5 takeaways from Olympia’s 21-14 overtime win against Timberline
The Olympia High School football team defeated Timberline in a Class 3A South Sound Conference matchup on Friday night at Ingersoll Stadium in overtime, 21-14. Here are five takeaways from the Bears’ win.
MULLEN BEATS HIS OLD SQUAD
Nick Mullen tried to keep telling his players this week that this was just another game. But deep down, the players knew this one meant more to their head coach. Mullen is in his first season coaching Olympia, after spending the past 13 years as the Timberline coach. James Jones, who took over as the Blazers’ coach, worked as an assistant for Mullen formerly. So there was a friendly rivalry between the two. And Mullen got the best of his counterpart this time around.
“Those are a lot of my guys, still,” Mullen said. “I got close with a lot of the Polynesian families, they brought me in. You always want to compete hard against your buddies. And of course I want to win. I hate to lose more than I like to win. So the whole week, I was trying to tell myself it’s just another game. But the kids knew. I think they wanted to get this one, too. I think they needed it just in general. They’ve been missing football.
“This is a huge win and Timberline’s a good program. I know those guys, the coaches. Coach Jones and I still talk almost every day, just because we’re such good friends. It feels good.”
TALE OF TWO HALVES
Timberline took a 14-0 lead into halftime on a pair of quarterback-keeper scores from speedy Jackson Brown. It felt like the Blazers were pretty well in control.
But Olympia flipped a switch in the second half. Running back Cole Peterson got the Bears on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run. Minutes later, sophomore quarterback Gabe Downing connected with sophomore receiver Mason Juergens late in the third quarter for a 97-yard touchdown. With the PAT, the game was suddenly tied.
No one scored in the fourth quarter, with both teams struggling to move the ball. The best chance came for Olympia in the final minute of regulation, when Downing found receiver Alfredo Ramirez-Cortes for a 39-yard gain, setting up the potential game-winning 24-yard field goal with about five seconds to go. But the attempt was blocked, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, Peterson scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to give Olympia the 21-14 lead. Timberline had a chance to answer, but Brown was intercepted on fourth down, sealing the win for the Bears.
When it was all said and down, Olympia didn’t allow any points in the second half and overtime.
“I think that’s just a testament to our coaching and how bad our defensive players want it,” said Ramirez-Cortes, who also plays corner. “When we go down 14-0, to hold a team back and shut them out for two quarters and an overtime period, I think that shows a lot.”
Downing said he felt Olympia was close in the first half. At halftime, they felt they just needed to turn the corner.
“On defense, our guys were just saying, ‘We’re right there, we’re right there. We’re so close,’” Downing said. “On offense, we felt we could drive on them. We just made some bad decisions. In the second half, everything just clicked.”
TIMBERLINE’S DEFENSIVE LINE IS TOUGH
6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end D.J. Togiola was disruptive all night for the Blazers, constantly getting through the offensive line and into the backfield. As was 6-foot-6, 345-pound defensive tackle Lysander Moeolo. Both are Nevada Wolfpack signees.
In the first half, Olympia was inside the Timberline 5-yard line twice. The Bears turned the ball over on downs twice, unable to push through Timberline’s physical line.
“DJ and (Moeolo) are legit,” Mullen said. “They’re legit players, they’re going D1. … That’s a really good front six.”
OLYMPIA HAS PLAYMAKERS IN SPACE
Downing put up a ton of yards for Olympia. He completed 24 of 48 passes for 398 yards, a touchdown and threw three interceptions. It’s worth noting how many yards came after the catch for his receiving group, particularly from Juergens and Ramirez-Cortes.
That’s not to minimize Downing’s performance. Good quarterbacks get their playmakers the ball in space, and that’s what he did all night. Juergens caught eight passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. Ramirez-Cortes caught nine passes for 154 yards and had two touchdowns called back.
“They’re so athletic, so tough,” Downing said of his receivers. “They’re just playmakers.”
Mullen knows how electric Ramirez-Cortes can be, too.
“Alfredo is so dynamic in space,” Mullen said. “You don’t think he’s that fast until he hits that other gear. He just goes. He’s very deceptively fast. They’re just a great group. We just want the ball in our playmakers’ hands, because Gabe is like a point guard. He just knows where to distribute it.”
MULLEN WORKING TO BUILD SOMETHING AT OLYMPIA
The Bears haven’t been a factor in the 4A SPSL as of late. Although Olympia is playing in the 3A SSC as a temporary member this school year, Mullen is hoping to turn Olympia into a contender.
“I want kids to compete in everything they do, all the time,” Mullen said. “We’re going to play great defense, play fast on offense and be tough. It doesn’t matter what the score is, we’re going to be tough. We always prep for five quarters. It paid off tonight.”
And the players have taken notice.
“Mainly toughness,” Downing said of the culture change. “He just wants us to be tough, play hard, play faster and be more physical.”
Alfredo-Ramirez is a senior and won’t get to see firsthand how Mullen’s coaching career pans out at Olympia the next few years. But he’s optimistic.
“I think coach Mullen is bringing a sense of urgency, a lot of defensive knowledge and a lot of love for the players,” he said. “I’m excited to see how this thing builds as he continues to build this amazing program.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2021 at 12:39 AM.
