Yelm wide receiver Kyler Ronquillo streaks into the end zone after wrestling an interception away from Eastside Catholic defensive back Tyson Weaver, then carrying the football into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, 20-13, in the 3A football state championship game at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, Washington, on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com
FINAL SCORES
4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 2 Lake Stevens 24, No. 4 Kennedy Catholic 22
3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 1 Yelm 20, No. 2 Eastside Catholic 13
2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 1 Lynden 31, No. 3 North Kitsap 24
1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 1 Royal 35, No. 10 Mount Baker 20
2B STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 1 Napavine 41, No. 2 Okanogan 27
1B STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 5 Liberty Bell 50, No. 2 Neah Bay 12
Lake Stevens’ Jayden Limar hoists the championship trophy after the Vikings beat Kennedy Catholic, 24-22, in the Class 4A state title game on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Wash. Pete Caster Pete Caster / The News Tribune
A season after finishing runner-up to Graham-Kapowsin in the 4A state title game at Mount Tahoma Stadium, the Vikings returned to Tacoma — and this time completed their season by lifting the championship trophy.
Macray Flanders kicked the go-ahead 22-yard field goal for Lake Stevens with 5:13 remaining, and the Vikings’ defense forced a punt and a turnover on downs on the Lancers’ final two drives to close out the title win.
The field goal was the final of six possessions on which the two programs either tied the game or regained the lead following Notre Dame commit Jayden Limar’s 5-yard touchdown run to open scoring midway through the first quarter.
Lake Stevens finished with 343 yards of total offense in the win, led by Limar, who rushed for 185 yards and the one touchdown on 33 carries.
Kolton Matson finished 14-of-25 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns to Isaac Redford and Cole Becker. Reford (six catches, 79 yards) and Cassidy Bolong-Banks (three catches, 58 yards) led Lake Stevens in receiving.
Arizona State commit Xe’ree Alexander piled up 213 all-purpose yards for Kennedy Catholic, including leading the Lancers in rushing with 14 carries for 45 yards and a 1-yard touchdown, hauling in three catches for 45 yards and adding a 64-yard fumble recovery touchdown in the second quarter.
Alexander also caused a Lake Stevens fumble, blocked a field goal attempt and consistently disrupted the Vikings’ offense throughout the contest.
Payton Faker completed 7-of-20 passes for 155 yards and a 31-yard touchdown to Maclane Watkins. Mason Hayes (five catches, 66 yards), Isaac Syph (three catches, 51 yards), Alexander and Watkins (two catches, 40 yards) led the Lancers in receiving.
The title was the first in program history for a Lake Stevens (12-2) program which has now reached championship game in three of the past four 4A brackets.
Kennedy Catholic (12-2) has now advanced to two state title games — once as a 4A team and once as a 3A team — and is still searching for its first championship win.
Kyler Ronquillo found the end zone on an incredible scoring play with 52 seconds remaining to lift the Tornados to the first state title in program history Saturday afternoon at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
Trailing by a point with less than four minutes to play, Yelm efficiently drove toward midfield, looking for a late go-ahead score.
On the sixth play of the drive, it seemed for a moment Yelm’s perfect season was about to end. Tornados quarterback Damian Aalona tossed a long pass down the left sideline which was hauled in by Eastside Catholic’s Tyson Weaver for an apparent interception — but Ronquillo, a Portland State commit, swiped the ball as it was caught at the 28-yard line, and sprinted across the goal line.
Yelm’s defense held on Eastside Catholic’s final drive, and Brayden Platt sealed the victory with an interception with eight seconds remaining to complete the Tornados’ perfect 14-0 season with a championship trophy in the school’s first appearance in a state title game.
Yelm piled up 407 total yards, led by Ronquillo, who finished with 196 all-purpose yards — including seven carries for 53 yards, eight catches for 117 yards and the game-winning score.
Aalona completed 16-of-27 passes for 249 yards, three touchdowns to Aden Schaler, Tre Smith and Ronquillo, and one interception.
Platt added 15 carries for 66 yards and William Carreto four carries for 39 yards, while Paavan Bankston and Platt added interceptions on defense.
Eastside Catholic (12-1) finished with 277 yards of total offense, making the seventh title game appearance in program history.
Brady McKelheer completed 10-of-26 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown to Carson McKelheer and the two interceptions.
