Kamiak making the most of its second chance

They played an entire high school football season only to end up where they started.

Kamiak and Meadowdale, two teams that met in the first game of the season, meet again Saturday in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

“We’ve come full circle, I guess you could say,” Kamiak coach Dan Mack said.

But Kamiak’s ride on the merry-go-round was a lot more eventful than Meadowdale’s.

After his team opened the season with five straight wins, Mack discovered the Knights had fielded an academically ineligible player in two of the contests. Kamiak eventually was forced to forfeit those two games.

Still, the Knights were in control of their own destiny. Then came a devastating loss to Edmonds-Woodway. Suddenly a team that had secured no worse than a tie for its league championship was in jeopardy of not advancing to the postseason.

Kamiak needed a win in its last league game and some help to reach the state-qualifying round.

Obviously, the Knights got what they needed, and they went on to soundly beat a previously undefeated Shelton team last Saturday to reach the state playoffs. But getting there was an emotional roller-coaster ride.

“It’s unbelievable what our team has been through,” Mack said. “It’s been the most agonizing time I’ve had to deal with in my coaching career.”

It all began with a routine Saturday phone call from an upcoming opponent asking for game film. The rival coach happened to mention that he was getting an academically ineligible player back after the mandatory five-week suspension. That got Mack thinking. He’d had his academically ineligible player sit out, too. But Kamiak began the count with the first day of practice, two weeks before school started.

“I had a sick feeling,” Mack said.

He went to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Web site to research the eligibility rules, called an emergency Sunday meeting of his team captains to give them a heads up and consulted with athletic director Dr. Jack Kniseley. Then the school self-reported the violation.

The forfeits came down the week of the Edmonds-Woodway game.

“I knew going in we had to play well,” Mack said. “Having seen Edmonds-Woodway, I knew they were good and getting better.”

But Kamiak was banged up – four starters missed the game. And the forfeiture situation was distracting. Mack won’t use either of those factors as excuses for the E-W loss, but they contributed.

“Even though we tried to keep things in perspective, there was the added pressure of having to win and the distractions,” Mack said. “I don’t think the distractions helped us at all.”

That was the low point. After losing to the Warriors, the Knights needed a win over Terrace and a Jackson or Meadowdale loss. They were playing Terrace as the second game of a doubleheader following the Shorewood-Meadowdale game and when they pulled up to Edmonds Stadium, the scoreboard told the tale. Meadowdale had won.

“We were getting off the bus and this lady came running up to me saying Jackson had lost,” Mack said. “I didn’t know who she was. I’d never seen her before in my life.”

But, sure enough, Jackson had lost to Everett in a 5 p.m. game.

“We were hopping up and down like our pants were on fire,” Mack said.

Then all the Knights had to do was beat Terrace, which they did, and the rest is history.

“We’re just thankful we had another opportunity to get another shot,” Mack said.

And they made the most of it, rushing for 290 yards and passing for 190 against Shelton, which had the misfortune of getting in the Knights’ way at the wrong time.

“We unloaded on Shelton,” Mack said. “We just wanted to get in there and play some football because that’s what we do.”

Here’s a look at Saturday’s playoff games:

Meadowdale at Kamiak

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday at Goddard Stadium.

Radio: KRKO (1380 AM) joined in progress following the Washington State Cougars football broadcast.

Records: Meadowdale is 8-2 overall. Kamiak is 7-3.

Previously: Kamiak QB Mark Iddins threw a 19-yard TD pass to receiver Rebel Hall with one minute to play to give the Knights an 11-7 victory on Sept. 3. Iddins was 26-for-35 for 270 yards. Hall caught 10 passes for 119 yards. Kamiak DB Thomas Callandret intercepted a pass to end Meadowdale’s last possession.

Meadowdale’s Travis Anderson carried 18 times for 62 yards. The Mavericks scored on a 4-yard pass from QB Demetri Huffman to receiver Alex Romanyuk.

