State football quarterfinals: Results, takeaways from high school playoffs in Washington
The quarterfinal 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 state quarterfinals and this week’s semifinals schedule.
CLASS 4A
QUARTERFINAL SCORES
No. 3 Chiawana 48, No. 6 Lake Stevens 21
No. 2 Sumner 41, No. 7 Skyview 0
No. 5 Gonzaga Prep 34, No. 4 Kennedy Catholic 28
No. 1 Camas 35, No. 8 Arlington 21
UPSET ALERT
Gonzaga Prep’s late defensive stop secured the road upset over undefeated Kennedy Catholic and pushed the Bullpups into the state semifinals for the first time since 2015.
CLASS 3A
QUARTERFINAL SCORES
No. 3 Eastside Catholic 20, No. 6 Lincoln 7
No. 2 O’Dea 42, No. 10 Mount Tahoma 21
No. 5 Roosevelt 49, No. 13 Seattle Prep 21
No. 1 Bellevue 42, No. 8 Kennewick 6
UPSET ALERT
No upsets here. Lincoln’s defense held Eastside Catholic to 10 points through three quarters, but a late Crusaders interception sealed their 20-7 win in Seattle.
CLASS 2A
QUARTERFINAL SCORES
No. 6 W.F. West 27, No. 3 Franklin Pierce 8
No. 2 Anacortes 55, No. 7 West Valley (Spokane) 13
No. 5 Archbishop Murphy 10, No. 4 Lynden 9
No. 1 Tumwater 70, No. 9 Sehome 7
UPSET ALERT
No. 6 W.F. West won convincingly against No. 3 Franklin Pierce in Parkland on Friday, silencing Franklin Pierce’s Power T offense, which came into the game averaging nearly 400 yards per game on the ground. W.F. West QB Gage Brumfield — who will play linebacker at Eastern Washington next fall — was the best athlete on the field. And Archbishop Murphy gets revenge! The Wildcats escaped No. 4 Lynden, 10-9, avenging their only loss this season – a 7-3 loss at Lynden on Oct. 18. They’ll get top-seed Tumwater next.
CLASS 1A
QUARTERFINAL SCORES
No. 6 Montesano 21, No. 3 La Center 10
No. 2 Seton Catholic 42, No. 7 Life Christian Academy 41
No. 4 Cashmere 38, No. 5 Nooksack Valley 12
No. 1 Royal 56, No. 8 Lynden Christian 12
UPSET ALERT
Montesano trailed by a field goal at halftime, but RB/FS Toren Crites ran for a pair of second-half touchdowns (adding an early interception) that lifted the Bulldogs to an upset win at La Center.
CLASS 2B
QUARTERFINAL SCORES
No. 3 Napavine 46, No. 11 Adna 6
No. 2 Asotin 21, No. 10 La Salle 20
No. 5 Freeman 28, No. 4 Onalaska 0
No. 1 Okanogan 48, No. 8 Tri-Cities Prep
UPSET ALERT
What a performance by Freeman’s defense, forcing timely turnovers and blanking an Onalaska offense that averaged over 52 points per game entering Saturday’s quarterfinals. No. 10 La Salle flirted with a road upset but fell to No. 2 Asotin, 21-20.
CLASS 1B
QUARTERFINAL SCORES
No. 3 Naselle 60, No. 6 Pomeroy 50
No. 2 Wilbur-Creston-Keller 56, No. 10 Garfield-Palouse 12
No. 4 Almira Coulee Hartline 14, No. 5 Neah Bay 12
No. 1 Liberty Christian (Richland) 56, No. 8 DeSales 20
UPSET ALERT
No upsets here, but the matchup of neighboring seeds between No. 4 Almira Coulee Hartline and No. 5 Neah Bay was as close as advertised, 14-12.
ANALYSIS FROM TNT REPORTERS JON MANLEY AND TYLER WICKE
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM STATE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
Manley: It mostly shook out how I expected it to, with the exception of Gonzaga Prep knocking off Kennedy Catholic. I liked Kennedy in that game, but Gonzaga Prep has made a living winning tight games against the best teams it has faced this season (Mead, Kennedy). Otherwise, I figured Sumner (4A) and Tumwater (2A) would advance, and I felt the 3A Metro League’s quality was going to make it difficult for Tacoma public schools representatives Lincoln and Mount Tahoma to advance to the semifinals this year. Also, we picked Franklin Pierce to beat W.F. West in the 2A bracket, and I was a little surprised the Cardinals weren’t able to move the ball effectively. W.F. West QB Gage Brumfield is an impressive athlete and will give the Bearcats a shot against reigning state champion Anacortes in the semifinals. I thought Tumwater would win comfortably against No. 9 Sehome, but getting to a running clock by the second quarter (51-0 halftime lead) is crazy. This team is a machine. Sumner was equally impressive against Skyview, posting a 41-0 shutout. Tight end Carter Cocke (three TDs) will likely need to replicate that effort against a legitimate Chiawana squad on Saturday if the Spartans are going to advance to play in the state championship game at Husky Stadium.