Asa Thompson hauled in four catches for 91 yards to lead the Crusaders, while Jayden Reyes had three catches for 59 yards and Carson McKelheer the one 47-yard touchdown catch.
Richie Fotualii-Aliifua paced Eastside Catholic on the ground with 18 carries for 53 yards.
Lynden won the 10th state title in program history — and second consecutive — Saturday night at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
But, it took a 19-play, 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter for the Lions (13-0) to secure their repeat championship.
After North Kitsap (12-2) tied the game at 24-24 with 9:27 left to play on a 5-yard connection between Cole Edwards to Benen Lawler, Lynden opened a drive that took the next 8:27 off the clock.
Lions quarterback Brant Heppner eventually completed the drive, crossing the goal line for a 1-yard rushing touchdown with one minute remaining.
Lynden recovered a fumble on North Kitsap’s ensuing drive to close out the victory.
Heppner rushed for three touchdowns in the win, and Troy Petz added another touchdown on a blocked field goal in the first half, as well as a 23-yard field goal.
Lawler finished with three touchdowns for the Vikings, including the touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and a pair of earlier rushing scores.
Royal (12-1) scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to run away from Mount Baker on Saturday afternoon at Harry E. Lang Stadium in Lakewood, and secure the program’s third consecutive 1A title.
After Mount Baker (8-5) tied the game midway through the third, the Knights answered with a 6-yard scoring pass from Dylan Allred to Lance Allred with 11:39 left in the fourth, and extended the lead from there.
Dylan Allred tossed another touchdown pass, this time for 4 yards to Bennett Brown, with 4:53 to play to give Royal a two-touchdown lead.
The Knights quarterback added a 5-yard scoring run moments later following a Mountaineers fumble on the first play of their next possession to make it 35-14 with 4:32 left to give Royal a comfortable three-touchdown lead.
Dylan Allred completed 16-of-26 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns — including two to Lance Allred — and added the one rushing score.
Marcques George led Mount Baker with 28 carries for 243 yards — a 1A championship game record — and two touchdowns.
Napavine (13-0) completed a perfect season with the fourth state title in program history, and first since 2016, after finishing runner-up in 2B in both 2018 and 2021.
The Tigers trailed Okanogan (12-1) by a touchdown entering the second half, but recorded a 20-point third quarter to take a lead they never lost on their way to a victory at Harry E. Lang Stadium in Lakewood.
Ashton Demarest connected with Colin Shields for a 40-yard touchdown for the first of three Napavine scores in the first five minutes of the second half to tie the game at 21-21.
Karsen Denault then gave the Tigers the game’s final lead on a 76-yard punt return with 8:27 left in the third, and Max O’Neill extended Napvine’s lead further in the quarter with a 31-yard scoring run.
Okanogan answered with the final of Johnny Swartsel’s three touchdown runs in the fourth to cut the lead to 34-27, but Demarest responded with a 35-yard scoring pass to Denault to extend the lead back to two possessions.
The 1B championship game was scoreless until midway through the second quarter, and tied at 6-6 at the break — then Liberty Bell (11-2) ran away with the program’s first state title on Saturday afternoon at Mount Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma.
After Liberty Bell’s Lucien Paz and Neah Bay’s Julian Carrick traded short rushing touchdowns in the first half, the Mountain Lions piled up six more scores in the second half, while holding Neah Bay to a single end zone trip the rest of the way.
Remington Paz gave Liberty Bell the decisive lead early in the third on a 3-yard touchdown run, and extended the lead to two possessions not long after on a 90-yard interception return.
Carrick answered with a touchdown toss to Adan Ellis as Neah Bay (10-1) cut the lead to 20-12 late in the quarter, but the Mountain Lions scored four unanswered touchdowns to close out the win.
Merek Johnson added a pair of rushing scores as Liberty Bell extended the lead, while Riley Lidey rushed for one touchdown and connected with Beau Tanguy for another.
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
Jon Manley covers high school sports for The News Tribune. A McClatchy President’s Award winner and Gonzaga University graduate, Manley has covered the South Sound sports scene since 2013. He was voted the Washington state sportswriter of the year in 2024 by the National Sports Media Association. Born and raised in Tacoma.Support my work with a digital subscription
Lauren Smith is a sports reporter at The News Tribune. She has covered high school sports for TNT and The Olympian, as well as the Seattle Mariners and Washington Huskies. She is a graduate of UW and Emerald Ridge High School.
