State football first round: Results, takeaways from high school playoffs in Washington
The opening round of high school football state tournaments in Washington is in the books. Here are the results, analysis and discussion from TNT reporters Jon Manley and Tyler Wicke from the Round of 16 and this week’s quarterfinals schedule.
CLASS 4A
FIRST ROUND SCORES
No. 1 Camas 41, No. 16 Curtis 6
No. 2 Sumner 38, No. 15 Kamiakin 21
No. 3 Chiawana 56, No. 14 Puyallup 14
No. 4 Kennedy Catholic 49, No. 13 Richland 7
No. 5 Gonzaga Prep 31, No. 12 Emerald Ridge 0
No. 6 Lake Stevens 52, No. 11 Mead 49
No. 7 Skyview 17, No. 10 Bothell 13
No. 8 Arlington 42, No. 9 Graham-Kapowsin 6
UPSET ALERT
No upsets here. The closest any team came to an upset bid was Mead, which led two-time defending champion Lake Stevens 42-28 with 11:08 to play. The bad news for the Panthers: Lake Stevens has the state’s best quarterback in Kolton Matson, and the two touchdown deficit was quickly erased. Lake Stevens won on a Lucas Mooring 21-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining in the game.
CLASS 3A
FIRST ROUND SCORES
No. 1 Bellevue 24, No. 16 Stanwood 14
No. 2 O’Dea 50, No. 15 Mercer Island 7
No. 3 Eastside Catholic 37, No. 14 Monroe 6
No. 13 Seattle Prep 34, No. 4 Lakes 14
No. 5 Roosevelt 40, No. 12 Federal Way 0
No. 6 Lincoln 34, No. 11 Central Valley 28
No. 10 Mount Tahoma 23, No. 7 Decatur 21
No. 8 Kennewick 40, No. 9 Enumclaw 20
UPSET ALERT
The biggest upset came courtesy of the No. 13 Seattle Prep Panthers, who walked out of Harry Lang Stadium with a 34-14 win over No. 4 Lakes. Seattle Prep QB Beau Oaksmith threw for four touchdowns and ran for another. No. 10 Mount Tahoma beat undefeated seventh-seed Decatur in a close one at Federal Way Memorial Field on Friday night, hanging on after Decatur mounted a second-half comeback.
CLASS 2A
FIRST ROUND SCORES
No. 1 Tumwater 44, No. 16 Cedarcrest 0
No. 2 Anacortes 46, No. 15 Bainbridge 0
No. 3 Franklin Pierce 40, No. 14 East Valley (Yakima) 21
No. 4 Lynden 38, No. 13 Fife 6
No. 5 Archbishop Murphy 31, No. 12 Orting 0
No. 6 W.F. West 33, No. 11 Olympic 7
No. 7 West Valley (Spokane) 29, No. 10 Prosser 28
No. 9 Sehome 22, No. 8 Othello 21
UPSET ALERT
Just one: No. 9 Sehome’s narrow 22-21 win over No. 8 Othello. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, seeing as Sehome played in the 2A Northwest Conference. All four of the league’s teams (Anacortes, Lynden, Archbishop Murphy and Sehome) won in the first round.
CLASS 1A
FIRST ROUND SCORES
No. 1 Royal (bye)
No. 2 Seton Catholic (bye)
No. 3 La Center (bye)
No. 4 Cashmere (bye)
No. 5 Nooksack Valley 23, No. 12 Zillah 12
No. 6 Montesano 31, No. 11 Omak 7
No. 7 Life Christian Academy 46, No. 10 King’s 41
No. 8 Lynden Christian 40, No. 9 Cascade Christian 14
UPSET ALERT
No upsets here. The closest call was No. 10 King’s giving No. 7 Life Christian all it could handle in a shootout. Life Christian all of its points on the board in the last three quarters (including a 24-point second quarter) after trailing 14-0 after a quarter.