Wicke: And then there were four. A handful of blowouts, a handful of upsets in last weekend’s state quarterfinal round that leave four teams in each classification vying for championships. Sumner (4A) and Tumwater (2A) are the South Sound’s representatives following quarterfinal routs of 4A-Skyview (41-0) and 2A-Sehome (70-7), respectively. We picked both schools to advance — just not by 40. Watching Sehome-Tumwater from the sidelines, I drew the same conclusion that built after every touchdown: Tumwater is a freight train. T-Birds LB/RB Cash Short wrecked both sides of the football and posted monster first-half numbers, and Sehome’s defense couldn’t stop the deceptive Wing-T offense in Tumwater, which piled up 386 total yards and led at halftime by 51. Tumwater’s on a mission to return to Husky Stadium after dropping last year’s 2A state championship to Anacortes, 60-30, and we’re two weekends away from a rematch if the T-Birds and Seahawks win their adjacent semifinals this Saturday. Tumwater’s next opponent? No. 5 Archbishop Murphy — the only team to beat Anacortes this season. ... Sumner RB Steele Isaacs is in postseason form, handling another 26 carries for two scores in a runaway Spartans win. Isaacs has 13 TDs in his last five games. ... And what a performance by W.F. West QB Gage Brumfield, leading the Bearcats over undefeated 2A Franklin Pierce in a road upset. They’ll get Anacortes next opposite Tumwater-Archbishop Murphy, an intriguing matchup between powerful offenses.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE STOOD OUT?
Manley: I’ll take a pair of Sumner players: RB Steele Isaacs and TE Carter Cocke. Isaacs has been on a tear lately. He rushed for 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 26 carries in Sumner’s win over Skyview. Cocke racked up three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) in the win.
Wicke: Tumwater LB/RB Cash Short ran for a 52-yard touchdown, returned an interception 20 yards for a pick-six, sacked two (2 TFL), and forced a Sehome safety – all in the first quarter. It took him just 12 minutes to produce a monster game as the top-ranked T-Birds soared over Sehome, 70-7, in the 2A quarterfinals. His final stat line reads like a run-on sentence: Three carries for 61 yards and a touchdown rush, a 20-yard interception return touchdown, one safety, 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks.
WHICH SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST?
Manley: In 4A, No. 2 Sumner vs. No. 3 Chiawana is a heavyweight matchup. Both teams are undefeated against in-state opponents this season and are coming off impressive quarterfinal wins. Sumner completely dominated Skyview, and Chiawana knocked off two-time defending state champion Lake Stevens. For all the success Sumner has had in recent years, the Spartans haven’t reached the state championship game under Keith Ross. I know how badly his players, particularly the seniors, want to get Ross a ring. This is their best shot. In 3A, I’m intrigued by No. 1 Bellevue’s game against No. 5 Roosevelt. Roosevelt has some talented pieces and could give No. 1 Bellevue a challenge. Could we see an all-Metro final? I’m sticking with Bellevue, but it’ll probably be close.
Wicke: Top-seed Tumwater hosts No. 5 Archbishop Murphy at Tumwater District Stadium for Saturday’s 2A semifinals, where the winner books a trip to Husky Stadium for the state championship. These programs met in the state bracket three straight seasons from 2015-17 and both feature a Wing-T offense, albeit differently: “Theirs is a little bit more Bellevue-esque, more physical and downhill,” Tumwater head coach Willie Garrow said of the Archbishop Murphy offense. “We’re a bit more (deceptive). That part of it’s going to be fun.” In 3A, a fun Metro rivalry in the semifinals: No. 3 Eastside Catholic vs. No. 2 O’Dea under the Space Needle at Memorial Stadium. O’Dea won the regular-season meeting in September, 20-0.
WHAT’S NEXT (STATE SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE)
CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS
No. 3 Chiawana vs. No. 2 Sumner
4 p.m. Saturday at Sunset Chevrolet Stadium (Sumner)
No. 5 Gonzaga Prep vs. No. 1 Camas
1 p.m. Saturday at McKenzie Stadium (Vancouver)
CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS
No. 3 Eastside Catholic vs. No. 2 O’Dea
1 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium (Seattle)
No. 5 Roosevelt vs. No. 1 Bellevue
4 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium (Seattle)
CLASS 2A SEMIFINALS
No. 6 W.F. West vs. No. 2 Anacortes
3 p.m. Saturday at Oak Harbor High School
No. 5 Archbishop Murphy vs. No. 1 Tumwater
2 p.m. Saturday at Tumwater District Stadium
CLASS 1A SEMIFINALS
No. 6 Montesano vs. No. 2 Seton Catholic
4 p.m. Saturday at McKenzie Stadium (Vancouver)
No. 4 Cashmere vs. No. 1 Royal
4 p.m. Saturday at Lions Field (Moses Lake)
CLASS 2B SEMIFINALS
No. 3 Napavine vs. No. 2 Asotin
4 p.m. Saturday at Fran Rish Stadium (Richland)
No. 5 Freeman vs. No. 1 Okanogan
4 p.m. Saturday at Apple Bowl (Wenatchee)
CLASS 1B SEMIFINALS
No. 3 Naselle vs. No. 2 Wilbur Creston Keller
1 p.m. Saturday at Lions Field (Moses Lake)
No. 4 Almira Coulee Hartline vs. No. 1 Liberty Christian
1 p.m. Saturday at Fran Rish Stadium (Richland)
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 2:20 PM.
