Mount Tahoma off to state for first time in 39 years: “We can get it done.”
It’s been a monumental three weeks at Mount Tahoma – three games, three wins – each spurring cause for new celebration.
In the regular season’s penultimate game on Oct. 20, The T-Birds smashed Silas, 54-0, in a contest that clinched the 3A PCL title, the school’s first since 1982. On Oct. 27, they stifled Lakes, 27-13, completing an undefeated run through an always-competitive league.
But Mount Tahoma’s recent win in the district round Saturday, a 54-13 crushing of West Seattle, has these T-Birds partying like it’s 1984. For the first time in 39 years – 39 years! – Mount Tahoma appears in the 3A state bracket, one of 16 teams still vying for a title.
Head coach Keith Terry wants the success, the league trophies, and the state appearances to feel normal, certainly not a once-in-four-decades experience. A Mount Tahoma grad in 2006, Terry took over the program in 2020, just after the T-Birds finished winless (0-6) against PCL opponents in a pandemic-condensed season played in February and March.
Now two and a half years later, how things have changed.
“When I came back to Mount Tahoma, it was a pride thing,” Terry said. “I coached at some other places, helped turn some other programs around. And then now, it was my turn to do it my way. That really meant a lot, but it even means more to do it at your school.
“I felt like when I played here, we were a pretty good team. We never got over the hump. What was I going to do differently as a head coach to help us get over the hump? That was my big thing.”
Over the hump, indeed. Mount Tahoma surrendered just 10 points per game to PCL opponents in 2023. Playmakers scatter a balanced, cohesive defensive unit: UCLA commit and OL/DL Marquise Thorpe-Taylor commands both lines. Senior CB/WR Deonjae Irvin owns a team-high three interceptions, and senior DE Jeremiah Anderson is Mount Tahoma’s most-feared pass rusher with seven sacks in nine games.
An interception on the first play of Saturday’s district game with West Seattle provided instant field position for RB Brison Bailey, who erupted for his first of two touchdowns on Mount Tahoma’s first offensive play. Quarterback Tre Walker added a 70-yard touchdown run (two total) before the T-Birds won by 39 – the number of years since their last state appearance, fittingly.
“They’re definitely playing hard and fast,” Bailey said of his defense, which snagged five interceptions Saturday night. “Just getting to the ball and rallying. It complements the offense really well.”
And it allows the T-Birds to establish their brand of football — tough, in between the tackles and, more often than not, in the hands of Bailey. The senior eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the Oct. 20 shutout at Silas and now ranks 10th in rushing yards among all state classifications, with 1,079.
“(Brison’s) dynamic,” Terry said. “It’s not just about running the ball. He doesn’t mind blocking. He can catch the ball. But what I also do know… for the whole time I’ve been here, Brison’s been here. That familiarity with each other, that shows on the field.
“He knows what I’m going to call, he knows what I’m looking for. He understands when it’s home-run time and when it’s get-me-three-yards time. From that perspective, having that comfort level with somebody in the backfield… knowing what the time in the game calls for has been huge for us this year.”
The run game’s success, in Bailey’s eyes? “The offensive line, for sure, opens up all those holes,” he said. “I can’t do it without them. And we’ve got pretty good backs to get it done.”
Mount Tahoma scheduled non-league tests with top 2A- and 4A-programs to begin the regular season: North Kitsap and Eastlake, respectively. The T-Birds dropped both by a combined 10 points, but were within one possession with a chance to win in the final minutes of each game.
“The way that we battled really showed me, when it mattered, where we could be. Week one, you’re never going to be where you want to be (by) week nine. But what you can’t coach is the effort. In both those games, we didn’t stop fighting, and that’s the part that really impressed me most.
“That let me know about the character of our group more than anything.”
Mount Tahoma Stadium’s bleachers were packed with thousands of fans Saturday, in attendance for the 39-point victory that secured the school’s first state appearance in 39 years.
“It was a special moment. … It meant a lot to the seniors, the upperclassmen,” Bailey said. “We couldn’t do that in the past. Winning meant a lot.”
Up next? The WIAA’s Round of 16.
No. 9 Mount Tahoma travels to No. 8 Ferndale for a first-round contest Friday night that sends the winner to the 3A quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
“That’s a very good program,” Terry said. “They’re going to play disciplined football. They’re traditionally a powerhouse team up there, and we have to match that effort. It’s going to be a great football environment. … We’ve got to match their intensity, and be able to take a punch and keep rolling.”
Bailey agreed with his coach, nodding. “Everybody has to do their job. ... Playing good competition at the beginning (let) us know that we can get it done in the playoffs, that we’re a great team that can do it.”