CLASS 2B
FIRST ROUND SCORES
No. 1 Okanogan 62, No. 16 Friday Harbor 0
No. 2 Asotin 29, No. 15 Cle Elum-Roslyn 26
No. 3 Napavine 52, No. 14 Columbia (Burbank) 0
No. 4 Onalaska 60, No. 13 Newport 8
No. 5 Freeman 43, No. 12 Goldendale 34
No. 11 Adna 8, No. 6 Liberty Bell 3
No. 10 La Salle 14, No. 7 Northwest Christian (Colbert) 9
No. 8 Tri-Cities Prep 13, No. 9 Toledo 10
UPSET ALERT
A couple upsets in this bracket, the biggest of which was No. 11 Adna’s 8-3 win over No. 6 Liberty Bell in a defensive battle. No. 10 La Salle also came away with an upset win over No. 7 Northwest Christian.
CLASS 1B
FIRST ROUND SCORES
No. 1 Liberty Christian (Richland) 66, No. 16 Ocosta 0
No. 2 Wilbur-Creston-Keller 94, No. 15 Waterville-Mansfield 26
No. 3 Naselle 70, No. 14 No. 14 Moses Lake Christian/Covenant Christian 0
No. 4 Almira Coulee Hartline 48, No. 13 Inchelium 0
No. 5 Neah Bay 70, No. 12 Wahkiakum 14
No. 6 Pomeroy 52, No. 11 Odessa 12
No. 10 Garfield-Palouse 62, No. 7 Entiat 34
No. 8 DeSales 30, No. 9 Quilcene 0
UPSET ALERT
No. 10 Garfield-Palouse left no doubt it was under-seeded, coming away with a 62-34 win over No. 7 Entiat.
ANALYSIS FROM TNT REPORTERS JON MANLEY AND TYLER WICKE
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM STATE TOURNAMENT OPENING ROUND
Manley: The 4A bracket is at least eight teams deep, evidenced by No. 8 Arlington hammering No. 9 Graham-Kapowsin, 42-6. In the quarterfinals, it makes this bracket the most intriguing of any. No seeding upset would surprise me this round in 4A. In 3A, I wasn’t shocked to see No. 4 Lakes go down with the injury bug having bitten the Lancers in recent weeks. At the same time, the 20-point margin was a little surprising with how good Lakes’ defense has played this year. I said on Jason Puckett’s podcast last week that I would’ve had Lincoln seeded higher than Lakes this year. I know a case could’ve been made for either, but Lincoln went undefeated in league play and beat Mount Tahoma, which in turn beat Lakes. I felt like Lincoln was unfairly punished for playing an aggressive non-league schedule, which included losses to Yelm and Camas. Neither of those are bad losses, and I’d hate to see coaches become hesitant to schedule aggressively in the non-league portion of their schedule if they feel their postseason seeding will take a hit. At the same time, I understood the case for Lakes, too. The non-league win over Curtis was cemented as a quality win after the Vikings beat Glacier Peak and made the 4A state tournament field. Ultimately, I think it needs to be settled on the field in the future: the 3A Puget Sound League needs a league championship game next season, not a 1v2 crossover game in Week 9.
Wicke: I remember sitting with Jon at an August media day for the 4A SPSL on the beautiful Ruston Waterfront and the impending shock on our faces when Sumner head coach Keith Ross told us the Spartans would throw 50 times in a game if the script called for it. To be fair, QB Nate Donavan has been excellent – and he did throw at least 38 passes twice this season – but the ground-and-pound philosophy has returned to the Valley for playoff time. Those in attendance for Sumner’s 38-21 win over Kamiakin in the 4A Round of 16 were treated to RB Steele Isaacs’ workhorse performance; he scored three touchdowns for the third consecutive game and refused to go down as the undisputed power back. “He’s our guy,” Ross said. “You get deep in the playoffs, you don’t know what weather you’re going to get, and you better be able to run the ball. … He was the show.” Isaacs took a season-high 36 carries for 209 yards, RB Israel Nabors ran for 104 yards on 11 carries, and Sumner piled 360 total yards on the ground. The 4A SPSL champion reaffirmed its status as the league’s top dog as the only program to reach the state quarterfinals – No. 9 Graham-Kapowsin, No. 12 Emerald Ridge, No. 14 Puyallup, and No. 16 Curtis all lost in this weekend’s 4A Round of 16 by 31 points or more. Other locals still vying for state titles include 3A’s Lincoln and Mount Tahoma, 2A’s Tumwater and Franklin Pierce, and 1A’s Life Christian Academy.
