TUMWATER
Frustrated by holding penalties and turnovers, the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats finally converted the superior field position they enjoyed most of the game to beat W.F. West of Chehalis 14-7 in a 2A state quarterfinal playoff game Nov. 21 at Tumwater High School.
After giving up a tying touchdown and extra point in the third quarter, Murphy (1-1) had two drives die deep in W.F. West (11-1) territory. The first ended on the first play of the fourth quarter when the West defense mounted a staunch goal-line stand, stopping quarterback Austin VanderWel on fourth-and-goal at the 1. The second ended when VanderWel was intercepted at the 6.
But the defense forced a punt and the return by Alex Martinez set the Wildcats up at the West 33. Seven plays later, Martinez plunged in from the 3 with the game-winning touchdown with 31.6 seconds to play.
“I was just thinking find No. 78 (offensive lineman Julius Tevaga),” Martinez said, “just run right behind that big dog. He’s been doing it all season. I knew they wouldn’t be able to stop us twice.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Murphy kicker Stephen Briede attempted to drill the ball through the W.F. West up men, but it hit one and Murphy recovered the loose ball and ran out the clock.
Murphy advanced to this week’s semifinals at the Tacoma Dome against Lynden. Murphy has a history with Lynden. Archbishop Murphy beat the Lions in last season’s opener, then lost to them in the state semifinals.
The Wildcats also opened this season with a win over Lynden.
“We’re going to have to learn from our mistakes last year,” Murphy coach Dave Ward said. “They’re going to be better than they were the first time. We’d better be better, too.”
Murphy was able to run the ball effectively. Martinez carried 28 times for 141 yards and two TDs. Seven Murphy backs totaled 379 yards rushing. The Wildcats threw four times, three incompletions and one interception.
“We just threw enough to let them know we might,” Ward said. “That drive into the wind in the fourth quarter was really clutch.”
Up to that point, the Wildcats had little to show for their prowess. Their first two drives were killed by holding penalties. Their third — a 16-play, nine-minute monster — ended with a failed fourth-down play at the West 21.
Those drives did accomplish two things: They kept the Bearcats offense on the sideline and they gave Murphy dominant field position.
The latter aspect paid off when West had to punt from its own 16 and a poor kick set Murphy up at the Bearcat 32. Three plays later, Martinez ran in from the 3 to break the scoreless tie with 1:18 to go in the half. It marked the first time the Bearcats had trailed in a game all season.
West produced three big passing plays. A 45-yard pass from quarterback Ben Ternan to Mitch Gueller led to a failed 50-yard field goal attempt. A 42-yard gain on a Ternan-to-Gueller connection was squandered when Gueller lost a fumble at the end of the play. And an 80-yard Ternan-to-Gueller pass from the Bearcats’ end zone produced nothing after Murphy intercepted Ternan at its own 2. Ternan finished 6-for-11 for 183 yards and one interception.
“Wow! They’re a great team,” Martinez said. “We haven’t had a squeaker like that since we played Cedarcrest and I was injured for that game. I was proud of the way the guys stuck together.”
And West was not going to be denied. The Bearcats forced a Murphy punt from the Wildcat 18. Eric Forgione returned it 39 yards to the Murphy 18. And West scored in four plays, the last a 1-yard run by Tyler McCarty.
“We kept playing,” Ward said. “We didn’t let the emotions get to us.”
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