TACOMA — Eight days after a scary bus crash left Bellevue’s players shaken, the Wolverines were back on top of the Washington Class 3A ranks.
Peter Nguyen rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, and Bellevue raced to a 28-0 halftime lead en route to a 35-6 win over Union of Vancouver in the Class 3A state championship football game on Saturday night.
It was Bellevue’s sixth state title this decade and unlike the double overtime 2A thriller that preceded the 3A title game, this one was never in doubt. Bellevue rolled to touchdowns on its first four possessions and never gave the upset-minded Titans a chance.
The Wolverines (14-0) were on their way to a state semifinal matchup with Capital of Olympia on Nov. 28 when their bus overturned on Interstate 5 trying to avoid a ladder that had fallen on the roadway, causing a four-vehicle accident. Seven players were checked at hospitals while the semifinal matchup was postponed for three days.
Last Monday, the battered Wolverines shuttled numerous players in and out of their lineup trying to keep them as fresh as possible. The result was a 28-6 win over Capital and a date in the finals with Union (13-1), which dispatched Lakes in its semifinal.
A few days of rest certainly helped Bellevue.
The Wolverines scored on four of their five possessions in the first half. The only time they were stopped was when Taylor Anderson was tackled at the 1 on the final play of the half after a 34-yard pass reception.
Three of Bellevue’s four first-half touchdowns came on big plays. Peter Nguyen sprinted 89 yards on Bellevue’s second possession. Freddie Levine went 27 yards to give the Wolverines a 21-0 lead and David Nguyen capped Bellevue’s big half with a 41-yard TD run with 3:16 left in the second quarter.
David Nguyen finished with 167 yards rushing, as the Wolverines ran for 448 yards and had 486 total yards.
Bellevue’s defense was equally good. The Wolverines held Union to 59 total yards in the first half, while Bellevue’s offense was busy running up 312 rushing yards in the first 24 minutes.
Union, in its second-year of varsity football, couldn’t come close to matching Bellevue’s big-play ability. The Titans’ only touchdown came on a 6-yard run by Nathaniel Penaranda with 2:32 left in the game.
Titans quarterback Brandon Weller completed 10 of 17 passes for 123 yards, but was intercepted four times.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
