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| Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
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| Marysville-Pilchuck's Ryan Sterley (40) gets up-ended by Issaquah's Joe Camporeale (26) before he can get to the end zone for a two-point conversion in the second quarter of Saturday night's game. Marysville-Pilchuck lost the Class 4A quad-district game 36-18 at Everett Memorial Stadium. |
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Kevin Brown, Sports Editor
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Published: Sunday, November 9, 2008
Tomahawks fall to Issaquah in playoffs
M-P suffers first loss of season, drops playoff game to Issaquah 36-18
By Kevin Brown Herald Writer
EVERETT -- If the Issaquah Eagles handed out a game ball Saturday night, it probably should have gone to the team's trainer.
The Eagles limped into their 4A quad-district football game against undefeated Marysville-Pilchuck having lost two of their final three regular-season games. But in the seven days they had to prepare for the sixth-ranked Tomahawks, the most important thing they accomplished was nursing themselves back to health.
The return of four key players -- including two starting offensive linemen -- proved to be the major catalyst for the Eagles, who stunned the Tomahawks 36-18 at Everett Memorial Stadium.
"To have all those guys back in the lineup makes you look like a good coach," said Issaquah coach Chris Bennett, who added his team was healthy for the first time since the season opener.
For M-P (9-1), a perfect season came to an imperfect end.
"We came out and played with all our hearts," M-P senior running back Caleb Posey said. "They just played harder."
All season Marysville's M.O. had been to beat people up with its huge offensive line. But thanks to the return from injury of Kevin Degginger (230 pounds) and Dillon Reagan (301), Issaquah matched the Tomahawks pound for pound.
"We told the guys we had to win the battle up front," Bennett said, "and we did."
Marysville knew it was in for a game on the first play from scrimmage. Issaquah quarterback Joey Bradley (9-for-13, 189 yards) connected with tight end Sean Stuby for a 56-yard gain to the 2-yard line. The Eagles scored on the next play, and 25 seconds into the game they were up 8-0.
Stuby said the play didn't seem to stun the Tomahawks as much as it gave the Eagles a huge boost of confidence and momentum.
Riding that wave, Issaquah scored on its next possession -- an 85-yard, nine-play drive -- to take a 15-0 lead before the first quarter was finished.
Following Issaquah's first score, M-P drove to the Eagles' 10-yard line, but the drive stalled and a 28-yard field-goal attempt was blocked. That was a common theme for the Tomahawks, who three times drove inside the Issaquah 20-yard line only to come away with no points.
"We were moving the football," M-P coach Brandon Carson said, "We just couldn't capitalize."
Issaquah, which used a five-man front on defense, bottled up Austin Denton, Snohomish County's leading rusher. They held the M-P fullback to 36 yards on 10 carries, well below his season average of 170 per game. He finished the year with 1,565 yards.
But M-P has been far from a one-man show all season, and with Denton contained, it only provided more opportunities for other backs, most notably Posey. He finished with a game-high 176 yards on 11 carries and scored on runs of 33 and 61 yards.
The latter came with just 10 seconds remaining in the first half, and cut Issaquah's lead to 29-12.
Issaquah answered, though, in the third quarter on a 21-yard scoring run by Grant Gellatly. Gellatly, an elusive junior, finished with 162 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Because Marysville trailed from the opening seconds, the Tomahawks had to get away from their run-run-run philosophy and throw more than they like. Quarterback Devin Peterson, who had passed just 29 times coming into the game, was 3-for-15 for 55 yards.
His last throw of the evening was a 24-yard scoring pass to Levi Cartas with 2:36 remaining, but when M-P failed to recover the onside kick, the game -- and M-P's season -- was essentially over.
As he walked off the field, Posey used his jersey to wipe away tears. What was going through his head?
"That I'll never play football again," he said.
At Everett Memorial Stadium
Issaquah 15 14 7 0 -- 36
M-P 0 12 0 6 -- 18
Iss--Gellatly 7 run (Camporeale pass from Bergman)
Iss--Gellatly 3 run (Schumaker kick)
Iss--Talley 1 run (Schumaker kick)
MP--Posey 33 run (run failed)
Iss--Zuhl 11 pass from Bradley (Schumaker kick)
MP--Posey 61 run (run failed)
Iss--Gellatly 21 run (Schumaker kick)
MP--Cartas 24 pass from Peterson (run failed)
Records--Issaquah 8-2. M-P 9-1.
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