class 2A SPSL title last month.

The Trojans weren’t expected to get past North Kitsap in the opening round of the state playoffs.

And, few could have predicted that Fife would walk into Tumwater District Stadium on Friday night, shut out a previously unbeaten Black Hills team averaging 42.3 points per game, and leave with the first state semifinals berth in program history.

But, did the seventh-seeded Trojans think they would be where they are now when the season began?

“Yeah, we knew,” senior Ethan Policar said, smiling, after the Trojans’ 14-0 win over second-seeded Black Hills in the quarterfinals.

Fife (11-1) has put together an impressive season. The Trojans haven’t lost since their season opener — against a Rainier Beach team that advanced to the 3A state quarterfinals before losing to Mountain View this week — and have rattled off 11 straight wins since Sept. 7.

Friday’s win against a surging Wolves (11-1) team that had scored at least three touchdowns in each of its wins, is perhaps the Trojans’ most stunning of the season. Fife’s defense forced five punts, three turnovers and two turnovers on downs.

“My defensive coordinator, Arnaldo Arostegui, puts in an incredible amount of time. He had a great game plan,” Fife coach Kent Nevin said. “Our kids buy it, believe it and execute it.

“We wanted to shut down their run game first and foremost, but without having everyone in the box. We needed to stop their passing as well. We schemed it up pretty well.”

The two programs held each other scoreless for the first three quarters, but it was Fife that broke through in the final period.

Typically known for their ground-and-pound offense, the Trojans took to the air to score the game’s decisive touchdown. Quarterback Gannon Ginnis found Policar open, and the wideout beat the Black Hills defense to the end zone for a 65-yard score.

Black Hills tried some trickery on its next possession, pitching the ball to running back Taylor Simmons, who tried to throw downfield, but Judah Graham picked him off. Ginnis scampered for a 23-yard insurance TD four plays later.

Fife hosts another undefeated team in No. 3 seed Lynden (11-0) in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

2. ‘We’ve brought Puyallup back to what it was’

Moments after fifth-seeded Puyallup (11-1) completed a convincing win over fourth-seeded Mount Si (10-2) in the 4A state quarterfinals Friday night in Snoqualmie, wide receiver Darius Morrison explained what has fueled the Vikings’ dominance.

“We wanted to change the way this football team has been looked at the past couple of years,” the senior said.

This is just the fifth time in the past two decades Puyallup has made the state playoffs — and next week will be just their second appearance in the semifinals since 2005.

Puyallup hasn’t advanced to the state title game since 1992, and has won it all just once, in 1987 under legendary coach Mike Huard.

But, the Vikings, who are averaging 45.5 points per game, know this year’s group has the talent and depth to make a serious run at the Tacoma Dome.

“It’s probably the best feeling I’ve ever had, just knowing that we’ve brought Puyallup back to what it was,” said quarterback Jacob Holcomb, who was also dubbled the 4A SPSL MVP this season. “It’s an amazing feeling.”

Holcomb scored six total TDs in the win over Mount Si, throwing for five and rushing for another, and finished with 350 yards of offense.

Morrison had five catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Kyle Cramer added 164 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.

Puyallup travels to meet top-seeded Union (12-0) in the semifinals Saturday at McKenzie Stadium in Vancouver. The Vikings have been there once before this season, in Week 5, and lost a nonleague tilt against the Titans, 38-31.

3. Seven locals lose in quarters

The season ended in the state quarterfinals for seven locals.

In 4A, sixth-seeded Graham-Kapowsin (10-2) couldn’t keep up with third-seeded Lake Stevens (12-0) on the road, dropping a 45-28 contest to a program that has reached the state playoffs in the past four seasons.

Vikings quarterback Tre Long connected on three deep touchdowns with Ian Hanson (57 and 71 yards) and Kasen Kinchen (54 yards) to put the Eagles in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

Lake Stevens running back Dallas Landeros added 242 yards and three second-half TDs on 33 carries.

In 3A, all three remaining 3A South Sound Conference teams lost to teams up north.

Seventh-seeded Peninsula (9-3) and eighth-seeded Timberline (9-3) each lost in a double-header on Friday night at Seattle Memorial against 3A Metro League powers.

Peninsula couldn’t keep up with defending state champion and No. 2 seed O’Dea (10-1) in a 35-19 loss. And Timberline lost in a 44-14 rout to a top-seeded Eastside Catholic (10-1) team that boasts several Division I-bound players.