Players to watch: Meadowdale RB Travis Anderson has carried 182 times for 1,020 yards and 11 TDs. QB Demetri Huffman has completed 74 of 140 attempts for 1,206 yards and 11 TDs. Receiver Jake Linton has 46 catches for 790 yards and six TDs.

Kamiak QB Mark Iddins has completed 135 of 214 attempts for 1,908 yards and 16 TDs. RB Austin Curran has 500 yards rushing on 51 carries. Receivers Rebel Hall, Tony Virata and Sean Hermes have combined for 92 catches for 1,256 yards.

Breaking down the game: Both teams are loaded at the skill positions, but Kamiak has more depth. Linton is a game-breaking-type player, but the emergence of Curran has given Kamiak a running game to complement its superlative passing attack. The past two meetings have been extremely close and this should be, too.

Little-known fact: In last season’s regular-season meeting, Kamiak edged Meadowdale 28-25 in overtime at Goddard Stadium.

Pick: Kamiak 13-10.

Edmonds-Woodway vs. Evergreen

Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday at McKenzie Stadium, Vancouver.

Records: E-W 8-2 is overall. Evergreen 10-0.

Players to watch: E-W RB Travis Smith has 256 carries for 1,535 yards and 18 TDs. RB Josh Heard has 65 carries for 598 yards and five TDs. QB John Dawson has completed 63 of 126 passes for 912 yards and nine TDs. Receiver Mike Darrington has 16 catches for 351 yards and five TDs. Kyle Beader has 15 catches for 165 yards, Andrew Donaldson has 10 for 122 and Heard has 10 for 156.

Evergreen RB Taylor Rank carried 20 times for 165 yards and four TDs in last week’s 54-12 victory over Wilson. QB Nick Fleck completed 10 of 14 attempts to seven different receivers for 163 yards and a TD. Justin Schuele led the Evergreen defense with a sack and a 35-yard interception return for a TD.

Breaking down the game: Evergreen got to the state semifinals last year before losing and it feels like it has some unfinished business. E-W is making its first-ever state playoff appearance. The danger in that is taking satisfaction with the accomplishment and forgetting the season isn’t over. E-W is very good. The Warriors proved that with last week’s smacking of North Kitsap. But going on the road against an unbeaten, experienced playoff team is an entirely different animal. E-W will have to play an exceptional game to survive.

Little-known fact: E-W is making its first state playoff appearance since Edmonds and Woodway high schools merged in 1990.

Pick: Evergreen 35-21.

Archbishop Murphy vs. Port Townsend

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday at Silverdale Stadium.

Records: Archbishop Murphy is 11-0 overall. Port Townsend is 9-1.

Players to watch: Archbishop Murphy RBs Stan Smith and Shiloh Keo both average better than 11 yards per carry and have combined for 2,203 rushing yards. QB Kyle Wilkins is a whiz at disguising handoffs and when he does pass, he’s effective. Three of his six completions have gone for TDs.

Port Townsend RB Sloan Gutierrez carried 18 times for 96 yards in last week’s 29-28 winner-to-state, loser-out victory over Steilacoom. RB Keith Johnson had 14 carries for 97 yards and RB Jake St. Clair had 13 carries for 74 yards. Port Townsend won on a two-point conversion pass from QB Isaiah Sather to TE Austin Thacker following a fourth-quarter TD run by Johnson.

Breaking down the game: Both teams like to run the football, but Archbishop Murphy’s offense is probably more efficient. St. Clair will pound the middle for Port Townsend, while Gutierrez and Johnson attack the corners. They’ll be running into the strength of the Archbishop Murphy defense.

Little-known fact: The two teams had one common opponent this season. Port Townsend beat South Whidbey 38-14. Murphy beat the Falcons 55-7.

Pick: Archbishop Murphy 42-14.

Other games Saturday

Class 1A: Ocosta (7-3) at Friday Harbor (9-0), 12:30 p.m.; Concrete (5-5) at Napavine (9-0), 1 p.m.; La Conner (6-3) at Onalaska (9-1), 6 p.m.

Class B-11: Orcas Island (8-3) at Asotin (7-1), noon.