Cascade Christian routs Charles Wright Academy 61-6, all but clinches 1A Nisqually league title
Both Cascade Christian and Charles Wright Academy came into Saturday night’s football game at Sunset Chev stadium with unbeaten records and thoughts of winning the Class 1A Nisqually League title. After 48 minutes of football, Charles Wright Academy saw its hopes of that title disappear after a 61-6 drubbing at the hands of the Cougars.
The win all but wrapped up the league title for Cascade Christian, who would have to be upset next week to make things interesting. The way the Cougars looked on Saturday, that seems unlikely to happen.
“For us its kind of a tradition,” senior quarterback Parker Johnson said of the possibility of winning another league title. “We have like 15 (league) titles, and it’s just a tradition we have to carry on. It’s a tradition we want to carry on. It’s a motivator for us.”
Johnson certainly appeared motivated, finishing 12-for-21 for 288 yards and touchdowns through the air, and rushing for 53 yards on five carries and adding two more touchdowns. Though Johnson may play at a smaller school, he’s proved over his career he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the state.
“There’s not a throw that he can’t make,” Cascade Christian head coach Devin Snyder said. “He’s got all the talent in the world, and he can use his legs. He just can do it all out there. He’s a great leader, and he does everything by the book. We can go a long way with him.”
Johnson had some help from senior running back Toretto Metzger-Magalei, who rushed for 80 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns – all of which came in the first half.
“He’s a sleeper,” Snyder said of Metzger-Magalei. “That kid can play football, and he can play at the highest level. (College) teams just need to take a chance on him. He can do it all. He’s fast. He can catch passes out of the backfield, and he runs with great vision and great power.”
The Cougars improved 4-0 in league and 7-0 overall and appear to be firing on all cylinders with the playoffs approaching, but Snyder insists that his team still has a lot of room to grow before the season comes to an end.
“One day at a time,” Snyder said. “We’ve got to get better with every rep. We’ve got a long way to go before we can start thinking about a state championship. We’ve got to get through the rest of the league. I think we’re in a good spot right now to continue to grow and get better, but we haven’t even come close to peaking yet. We’ve got to keep going.”
Johnson is closing in on the Cascade Christian all-time record for career touchdowns. He has 77, which is just away from tying and two away from breaking the record, but that will have to wait at least one more week. He did enough for his team to run away with the game on Saturday, and was even crowned a king at halftime, during the Cascade Christian homecoming festivities.
“It was great, because there is alumni here and extra family members that don’t normally come,” Johnson said. “To have that performance, it’s a big deal for us.”
BOX SCORE
At Sunset Chevrolet Stadium
Charles Wright Academy 0 6 0 0 - 6
Cascade Christian 13 27 14 7 - 61
SCORING PLAYS
CC – Toretto Metzger-Magalei 1 run (Bo Jahno kick)
CC – Parker Johnson 5 run (kick blocked)
CC – Metzger-Magalei 58 pass from Johnson (Isaiah Zetterberg run)
CW – Jon Mayer 22 pass from Dane Jacobson (kick blocked)
CC – Bo Jahno 37 pass from Johnson (Jahno kick)
CC – Metzger-Magalei 19 run (pass failed)
CC – Johnson 31 run (kick failed)
CC – Tyler Wissing 5 run (Jahno kick)
CC – Isaiah Zetterberg 13 run (Jahno kick)
CC – Zach Morton 1 run (Jahno kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Passing: CW – Dane Jacobson 8-19-2-59. CC – Parker Johnson 12-21-0-288.
Rushing: CW – Colin Nelson 11-32; Jack Opitz 9-54; Darasimi Ogunbinu-Peters 1-0; Dane Jacobson 4-(-12); Justin Lundberg 2-2. CC – Toretto Metzger-Magalei 10-80-2; Tyler Wissing 5-42-1; Parker Johnson 5-53-2; Josiah Ryan 3-31; Isaiah Zetterberg 2-22-1; Zach Morton 1-1-1.
Receiving: CW – Justin Lundberg 3-9; Jon Mayer 2-30-1; Jack Opitz 1-5; David Dearth 1-3. CC – Toretto Metzger-Magalei 1-58-1; Bo Jahno 2-56-1; Tyler Wissing 2-53; Isaiah Zetterberg 5-70-1; Conner Zetterberg 3-64.