Saturday, No. 12 seed Yelm’s historic season — the Tornados (8-4) were in the state quarterfinals for just the second time in school history, and first time since 1987 — ended against fourth-seeded Bellevue, 37-20.

After Yelm took a quick three-touchdown lead in the first quarter, the Wolverines (12-0) scored 37 unanswered points, improving their all-time record against South Sound teams in the state playoffs to 19-3.

“We were hoping to start fast and stay fast,” Yelm coach Jason Ronquillo said. “We did that. We started fast. We met goal No. 1.

“But, they kind of woke up, got to our speed, and we struggled to stop them.”

Both remaining 2A teams from Thurston County, and 2A SPSL Sound champion Steilacoom, were also knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Fife ended Black Hills’ season a day before Lynden edged sixth-seeded Tumwater (10-2) at Civic Stadium in Bellingham. The T-Birds missed what would have been the winning 22-yard field goal just before time expired, and the Lions escaped with a 28-27 win.

Further south in Camas, top-seeded Hockinson (11-0) staved off a late rally against ninth-seeded Steilacoom (10-2) at Doc Harris Stadium.

The defending 2A champion Hawks held off the Sentinels for much of the contest, and Steilacoom couldn’t complete a fourth-quarter comeback in a 35-28 loss.

4. Top QBs end seasons

Graham-Kapowsin quarterback Dylan Morris, a four-year starter who is committed to Washington, was one of the last players to walk away from the sideline following the Eagles’ season-ending loss at Lake Stevens.

He took a knee and tearfully placed his head in one hand as his high school career came to an end.

“Playing for this program since I was in third grade has been nothing but an honor,” Morris said. “I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss playing with my brothers.

“It meant everything. I was a ball boy when I was in third grade. I’ve grown up around this program forever, and they’ve shown me nothing but love.”

Morris, who is the state’s top-ranked recruit in the 2019 class, threw for 201 yards and a TD in his final game, and etched his name among the top quarterbacks the state has ever produced.

On the final pass of his career — which Valentino Hansen hauled in for a 23-yard gain — Morris passed former Lake Stevens standout, and future UW teammate, Jacob Eason on the state’s career passing list.

Morris finished his four seasons completing 636 of 1,021 passes for 9,815 yards and 99 touchdowns, which places him seventh all-time.

And, his 636 career completions are eighth on the all-time list, ahead of Skyline’s Jake Heaps, and just behind Eason. His career completion percentage was 62 percent.

“The coaches have put me in a position to succeed,” Morris said. “Every year I’ve had a great (offensive) line, and I’ve been playing with my brothers since Day 1. It’s just meant a lot to me.”

Even with a younger receiving corps this season, Morris finished his senior campaign with 2,571 yards and 28 TDs on 173 of 291 passing.

Friday night against Puyallup, Mount Si’s Cale Millen, an Oregon commit, also made his way into state history.

His 51 TD passes this season is 10th on the state’s all-time list for a single season. Millen finished his senior season completing 299 of 396 passes for 3,803 yards.

Millen’s passing yards are currently second in the state this season behind Kennedy Catholic’s Sam Huard (4,165 yards in 10 games).

5. Pair of young Division I recruits battle in Camas

After holding off Steilacoom on Friday night in Camas, it’s tough to think anyone will unseat high-flying Hockinson this season. The Sentinels, who rallied for three TDs in the fourth quarter, held the Hawks to their lowest point total of the season but sill lost, 35-28.

“When you’re playing a team like this, you have to have things go your way a little bit,” Steilacoom coach Colby Davis said. “But, our kids battled. There’s not much else we could have done. I credit our kids. The effort was amazing.”

One matchup that commanded attention was between Steilacoom sophomore Emeka Egbuka, who plays wide receiver and corner, and Hockinson’s star junior receiver Sawyer Racanelli.

Egbuka is considered the No. 38 recruit in the nation in the 2021 class by 247Sports.com, and already holds nine FBS offers.

Racanelli, who led the state in receiving last season, has an offer from Oregon State and interest from several more Pac-12 schools.

Egbuka held Racanelli to his second-lowest receiving total of the season (94 yards on six catches), though the Hockinson junior caught a 7-yard TD and scored twice more, each on 1-yard runs.

Egbuka did what he could to match Racanelli on offense, hauling in 12 catches for 185 yards and touchdowns of 39 and 16 yards to bring the Sentinels within a touchdown with 1:41 to play.

“I’m proud of my guys, we have a lot of heart,” Egbuka said. “We showed we can compete with the best teams in the state. And we’re going to be back next year — stronger.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2018 at 7:17 PM.