Skyline tops Lake Stevens 37-34 in back-and-forth 4A state semifinal

TACOMA — It wasn’t the finish Jacob Eason envisioned to his career as the quarterback of the Lake Stevens Vikings.

With 3 minutes and 52 seconds to play in Saturday’s 4A state semifinal against Skyline, Lake Stevens took possession after a missed field goal and the senior quarterback had a chance to lead an 80-yard drive that would have given the Vikings a go-ahead touchdown and likely a spot in next Saturday’s 4A state championship game against Gonzaga Prep.

An uncharacteristic turnover gave that spot to the Spartans.

Eason fumbled with 1:52 to play in the fourth quarter and Skyline recovered derailing the Vikings’ state championship hopes. It appeared the play should have never happened as the play clock had expired, but the referees didn’t call a penalty before Eason took the snap.

The Vikings had one last chance after forcing a Skyline punt and taking over once more with 38 seconds remaining in the game, but Eason was picked off in the end zone on the game’s final play.

“I feel really bad for Jake because he’s carried us all year,” Lake Stevens head coach Tom Tri said. “He carried us tonight. He had a hell of a game.”

Eason completed 32 of 42 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

Despite things looking bleak, Tri said his team believed it could win all the way to the end.

“We believed right to the end,” Tri said. “I thought that was going to be a catch in the end zone for a touchdown to win the game. … We believed all year long we were going to get it done. We still believe. But I realize, reality is, the game’s over. But I’m so proud of my guys and the way they played, not just tonight, but all year long.”

Lake Stevens grabbed early momentum with a defensive stop and a followed that with a 10-play, 78-yard drive capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Eason to senior tight end Riley Krenz.

Skyline quickly countered with an 81-yard touchdown pass from senior Blake Gregory to senior Danny Sinatro on the Spartans’ first play of their next drive. After a failed extra point attempt, the Lake Stevens lead was cut to 7-6.

The big play ignited the Spartans’ offense and instigated a shootout.

Lake Stevens drove 80 yards on its next possession as Eason continued to carve up the Skyline secondary and Andrew Grimes continued to do damage on the ground. Senior Ian Schneider completed the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run that gave the Vikings a 14-6 lead, which is how the first quarter would end.

Skyline’s offense continued to build on the momentum of Gregory’s earlier touchdown pass with a 65-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by senior running back Rashaad Boddie. A pass from Gregory to Danny Sinatro on the two-point conversion tied the scoew at 14-14.

Skyline forced the Vikings to punt for the first time on their next possession. Six plays later the Spartans had their first lead thanks to a 20-yard field goal by Jack Crane.

Leads didn’t last long with two of the best offenses in the state on the field.

The Vikings used the next six minutes to drive 80 yards in 14 plays. The drive culminated in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Eason to junior Hunter Eckstrom, giving the Vikings a 21-17 lead with two minutes remaining in the half.

Two minutes was plenty of time for the Spartans, who drove 68 yards in 1 minute and 46 seconds. Gregory scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds to play to give Skyline a 24-21 lead.

The back-and-forth battle would continue in the second half.

Lake Stevens reclaimed the lead early in the third quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run by Asi Tupua. The extra point was blocked, and the Vikings settled for a 27-24 lead.

Gregory continued to have an answer. He found Bradley Kim on a 20-yard touchdown pass on the Spartans’ next possession to give Skyline a 30-27 lead after a missed extra point.

Eason continued to rack up passing yards, but his running backs continued to rack up touchdowns. Grimes scored from 23 yards out with 5:03 to play in the third quarter, giving the Vikings a 34-30 lead.

While the offenses provided much of the story line, Lake Stevens had a chance to take control of the game with a defensive stand in the waning moments of the third quarter. The Spartans had four chances to take the lead from the 1-yard line, but the Vikings’ defense held. Eckstrom broke up a Gregory pass in the end zone to give the ball back to the Vikings with 33 seconds to play in the period.

Lake Stevens ran out the remaining moments of the third quarter and the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, but came away with no points, leaving the door open for Gregory and the Spartans.

Gregory delivered, throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kim with 6:51 to play in the game.

Gregory finished 22-for-28 for 436 yards and three touchdowns.

“Their quarterback had a great game,” Tri said. “The bottom line is they had too much time to throw the ball. We needed to do a little bit better job of pressuring their quarterback, especially in the first half. We did a better job in the second half making some adjustments but ultimately they just made more plays than we did.”

Trailing by three with just over four minutes to play in the game, the Vikings elected to go for it on 4th-and-23 from their own 18-yard line. Eason hit Schneider in stride near the Spartans’ 40-yard line, but Schneider was unable to hold on to what would have been an acrobatic diving catch.

Skyline had a chance to put the game away, but the Vikings’ defense held, forcing a 35-yard field goal attempt which Crane missed wide right, Lake Stevens one more chance, which ended with Skyline intercepting an Eason pass in the end zone on the final play.

Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.

Skyline 37, Lake Stevens 34

At Tacoma Dome

Skyline 6 18 6 7 – 37

Lake Stevens 7 14 13 0 – 34

LS–Riley Krenz 15 pass from Jacob Eason (Karsten Knutson kick)

S–Danny Sinatro 81 pass from Blake Gregory (run failed)

LS–Ian Schneider 5 run (Karsten Knutson kick)

S–Rashaad Boddie 1 run (Danny Sinatro pass from Blake Gregory)

S–Jack Crane 20 FG

LS–Hunter Eckstrom 3 pass from Jacob Eason (Karsten Knutson kick)

S–Blake Gregory 1 run (Jack Crane kick)