5 takeaways from No. 3 Lincoln’s 42-21 win over No. 6 Lakes
No. 3 Lincoln beat No. 6 Lakes, 42-21, in a rematch of last year’s 3A PCL championship game on Friday night at Harry Lang Stadium. Here are five takeaways from Lincoln’s big win.
NO NEED TO PASS
Lincoln was perfectly content running the football, using a heavy, multiple back formation for nearly the entire first half and daring Lakes to stop them. In the first half, Lincoln threw the ball just two times, but rushed 32 times for 207 yards and four touchdowns.
Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto said he learned his lesson after last year’s loss to Lakes in the 3A PCL title game, in which Lakes often dropped eight defenders into coverage, neutralizing Lincoln’s air game.
“It doesn’t matter how good of a team or players we have — it’s tough to throw it against eight,” Matsumoto said. “We thought we had the O-line, the running backs and the receivers who were going to be unselfish and block this year. That’s what we did. The kids played unselfishly.”
It’s a formation that Lincoln has used at times this season, but not as exclusively as on Friday night.
“We knew at some point, we were going to pull it out,” Matsumoto said. “We’ve been practicing it since the beginning of the season.”
Senior running back Abner Sio-Fetaui led the Abes with 106 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Lakes coach Dave Miller said the heavy dose of the run game caught the team somewhat off guard.
“We had planned for that formation but we didn’t think they were going to run it exclusively like they did,” Miller said. “They did a good job. We had to make some adjustments and I think we did. We slowed it down in the second half. Give credit to them, they have some great backs back there.”
JULIEN SIMON THRIVES IN THE WILDCAT
There’s perhaps no greater beneficiary when Lincoln wants to use a hard-nosed running game than four-star junior recruit Julien Simon, who took the ball out of the Wildcat formation often throughout the game. He rushed 12 times for 41 yards and three touchdowns — all three of which came out of the Wildcat formation.
“Just doing my job, trusting my guys to make the blocks,” Simon said. “Trusting myself, making the right reads and just doing whatever I can for the team.”
As a youth football player, Simon played running back almost exclusively. That gives him a patience and vision that’s dangerous combined with his raw athleticism and power.
“He has that patience,” Matsumoto said. “He’s very intelligent. In terms of football, he’s just very savvy, very wise. He knows what to do with the football.”
Everyone in the stadium — the opposing players, coaching staff, heck, even the fans and cheerleaders — knew what was coming with Simon is lined up to take the direct snap, but with Lincoln’s offensive push and Simon’s blend of vision, patience and power, there was nothing Lakes could do to stop him anyways.
It’s a look that Lincoln has featured more often this season, including in a big non-league game against Lake Stevens. And with Simon’s athleticism, it makes sense for coach Masaki Matsumoto to get the ball in the hands of his most dynamic playmaker as often as possible.
LINCOLN IS LOADED AT CORNER
The play of the game came late in the third quarter, when Boise State commit Donovan Clark picked off Lakes quarterback Justin Brennan on a 3rd and long play and returned it around 45 yards for a touchdown.
“We were in zone coverage,” Clark said. “Based on our game plan and what we had seen on film, we knew they ran posts and deep routes on third down. I played it perfectly and thanks to our DB coach and Coach Mat. Not a lot of quarterbacks will throw it over the top, especially that deep. So knowing my length and everything, I knew I could make that play underneath.”
There might not be a more talented corner tandem in the state than the one currently at Lincoln High, with 6-foot-3 Donovan on one side of the field and 6-foot-2 Jaylen on the other.
“That’s what special about Donovan and Jaylen,” Matsumoto said. “We don’t have to switch sides or flip. We trust them with whoever.”
BALANCE KEY FOR ABES
There might not be a game in Matsumoto’s tenure in which the Abes throw the ball fewer times than they did on Friday night. Lincoln quarterback Caden Filer threw a grand total of four passes on the night, completing three of them for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Generally, Lincoln passes the ball 30-plus times per game. But Friday night’s win showed this Lincoln team can win in a variety of ways, and the luxury of not being a one-dimensional team should paid dividends in the postseason.
“It’s a balanced attack now,” Simon said. “You can’t just say, ‘Oh, they just pass, so we’re going to try to stop the pass.’ We can do that to you, too. It sets us up perfectly for playoffs and upcoming games, wherever that may be. It’s just a balanced attack.”
And getting his skill players to put their stats on the back-burner for a game is a testament to the culture Matsumoto has cultivated in Tacoma.
“That was the big emphasis: We’re here for our teammates so let’s put our money where our mouth is,” he said. “If you’re not going to get the ball, are you going to block? We knew our kids would rise up to the challenge and they did. They’re great kids.”
LAKES QUARTERBACK JUSTIN BRENNAN IS COMING ALONG
The arm strength stands out immediately from the Lakes junior and first-year starter. He completed 17-of-29 passes for 206 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception against an elite passing defense.
“I thought he had his best game of the year,” Miller said. “Every week, he’s getting more comfortable with the offense and the reads. Our offense is hard to play quarterback in. It’s hard to jump in your first year. He just jumped right in. He’s getting better and better.”
Even Donovan Clark, who had the pick-six in the third quarter, had some praise for the junior signal caller.
“I have to give credit, he slung it tonight,” Clark said. “It was a great game.”
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 10:56 PM.