State football capsules: Mavs looking for first semifinal berth

Published 7:33 pm Thursday, November 17, 2016

LYNNWOOD — Back in a familiar spot, the Meadowdale football team is once again on the verge of uncharted territory.

The Mavericks will be making their sixth state quarterfinal appearance in program history and their fifth in the last decade when they face eighth-ranked Peninsula in a Class 3A state quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday at Edmonds Stadium.

But this stage of the playoffs hasn’t been kind to Meadowdale. The Mavericks are 0-5 all-time in the quarterfinals, with losses to powerhouse programs such as Eastside Catholic, Camas, Union and O’Dea.

Meadowdale is seeking to change that trend with a milestone victory.

“We’ve been very focused,” Mavericks second-year coach Matt Leonard said. “It’s a level of focus that I haven’t really seen from our kids this season. They’re very committed as a group of kids to do something that hasn’t been done. It’s something that we’ve talked about all year — breaking the ceiling on that.”

Meadowdale (9-2) kept its season alive with a dramatic first-round win over Kelso last week, as senior quarterback Drew Tingstad and senior receiver Haelin Roberts connected for a game-winning 48-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-19 with 57 seconds left. It was the second straight week that the Mavericks had won a postseason game by less than a touchdown.

“I think our kids feel like they didn’t really play a very good game,” Leonard said. “Kind of two weeks in a row, we haven’t played very good football. In the end, we dug down deep, rallied around each other and did whatever we had to do to make it work. And that’s all that really mattered at the end of the day.”

Tingstad, Roberts and senior running back Kela Marshall headline a balanced offensive attack that has Meadowdale averaging 36.5 points per game. But the key to this season, Leonard said, has been the development of an offensive line that features five first-year starters.

“That group of kids is the reason why we’re standing here,” Leonard said. “If they didn’t accept the challenge, or didn’t grow, or hadn’t gotten better, we wouldn’t be here. I’m just really proud of those kids.”

The Mavericks will face a tough test against Peninsula’s defense, which has yielded just 8.5 points per game this season.

“Best defense we’ve played, hands down,” Leonard said. “I think they’re the best defense I’ve ever coached or prepared to play against. They know their job and they execute on every single play. They don’t beat themselves. They make you earn everything.”

Leonard said that earlier in the week he tried to convince his team to view Friday night’s game just like any other. But he didn’t have much luck. His players understand what’s at stake.

“They’re not dumb, so they (didn’t) listen to me too much,” Leonard said with a laugh. “They know what it is. It’s a chance to make school history, and that moment isn’t lost on our kids right now.”

Class 4A

No. 5 Lake Stevens (11-0) vs. Skyview (8-3)

When: 3 p.m., Saturday

Where: Kiggins Bowl (Vancouver)

Lake Stevens: 1st in Wesco 4A; beat Bellarmine Prep 35-28 in first round

Skyview: 2nd in GSHL 4A; beat Chiawana 38-28 in first round

After graduating eight starters on both sides of the ball last spring, Lake Stevens is one win away from its third state semifinal berth in the last six seasons. The unbeaten Vikings entered the state playoffs having won every game by at least 30 points, but were pushed to the brink last week by first-round foe Bellarmine Prep. Lake Stevens rallied from a seven-point deficit with two touchdowns in the final five minutes, including a game-winning 22-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Conor Bardue to senior receiver Jake Rasmussen with 25 seconds left. Bardue has thrown for 2,763 yards, 40 touchdowns and five interceptions this season while spreading the ball to a talented trio of receivers in Rasmussen (15 touchdown catches), senior Hunter Eckstrom and junior Anthony Hutchinson. Senior running back Blake May has rushed for 515 yards and six touchdowns over the last three games and amassed 210 all-purpose yards last week. The Vikings’ offense is averaging 44.5 points per game, while their defense is yielding just 9.1 per contest. Skyview, making its eighth state playoff appearance in nine seasons, upset seventh-ranked Chiawana last week to advance to the quarterfinals. The Storm’s three losses this season have come to 4A top-ranked Camas, 3A top-ranked O’Dea and 3A second-ranked Eastside Catholic. Skyview is averaging 32.4 points but allowing 23.9 points per game.

Herald pick: Lake Stevens

Class 3A

Meadowdale (9-2) vs. No. 8 Peninsula (10-1)

When: 7 p.m., Friday

Where: Edmonds Stadium

Meadowdale: T-1st in Wesco 3A South; beat Kelso 24-20 in first round

Peninsula: T-1st in SSC 3A; beat Mountain View 17-0 in first round

After advancing to the state quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last decade, Meadowdale is seeking the program’s first-ever semifinal berth. The Mavericks punched their ticket to the quarterfinals with a dramatic win over Kelso last week, as senior quarterback Drew Tingstad and senior receiver Haelin Roberts connected for a game-winning 48-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-19 with 57 seconds left. Tingstad has thrown for 2,746 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions this season while leading a Meadowdale team that’s averaging 36.5 points per game. Roberts has been his favorite receiver, compiling 985 yards receiving and eight touchdown catches. Senior running back Kela Marshall has added 1,173 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. Peninsula is yielding just 8.5 points per game and suffered its only loss to 10th-ranked Timberline. The Seahawks have lost to Bellevue in the state quarterfinals three of the last four seasons.

Herald pick: Peninsula

Class 2A

No. 1 Archbishop Murphy (11-0) vs. No. 2 Tumwater (10-1)

When: 1 p.m., Saturday

Where: Tumwater District Stadium

Archbishop Murphy: 1st in Cascade; beat North Kitsap 34-0 in first round

Tumwater: 1st in Evergreen; beat Washington 44-7 in first round

Archbishop Murphy’s quest for the first Class 2A state title in program history runs through Tumwater in a battle of the classification’s two top-ranked teams. The showdown is a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, when Tumwater rallied for 17 unanswered points in the second half to hand the Wildcats a season-ending 24-21 loss. Murphy has recorded five shutouts, forced 21 turnovers and outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 307-6 in six games this season (opponents forfeited the Wildcats’ other five scheduled contests). Wildcats senior quarterback Connor Johnson has thrown 13 touchdown passes and just one interception this season, while senior running back Collin Montez has added eight rushing touchdowns and three defensive scores. Senior receiver Anfernee Gurley and junior receiver Kyler Gordon each have 10 total touchdowns. Murphy blanked previously unbeaten North Kitsap in last week’s first-round win, limiting the Vikings’ Wing-T offense to just 56 total yards. Murphy faces another high-powered Wing-T attack this week in reigning 2A runner-up Tumwater, which is averaging 42.1 points per game yielding just 12.3 per contest. The legendary Sid Otton, the winningest coach in state history, is in his final season leading the Thunderbirds. His grandson, Cade Otton, is a senior tight end on the team and has committed to play at the University of Washington. Earlier this season, the younger Otton hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass as time expired to lift Tumwater to a non-league win over Bellevue, then ranked seventh in 3A. The Thunderbirds also beat 2A No. 9 Franklin Pierce, and their lone loss came to Steilacoom.

Herald pick: Archbishop Murphy