Mount Tahoma seizes Tacoma crown with statement win over Lincoln
Lincoln quarterback Sione Kaho spent much of Saturday afternoon’s game scrambling, hurrying throws and trying to avoid pressure from Mount Tahoma’s relentless pass rush.
The T-Birds won soundly up front, and everywhere else at Lincoln Bowl, too, silencing Lincoln’s offense and wearing the Abes’ defense down over the course of the afternoon. Statement made: the best team in Tacoma this fall is from the south end.
“This is our town, for sure,” said outside linebacker and running back Felix Diaz. “We’re coming for that state championship.”
Mount Tahoma (5-0) won 28-7, a convincing display in all phases of the game. The T-Birds have lofty goals, their sights set on the 3A state championship game at Husky Stadium in early December. But winning Tacoma had to come first after losing to Lincoln last year.
“We just took back what was ours from last year,” Mount Tahoma quarterback Mikkah Cordero said. “We had to take back the city.”
Mount Tahoma coach Keith Terry said he felt it was a statement win.
“That’s a really good program and to be able to hold them to seven points, kind of control the game in the second half, I think it’s really huge for us and where we want to be when the playoffs approach.”
Lincoln got on the board first when Kaho connected with Kasey Williams, who went untouched for a 75-yard score. Mount Tahoma answered with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Cordero to UW commit Elijah Durr. Diaz rushed in from three yards out as time expired to give Mount Tahoma a 14-7 halftime lead.
It was all T-Birds in the second half: Nezie White had a 4-yard touchdown run and Cordero added an exclamation point with another touchdown pass to Durr late in the fourth quarter. It was the defense, though, that was the star of the day, holding Lincoln to just seven points.
“We’re big, we’re fast, we’re physical,” Terry said. “I think we check a lot of boxes.”
Indeed. Saturday’s performance was proof.
“It’s just the standard,” Diaz said. “Shutouts, that’s what we expect.”
There’s still plenty of season left, but this team thinks it has the pieces to win a 3A state championship. It might be the best team from Tacoma since the 2019 Lincoln team, which reached the state tournament semifinal round.
“We definitely think we can get a ring,” Cordero said. “We have athletes everywhere.”
Mount Tahoma welcomes Bellarmine Prep next Friday night, while Lincoln (2-3) will look to bounce back against Silas next Friday.