WHICH TEAMS IMPRESSED MOST?
Manley: Statewide, No. 3 Chiawana in a 56-14 win over Puyallup, which had been as hot as any team around in the past month. I felt like Puyallup could be a dark horse team in this tournament, writing in my 4A bracket breakdown, “This won’t be a cakewalk for No. 3 Chiawana.” For the record, we still picked Chiawana to win, but, boy, was I wrong about this being a game. And honestly, it wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated, as Chiawana led 56-7 at half. Braxton Feldmann ran wild, racking up 167 yards (12.8 yards/carry) and two touchdowns in the win. Locally, it has to be Kennedy Catholic, which hammered a solid Richland team, 49-7.
Wicke: Mount Tahoma’s playing its best football at the best time. The T-Birds entered enemy territory and knocked off undefeated Decatur, 23-21, for a sixth straight win since starting the season 1-4. QB Mikkah Cordero improvised with his legs and manufactured off-script splashes, and the defense denied a late Gators comeback to clinch Mount Tahoma’s second-straight state quarterfinals appearance. It was a magical season for Decatur, including the program’s first state tournament appearance in school history — but it’s Keith Terry’s T-Birds that move on to O’Dea this Friday night. ... In 2A, Franklin Pierce will host a third playoff game after running over East Valley (Yakima) in Saturday’s state opener, 40-21. And undefeated-Tumwater? Tougher teams, same results — T-Birds blank Cedarcrest in the State Round of 16, 44-0.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT?
Manley: Kennedy Catholic developed a reputation for high-flying offenses during its Sam Huard days — Indiana Jones (159 yards rushing, three TDs on 28 carries; 50 yards on five receptions) is keeping that reputation alive — but the Lancers have a really good defense this year, too. Junior edge rusher Derek Colman-Brusa, who holds offers from UW, Michigan, Ohio State, BYU and others, is a matchup issue for any offensive lineman. He had seven tackles and four tackle assists, including two sacks and four tackles for loss in the win.
Wicke: Lincoln RB Maurice Gosby Jr. trampled Central Valley with 233 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries, a performance that pushed the Abes into this weekend’s 3A state quarterfinals. QB Sione Kaho creates headlines with his arm, but this Abes run game is very real with three quality backs to prepare for. … Tumwater RB/LB Cash Short put on a two-way display in another T-Birds shutout, pairing 135 rushing yards and three touchdowns with eight tackles and a TFL. … Another stat to monitor: Sumner’s Isaacs has 11 rushing touchdowns in his last four games.
WHICH QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST?
Manley: Everything in the 4A bracket. Sumner takes on a solid Skyview team, but I’m especially intrigued by the other three matchups. Lake Stevens gave up 49 points to Mead and figures to be in for an even tougher test this week against No. 3 Chiawana. I think Kennedy Catholic’s Colman-Brusa and Co. are going to make life difficult for No. 5 Gonzaga Prep’s triple options offense. And No. 1 Camas certainly looked beatable against No. 16 Curtis, despite the 41-6 scoreline. The Papermakers led 9-6 at half before pulling away. No. 8 Arlington, which blew out No. 9 Graham-Kapowsin 42-6, is going to be a serious test for the bracket’s top seed. In 3A, I’m looking forward to No. 6 Lincoln facing No. 3 Eastside Catholic for the second straight season. Last year, Eastside Catholic beat Lincoln 40-0 in the opening round of the state tournament. This year’s Lincoln team is much better than last year’s, and sophomore QB Sione Kaho is a lot more comfortable running the show, but the Abes will still need a near-perfect game to pull off the upset. In 2A, there’s a fun rematch of No. 4 Lynden and No. 5 Archbishop Murphy, with the winner likely getting No. 1 Tumwater in the semifinals. Lynden won the first meeting this season, 7-3, in mid-October.
