Emerald Ridge survives early miscues, topples Eastlake, advances to 4A quarterfinals
Since fourth grade, receivers Tony Harste and Gio Kafentzis have lined up outside quarterback Jake Schakel. The trio, now in their eighth season together, can’t remember a time they weren’t on the same team.
“We’re best friends,” Jake Schakel said at Sparks Stadium. “We’ve got that chemistry. We’ve always been playing together.”
But Saturday night brought both a new experience and new test. Schakel’s Emerald Ridge team met No. 9 Eastlake, a neighboring seed in the 4A bracket. Not only was it the signal-caller’s first time in the state playoffs – it was the Jaguars’ first-ever state appearance, too.
Early miscues provided first-half drama, but the Jaguars’ defense suffocated Eastlake from the second quarter on at Sparks Stadium. Schakel connected with Harste for two touchdowns, and Logan Lisherness added a third in a 21-9 first-round victory over the visiting Wolves.
The Jaguars are dancing to the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
“It was a good matchup for us,” Jake Schakel said. “And we delivered.”
Schakel’s first pass of the game was intercepted by Cole Hunt, an off-balance desperation heave on fourth down as the opposing defense swarmed.
“I have good teammates around me,” Jake Schakel said of the opening misfire. “I know they’ve got my back.”
And Eastlake pounced on the opportunity. Hunt – also the Wolves quarterback – added to his interception and hit senior receiver Colby Marsh across the middle for a five-yard touchdown on second and goal. Eastlake failed the ensuing point after, but had jumped to an early six-point lead on the road.
Then, another miscue by the home Jaguars. Tailback Tayshaun Micks fumbled Emerald Ridge’s next play from scrimmage and Eastlake immediately took over. The Wolves were again in enemy territory off turnovers.
The Jaguars bent, but never broke. Eastlake’s following pair of offensive drives resulted in a turnover on downs and lost fumble, the latter setting up a game-tying touchdown catch by Harste.
Schakel found the junior wideout over the middle for the 15-yard reception. Emerald Ridge’s point after was tipped at the line, but good, nonetheless.
Yet the floodgates – for both programs – would remain closed in the second quarter. Instead came a punting frenzy throughout a scoreless second period.
Neither squad entered the red zone in the quarter. Neither came close. Eastlake’s only first-half scoring drive began on Emerald Ridge’s 33-yard line.
“Our defense was unbelievable,” Jaguars head coach Adam Schakel said. “But, you’ve got to give a ton of credit to Eastlake. They are so well-coached, and they did not make many mistakes.
“Thankfully, our defense was clicking.”
And so the Jaguars, in the home confines of Sparks Stadium, jogged to the locker room at halftime with a one-point lead.
“We just talked about trust and belief,” Adam Schakel said. “That was it. We didn’t talk too much about mistakes. We said, ‘we’ve just got to stay with it, and trust yourself and keep going.’”
Lisherness was Emerald Ridge’s bell-cow tailback, though Micks offered a change-of-pace as the Jaguars’ agile speedster. Harste and Kafentzis were, as always, Schakel’s top receiving weapons.
Perhaps Eastlake’s best scoring opportunity after the first quarter slipped away on the opening drive of the second half. Lisherness recovered a Hunt fumble as the Wolves signal-caller attempted to scramble for extra yardage.
But Emerald Ridge couldn’t capitalize on the takeaway. The Jaguars were forced to punt following a three-and-out, and Eastlake’s next drive resulted in a 37-yard field goal by Alex Dreher.
Eastlake led for the first time since the first quarter, 9-7, but their advantage lasted only two drives. Schakel led Emerald Ridge back to the red zone as the fourth quarter began and found Harste for the duo’s second scoring connection, again from 15 yards.
“If I’m covered, Gio (Kafentzis) is open,” Harste said. “If Gio’s covered, I’m open.”
Up four, the Jaguars went for two, and Eastlake left Harste open again. The passing conversion put Emerald Ridge up six with only a quarter to play, igniting a mostly-full home crowd in the waning minutes.
Then, an eruption from the few thousand in attendance. Lisherness intercepted Hunt’s pass attempt on 4th and 3, placing Emerald Ridge in the driver’s seat.
Schakel and the offense commenced a purposefully-long, clock-chewing drive that resulted in what became the clincher: a 10-yard scoring rush by Lisherness to make Eastlake’s road back that much tougher.
There would be no miraculous Eastlake resurgence – Emerald Ridge’s defense, like they did all night, stood strong.
“Our defense is unreal,” Jake Schakel said. “They’ve been thrown under the radar behind our offense… but our defense, holy crap. They’re freaking dogs in the secondary.”
Jaguars defensive back Brandon Snell added an interception in the closing minutes. Emerald Ridge’s defense allowed only Dreher’s field goal from the second quarter on.
“We were down early, but we wouldn’t let their momentum carry over,” Harste said. “We came ready.”
Following a back-and-forth one-point loss to Puyallup on opening night, Emerald Ridge rallied for a six-game win streak in the 4A SPSL and went on to finish third in the league (7-2). Last week’s 41-14 playoff rout over Bothell secured the program’s first-ever appearance in the state tournament.
Eastlake matched Emerald Ridge’s 8-2 overall record entering state play and rolled to a second-place finish in the 4A KingCo. The Wolves’ only in-league loss came to Skyline last Sept. 16, ultimately crowning the Spartans league champions.
Still, Eastlake blanked Tahoma in the district round last week, 28-0, to secure a spot in the Round of 16. The Wolves were hopeful for a return back to the state semifinals – where they fell to Lake Stevens last year – until Saturday’s loss ended its season.
No. 1 Chiawana awaits Emerald Ridge in next weekend’s quarterfinal round. The top-ranked Riverhawks remain undefeated after routing No. 16 Sunnyside in Saturday’s first round, 49-20, and host next weekend’s meeting in Pasco.
Cheered Adam Schakel: “Road trip!”
Emerald Ridge was the 16th and final South Sound program to appear in a state contest this weekend. The win pushed local teams to 8-8 on Friday and Saturday.
All three 4A SPSL teams in the state bracket – Emerald Ridge, Graham-Kapowsin, and Sumner – advanced to the state quarterfinals.
“If you guys knew these kids like I did,” Adam Schakel said, “then you’d be cheering for them, too.”
BOX SCORE
E: 6-0-3-0--9
ER: 7-0-0-14--21
