SUMNER — Trailing 14-3 entering the second half of the 4A state quarterfinals at Sumner Chev Stadium on Saturday, Glacier Peak knew it needed to throw the football.
Sumner, the defending state champions, imposed its will stopping the run, allowing just two net rushing yards on six attempts from Glacier Peak in the first half. GP coach Shane Keck knew he needed to dial up the playbook with a chance to make it a one-score game after receiving the second-half kick.
But the No. 5 seed Spartans (9-3) were ready for it.
On just the second play of the half for the No. 13 seed Grizzlies (9-2), Sumner senior Izear Ferguson snagged an interception over the middle of the field. Fellow senior Lance McGee scored a long rushing touchdown on the very next play to make it a 21-3 lead. The Spartans grabbed another interception later in the quarter and took advantage with another touchdown, and Glacier Peak’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt fell short in a 34-17 loss.
“We knew we were going to have to throw the ball to win that game, and I think we gave ourselves a chance,” Keck said. “(Sumner is) a good football team, so proud of the way our kids battled, and you know, I think we just kind of ran out of time.”
Sophomore quarterback Oliver Setterberg finished with 172 yards and a touchdown through the air, with junior receiver/defensive back Matthew Kowalski (seven receptions, 80 yards) and senior receiver/defensive back Michael Darling (six receptions, 46 yards) getting the bulk of the production. While the Grizzlies’ run attack struggled, McGee powered Sumner’s strong run game to the tune of 145 yards and two touchdowns, adding 48 receiving yards as well. Overall, the Spartans totaled 386 offensive yards (232 rushing) compared to Glacier Peak’s 187.
After going up 21-3, Sumner’s defense made it home for two sacks, forcing the Grizzlies to punt. Glacier Peak made a stand on defense to get the ball back on a Sumner punt, but junior Gray Longoria grabbed the Spartans’ second interception to set up their offense with great field position. After an incompletion to the end zone, senior quarterback Nate Donovan connected with senior Jayden Martemianov for a 22-yard touchdown along the left hash, pushing it to 28-3 with 6:15 left in the third quarter.
Glacier Peak wouldn’t go down without a fight, putting together two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to help bridge the gap.
The Grizzlies barely missed a deep connection into the red zone on 3rd-and-13 from around midfield, but forced a punt on Sumner’s next possession before executing a 55-yard touchdown drive as the passing game finally clicked into form. Kowalski hauled in a clutch 14-yard reception in coverage, converting on 3rd-and-12 into Spartans territory, and picked up 24 more yards on a catch-and-run a few plays later to put Glacier Peak into the red zone. Darling finished off the drive by bobbling in a tipped pass into the end zone to cut the deficit to 28-10 with 9:08 left in the game.
“I just feel like we don’t stop,” Kowalski said. “No matter what the score is, we’re going to put our foot down the whole time. Just because the score is what it is, doesn’t mean we’re not going to play how we should play.”
Building some momentum, the Grizzlies defense forced an intentional grounding before senior receiver/defensive back Mikhail Sholukh intercepted Donovan to put the offense just outside the red zone. Setterberg picked up a few chunk plays with his arm and legs before zipping a third-down pass inside to Darling, who held onto the ball despite taking a shot to the head. The Spartans made a couple of goal-line stands before senior running back/defensive back Isaiah Owens dove into the end zone to make it 28-17 with 5:52 left following the extra point.
But that was as close as it would get. Sumner recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt, and McGee gashed the defense before junior Braylon Pope scored from 25 yards out on a reverse. Senior receiver/linebacker Luke Fullerton, who made a couple of tackles-for-loss on Mika Petaia prior to Pope’s touchdown, blocked the extra point attempt to leave it at 34-17. The Grizzlies offense turned the ball over on downs after getting possession back, and Sumner ran out the clock to punch its ticket into the semifinals.
“I think we just build on it next year,” junior tight end/defensive lineman Max Bridges said. “All the work in the offseason, getting into the weight room, going to the field. We got to keep that ‘train don’t stop’ mentality the seniors made and bring it over. Just keep it rolling.”
The Spartans opened the game with a McGee rushing touchdown shortly after he took the first play from scrimmage 40 yards downfield on a screen pass, but Glacier Peak responded when Setterberg hit Kowalski for a 38-yard gain down the right sideline on 3rd-and-13 to set the offense up near midfield. A couple of Sumner penalties moved the ball into field goal range, where junior Tyler Larsen eventually nailed a 29-yard field goal to cut it to 7-3 in the first quarter.
The defense turned around to stall a 63-yard Sumner drive that took 7:31 off the clock, with sophomore running back/defensive back Alan Van Wyk and senior running back/linebacker Kai Brooks making back-to-back stops around the line-of-scrimmage before Bridges delivered a third-down strip sack. The Spartans recovered the ball, but missed the following field goal attempt to keep the score 7-3 with 11:21 left in the half.
Ultimately, the Grizzlies couldn’t take advantage of the momentum play, punting on both of their offensive drives before halftime while Sumner scored a touchdown in between. Spartans junior Ashton Pillard hauled in a 33-yard reception down the right hash, and McGee burst through a hole for a 25-yard touchdown on consecutive plays to make it 14-3 with 5:29 left in the second quarter.
It was an emotional scene for Glacier Peak once the game went final. Keck addressed the group, which kneeled in front of him with tears in their eyes, before each player lined up to shake hands and share words with every coach on the staff. Together, this group accomplished what few have in program history, becoming the third to reach the state quarterfinals and the first since 2015.
Through the sadness of a season — or in the seniors’ cases, a chapter of life — coming to an end, those returning to the program could see what they achieved this year and look ahead with optimism.
“I think it shows that we’re going in the right direction,” Keck said. “We play a lot of sophomores. We’ve got a real good junior class, too. So hopefully this pushes us to understand, ‘Hey, we’re supposed to be playing into late November if we continue to do the right things.’”
The players are on the same page.
“This isn’t our ‘top,’” Kowalski said. “We’ve got a lot more in us.”
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