TACOMA — In a game as big as the state semifinals, coaches and players look to the quarterback to help lead the squad.
With their seasons on the line, Lake Stevens senior Jacob Eason, one of the top recruits in the nation who has verbally committed to the University of Georgia, and Skyline’s Blake Gregory, another senior, answered the call, doing all they could to lead their squads in a shootout to clinch a spot in the 4A state title game.
In the end, Gregory and his Spartans edged Lake Stevens 37-34 in a 4A state semifinal at the Tacoma Dome. The Skyline quarterback finished 22 of 28 for 436 yards and three touchdowns. Eason was 32 of 42 for 390 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the end zone on the final play of the game.
“No disrespect to other quarterbacks out there, but these are the two best quarterbacks in the state,” said Skyline head coach Mat Taylor. “That Jacob Eason, he made some throws. He just throws it, and I’m like, ‘No way is he going to complete that.’ And he just makes it. But Blake had a special throw on that touchdown to Bradley Kim. That’s a throw he hasn’t made in his career yet.”
Both teams led their respective squads as they dueled to the end. The game featured eight lead changes with the teams alternating scores throughout the second half.
After Skyline took the lead on a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kim with 6 minutes, 51 seconds left in the game, Lake Stevens came close to one more score, driving down the field in the game’s final seconds. The Vikings got the ball with 38 seconds remaining on the Skyline 48-yard line. Eason’s interception came on the last play of the game – a Hail Mary throw into the endzone with three seconds left on the clock to fellow senior Riley Krenz, who has been his go-to target the last four years at Lake Stevens.
“We did all we could. It just wasn’t our game,” an emotional Eason said after the game. “Hats off to Skyline. I hope they go take it to Gonzaga Prep and get themselves a title.”
Eason’s other turnover came on a fumble late in the fourth quarter.
“I feel really bad for Jake because he’s carried us all year,” said Lake Stevens head coach Tom Tri. “He carried us tonight. He had a hell of a game. I’m a dummy and call a run play out of quads. … That’s the first fumble (for Eason this season). You’ve got to give them credit. They made more plays tonight.
“I wanted the ball in our hands, whether we had the lead or were close, because I thought we were going to go down to score and win the game. That’s the kind of crew we have. We put ourselves in that position, we just couldn’t quite finish the job.”
Tri prasied Eason, Krenz and all of his seniors, including running back Andrew Grimes who kept the Lake Stevens offense balanced all season with over 1,600 yards rushing — including 161 and a touchdown on 24 carries Saturday night.
Krenz had 12 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown.
“They have tremendous heart and tremendous character and I’d go to war with those guys any day of the week,” Tri said. “They’ve just been a sheer pleasure to coach and they’re even better kids than they are football players and that’s what makes it so much fun. That’s what makes you want to work so hard for kids like that.”
Gregory found Kim twice for receptions – both going for Skyline touchdowns. Kim finished with 47 yards receiving. Rashaad Boddie had six receptions for 79 yards and Danny Sinatro had three catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
“Their quarterback had a great game,” Tri said. “The bottom line is they had too much time to throw the ball. We needed to do a little bit better job of pressuring their quarterback, especially in the first half. We did a better job in the second half making some adjustments but ultimately they just made more plays than we did.”
Gregory, who Taylor said has frustratingly not “gotten more attention from colleges,” knew he was going up against an elite competitor in Eason.
“It was a great competition,” Gregory said. “We knew Jacob is a great quarterback, obviously with all of his accolades. The thing that I was telling myself was it’s not me going against him. We’re both quarterbacks. We don’t play defense. Everybody likes to hype it up in that way and say Blake versus Jacob, but we’re not playing against each other. Our defense prepared extremely well for him and they got the job done tonight.”
The season didn’t end the way Lake Stevens (12-1 overall) wanted, but it capped a tremendous high school career for Eason, who thanked his fellow Vikings and their fans for the journey.
“I love this team,” Eason said. “I love this town. I wouldn’t want to play football anywhere else in high school. Everything comes to an end and it just did.”
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