3A Football | Big-play Skyline into semifinals
SAMMAMISH - So what’s a bigger thrill: Tossing a 61-yard pass to set up your team’s third touchdown in a postseason runaway victory or dashing through a gauntlet of screaming female fans as you, the star quarterback, trot to the locker room?
“I’ll say the pass,” Jake Heaps, a poised, 6-foot-1 sophomore said with a smile. “But that other thing was fun, too.”
The good times are rolling for Heaps and his Skyline teammates, and after Saturday’s 35-7 win over Kennewick in a Class 3A state quarterfinal, the Spartans (12-0) next weekend move the party to Tacoma for a semifinal showdown with 12-0 Franklin Pierce.
Heaps ran for Skyline’s first TD, passed to Jake Knecht for the second and engineered drives that set up three second-half scoring runs by Tyler Washburn while, for the 10th time this season, the defense held an opponent to no more than seven points.
Is there no stopping the mighty Spartans?
“They’re very disciplined and talented,” said Kennewick coach Bill Templeton. “They exploit whatever your weaknesses are. And they have playmakers. Obviously their system is well-honed, but they have playmakers.
“We had the quarterback wrapped up a few times and he wiggles out of there and throws for a touchdown. Coaching obviously matters, but playmakers matter. You’ve got to have guys. And their guys just made a couple of more plays than ours did today.”
Those guys include Heaps (17-of-27 passing for 255 yards and TD), Washburn (171 yards and three TDs on 25 carries), freshman receiver Kasen Williams (four catches for 116 yards) and Jake Knecht (five catches for 60 yards and a TD).
Then there’s the defense, one reason Kennewick (9-3) committed six turnovers - three interceptions (by Cameron Lusuegro, Robby Chavez and Eric Biege) and three fumbles (two forced by Evan Bull and Nathaniel Willingham).
“Our linebackers [Anthony] Dematteo, [Ryan] Somers really did a nice job,” coach Steve Gervais said. “They put some pressure on their quarterback and forced some poor decisions where he put the ball up for us. [The defense] was awesome.”
Gervais had praise for the physical play of Kennewick, which kept Skyline scoreless until its fourth possession when Heaps scored on a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter. The Lions also sent leading receiver Gino Simone to the sideline in the first quarter with what Gervais called a knock to the head.
“Their kids played tough, and it was tough for us to attack the way we wanted to attack, and we had to make some adjustments as the game went on,” Gervais said. “But we were successful doing so and made some big plays.”
Though Heaps was the trigger man, he redirected praise to teammates.
“Coming out as a sophomore, you look to your teammates to help you,” he said. “Whenever you have great teammates, which fortunately I have, it makes things a lot easier on me.”