Wicke: No upsets in 4A’s opening round set the stage for a handful of marquee matchups in the state quarterfinals. We’re not advocating against Cinderella stories, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to see the state’s best go head-to-head, either. Two-time defending 4A champion No. 6 Lake Stevens needed 10 late points to escape No. 11 Mead (Vikings RB Jayshon Limar scored 5 TDs) and now runs into a red-hot No. 3 Chiawana program that just routed Puyallup by 42. No. 2 Sumner gets another home game at Sunset Chev Stadium for an intriguing matchup with No. 7 Skyview, and No. 8 Arlington QB Leyton Martin clashes with top-ranked Camas on Saturday afternoon. … In 2A, can W.F. West QB and Eastern Washington commit Gage Brumfield manufacture points on Franklin Pierce’s defense in this weekend’s quarterfinals?
WHAT’S NEXT (STATE QUARTERFINALS SCHEDULE)
CLASS 4A
No. 6 Lake Stevens at No. 3 Chiawana, 1 p.m. Saturday
No. 7 Skyview at No. 2 Sumner, 7 p.m. Saturday
No. 5 Gonzaga Prep at No. 4 Kennedy Catholic, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 8 Arlington at No. 1 Camas, 1 p.m. Saturday
CLASS 3A
No. 6 Lincoln at No. 3 Eastside Catholic, 2 p.m. Saturday (Memorial Stadium, Seattle)
No. 10 Mount Tahoma at No. 2 O’Dea, 7 p.m. Friday (Memorial Stadium, Seattle)
No. 13 Seattle Prep at No. 5 Roosevelt, 5 p.m. Saturday (Memorial Stadium, Seattle)
No. 8 Kennewick at No. 1 Bellevue, 3 p.m. Saturday
CLASS 2A
No. 6 W.F. West at No. 3 Franklin Pierce, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 7 West Valley (Spokane) at No. 2 Anacortes, 2 p.m. Saturday
No. 5 Archbishop Murphy at No. 4 Lynden, 2 p.m. Saturday (Ferndale High School)
No. 9 Sehome at No. 1 Tumwater, 3 p.m. Saturday
CLASS 1A
No. 6 Montesano at No. 3 La Center, 7 p.m. Friday (Woodland High School)
No. 7 Life Christian Academy at No. 2 Seton Catholic, 7 p.m. Saturday (Doc Harris Stadium, Camas)
No. 5 Nooksack Valley at No. 4 Cashmere, 1 p.m. Saturday
No. 8 Lynden Christian at No. 1 Royal, 2 p.m. Saturday
CLASS 2B
No. 11 Adna at No. 3 Napavine, 4 p.m. Saturday
No. 10 La Salle at No. 2 Asotin, 4 p.m. Saturday
No. 5 Freeman at No. 4 Onalaska, 12 p.m. Saturday
No. 8 Tri-Cities Prep at No. 1 Okanogan, 4 p.m. Saturday
CLASS 1B
No. 6 Pomeroy at No. 3 Naselle, 1 p.m. Saturday
No. 10 Garfield-Palouse at No. 2 Wilbur-Creston-Keller, TBD
No. 5 Neah Bay at No. 4 Almira Coulee Hartline, 1 p.m. Saturday
No. 8 DeSales at No. 1 Liberty Christian (Richland), TBD
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 12:34 PM.
