PUYALLUP – A controversial played helped end Cascade’s season.
Puyallup defeated the Bruins 15-13 Saturday night in a 4A first-round football playoff game at Sparks Stadium.
Puyallup (9-1) will play Skyview, which defeated South Kitsap 21-15 on Saturday in Vancouver.
After cutting the Vikings’ lead to 15-12 on a Lorne Bridgford’s 11-yard touchdown run, Cascade seemed poised to score the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
The Bruins marched the ball to the Puyallup 3-yard line. On third down and goal, fullback Nick Morrison plunged forward and was met near the goal line by several Puyallup defenders.
After a moment of scuffling, Puyallup cornerback Connor Cockle broke free from the swarm of bodies, running with the football before he was taken down 37 yards later.
What exactly transpired is up for debate.
” (Morrison) was going down with his back to our home stands and somebody knocked the ball out, I think it was Kevin Friermuth, and it bounced right into my arms,” Cockle said. “You play to the whistle, and I didn’t hear any whistle so I just kept running.”
Cascade coach Jake Huizinga wasn’t listening for a whistle, he was looking for the referee to signal touchdown, but it never came.
“I saw him down, I saw him in the end zone, I saw a lot of stuff,” Huizinga said. “I did not see that call occur. I don’t know what the referees were doing or what they saw.”
Even most of the Puyallup players weren’t quite sure what happened. Free safety Aaron Brown didn’t see the play. Mike Jarrett, who was lined up at the other corner, only saw Cockle break free and start running.
“I didn’t know what he was doing,” Puyallup head coach Tom Ingles said.
He wasn’t alone.
“I was listening for the crowd to see if they ruled him down, but I don’t think they even started cheering until I ran like 15 yards,” Cockle said.
Obviously, there is no instant replay in high school football, so Huizinga believes the answer will be found in the game film.
“I’ll watch the film and I’ll challenge the officials to watch the film because that was garbage,” he said.
It’s a play Huizinga and the Bruins won’t soon forget.
“We wish the best for Puyallup, they’re a great team,” said Huizinga, who’s team lost four games this year by a total of nine points. “Our kids fought to the very end. But I’m really disappointed the lack of courage the officials to make some good calls.”
Even after the controversial turnover, Puyallup couldn’t run the clock out. Cascade got the ball back with 4:07 to play in the game.
However, Jarrett intercepted a Dirk Snel pass to end Cascade’s comeback hopes and its season with a 6-4 record.
“I looked over at the quarterback and he was scrambling and threw it anyway, I was able to make the catch and come down with it,” Jarrett said.
Jarrett had made a key play earlier in the game.
Following Brown’s 3-yard touchdown run to put Puyallup up 13-7 in the second quarter, a botched snap on a point after attempt sent the ball bouncing 25 yards from the goal line.
Jarrett, who also handles the kicking duties for the Vikings, scooped up the ball and sprinted past the stunned Cascade defense for a two-point conversion.
“I got a chance to look back and there were guys coming at me pretty quick,” Jarrett said. “But the ball popped right up to me. I thought about throwing it, but I saw a lane open up and I just took it in. We had to get some points some how.”
At Sparks Stadium
Cascade6070-13
Puyallup01500-15
Cascade-Morrison 1 run (kick blocked)
Puyallup-Williams 2 run (Jarrett kick)
Puyallup-Brown 3 run (Jarrett run)
Cascade-Bridgford 11 run (Snel kick)
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