SEATTLE — For the opening 12 minutes, Lynnwood resembled a football team that had collected rust waiting 21 years for a postseason berth.
The final three quarters illustrated a different Royals team — a club hungry to finally get back to the Class 3A state playoffs after more than two decades of missing out.
Lynnwood overcame a sluggish start and a three-score deficit, received a star-studded performance from senior quarterback Alton Hammond and etched its name in the state round of 16 with a 63-45 upset win over ninth-ranked Garfield on Friday night at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.
Hammond threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 178 yards and three scores, while running back Michael Kirkman added 130 yards and three touchdowns. Ryley Johnson caught seven passes for 143 yard and caught all three of Hammond’s TD passes.
As impressive as Lynnwood was, the Royals (8-2) struggled at the start. After an opening-drive field goal, Garfield put together a quick five-play, 93-yard scoring drive that ended in a 54-yard touchdown pass from Garfield quarterback Max Nall to Simon Robinson, giving the Bulldogs a 10-0 lead.
The game had a real threat of getting out of hand on Lynnwood’s ensuing drive. Running back Delaun Smiley-Tatum took a big hit, fumbled the ball and Garfield’s Keith Edwards scooped it up and dashed 56 yards the other way to put Garfield in front 17-0.
But credit Lynnwood. Even with all the adversity, the Royals weren’t fazed, and senior Hammond was pivotal in getting Lynnwood back on track.
Hammond completed 13 of 16 passes after a slow start, and once the Royals’ offense found a rhythm, there was no stopping Lynnwood. The Royals scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives, picking Garfield’s secondary apart and wearing the defense down in the process.
Lynnwood first put together a 10-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass from Hammond to Johnson that cut Garfield’s lead to 17-6. The Royals marched 77 yards on their next drive, and Hammond cashed in on a 2-yard TD run up the middle.
Following a second straight Garfield punt, Hammond once more led the Royals on a long drive. This time Kirkman powered in from 6 yards out to give the Royals their first lead of the game — 21-17 with 2:43 to play in the second quarter.
A second Bulldogs field goal as the first-half expired sent Lynnwood into the locker room with a 21-20 lead.
Lynnwood extended its lead to 28-20 midway through the third quarter. A 48-yard pass from Hammond to Bryce Milne was followed by a 15-yard touchdown run from Kirkman — his second score of the game.
The lead was short-lived, however. Garfield back Tre’Shaun Harrison on the Bulldogs’ first play took a handoff and juked and spun his way through at least six tacklers before breaking free for a 69-yard touchdown. A subsequent two-point conversion tied the game at 28 with 5:43 to play in the third.
Johnson then put Lynnwood back in front with his second touchdown reception. He caught a shallow crossing route and took it 17 yards for a score that gave Lynnwood a 35-28 lead with 2:47 to play in the third.
Following a third Caplow field goal, Kirkman eclipsed the century mark on his third touchdown run. The senior back took an inside handoff 17 yards for a score that extended Lynnwood’s lead to 42-31 with 9:50 to play in the fourth.
Hammond sealed the game for good with a 44-yard touchdown run, and Hammond’s third rushing touchdown minutes later gave the Royals a commanding 56-31 lead with 4:57 to play.
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