I don't know when this happened exactly, but Buddy Bland's sabbatical obviously didn't last very long. Without any personal knowledge of the situation, I would venture to guess that he experienced something similar to what Tarbox went through in his last days at Juanita. I can't find a link, but I do remember an article about 10-15 years ago in which Tarbox described some of the expectations of parents and boosters as "out of touch" with the reality of the situation on the field.
To be fair, I don't think anyone should compare Bland with Tarbox in terms of coaching ability. In addition, I also think it would be disingenuous to compare the players Bland had to the ones Tarbox coached. The only legitimate comparison that can probably be made is with the parents and boosters. Only time will tell they were correct in expecting so much out of him. My guess would be they weren't. Issaquah football wasn't very prominent before Bland arrived, and hasn't been since he left.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Dave Carson is stepping down
http://www.gprep.com/s/766/index.aspx?sid=766&gid=1&pgid=252&cid=1532&ecid=1532&ciid=4044&crid=0&calpgid=271&calcid=1392
This is old news, but certainly worth noting. After a rough start, I thought he did an excellent job at Prep. He had the unenviable task of succeeding Don Anderson, and did so admirably. Of course he didn't match Anderson's success, but I can think of a handful of coaches in the state who have.
After his first 2 years, he had G-Prep in the playoffs almost every year. In 2004 & 2006, his teams nearly made it to the championship game, barely losing to the eventual state champion in the semifinals both times (Evergreen and Oak Harbor, respectively). He will be missed.
This is old news, but certainly worth noting. After a rough start, I thought he did an excellent job at Prep. He had the unenviable task of succeeding Don Anderson, and did so admirably. Of course he didn't match Anderson's success, but I can think of a handful of coaches in the state who have.
After his first 2 years, he had G-Prep in the playoffs almost every year. In 2004 & 2006, his teams nearly made it to the championship game, barely losing to the eventual state champion in the semifinals both times (Evergreen and Oak Harbor, respectively). He will be missed.
Can't say that I agree.
http://www.sportstricities.com/sportstc/preps/football/story/9525200p-9435991c.html
For some unknown reason, the 4A powers that be in the Columbia Basin League area decided to against having a 4A/3A combo league. By making that decision, they have effectly cut the amount of potential playoff teams in half. The Kennewick schools, now without much of a league to play in, now have to compete in the 4A division. I honestly don't know the reasons behind this. As Sideline Smitty pointed out, combo leagues can and do work out very well. If not for the combo league this year, the CBL would not have had 3 teams playing in the first round of the playoffs this year.
It will be interesting to see what happens. Especially if the Greater Spokane League continues to dominate the CBL teams. I wonder if they will be kicking themselves if every 4A school east of the mountains not located in the Spokane area turns in their football gear at the end of October. No tears from me if that happens.
For some unknown reason, the 4A powers that be in the Columbia Basin League area decided to against having a 4A/3A combo league. By making that decision, they have effectly cut the amount of potential playoff teams in half. The Kennewick schools, now without much of a league to play in, now have to compete in the 4A division. I honestly don't know the reasons behind this. As Sideline Smitty pointed out, combo leagues can and do work out very well. If not for the combo league this year, the CBL would not have had 3 teams playing in the first round of the playoffs this year.
It will be interesting to see what happens. Especially if the Greater Spokane League continues to dominate the CBL teams. I wonder if they will be kicking themselves if every 4A school east of the mountains not located in the Spokane area turns in their football gear at the end of October. No tears from me if that happens.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The best teams to never win.
This may seem like an insignificant topic (and it probably is), but I like to look at it as an opportunity to talk about some of the other great teams that have come through the state of Washington. Each year there is only one champion. Most years that team is without question the best team in the state. That hardly means that there isn't at least 1 more great team from that year. In some cases some of those other teams would easily win a title if they played during what would generally be regarded as a down year (something most fans regard a season such as 1993 as being).
In other instances a highly regarded team might not have made the playoffs, or if they did were eliminated early on due to poor bracketing. Thankfully, most of these problems are starting to be eliminated through changes made to the playoff system. In the last 20 years not only has the number of playoff teams doubled, but there has also been a tremendous effort on the part of the WIAA to spread some of the leagues out in the playoff brackets (even though there is still a lot that leaves to be desired in this department).
Another sequence that has played out in the past is that teams that are regarded as the best in the state end up having a bad game. This has happened several times, and the playoff system does not have double elimination. Once the playoffs start, any given team can catch lightning in a bottle and pull off a miraculous upset. In my opinion, this is one of the things that makes the playoffs so appealing. Certainly something I wouldn't change at all.
Before listing some of these teams, I want to make it clear that I'm in no way trying to disrespect or minimize any championship teams accomplishments in any way. I can only imagine that there is no greater joy in high school football than winning the state championship. If I had a choice between being on one of the following teams that are listed below or one the worst state championship team ever, I'd pick the latter in a heartbeat. Without further ado, here they are in no particular order. Feel free to add a team in you feel I've left one out.
Renton 1986. This ended up being one of the better years for high school football. The Indians fell to eventual state runner-up, Juanita, in the semi finals. They were driving for the go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, when Ahmad Gold fumbled the ball near the goal line. The Rebels recovered and kicked a field goal to put the game away, 22-14. After losing the state championship game the following week, some of the Juanita players said this was the best team they faced that year. In addition to Gold, Renton also featured Butch Williams at tight end and Corey Perkins at quarterback. They were led by Coach of the Century, Terry Ennis, as well as assistants Rob Smith (longtime WWU coach) and Andre Patterson (NFL journeyman coach). A very solid squad to say the least.
Pasco 2004. This team was well on their way to repeating as state champs, until they hit a bump in the road known as Steve Gervais. Against Bethel in the quarterfinals, Leon Jackson and Tony Coburn ran wild in a 70-28 route. The semifinal game against Skyline started out much the same way with Jackson running for two long scores. As O'Dea found out this year, you can absolutely never count out a team coached by Gervais. Just as the Bulldogs appeared to be on their way to dominating after 2 long runs by Jackson, Pasco suddenly had the air let out of them. As Jason Harris and Tyler Pelluer began to put the clamps on defensively, the Spartans found their rhythm on offense and eventually put away what was regarded as the best team in the state that year, 28-23.
Gonzaga Prep 1987. There are going to be quite a few G-Prep teams on this list. The main reason why this team makes it isn't because of star players like Dinny Hansen, Graham Pederson, Rob Bonneau, and Glen Cavanaugh. Nor is it due to the Bullpups having the experience of playing in their third straight championship game. As significant as those reasons are, I am of the opinion that they really did win their game against Puyallup. In what was one of the best championship games I've ever seen, G-Prep had the ball with about a minute left to go trailing 27-21. Gonzaga ran a perfect double pass in which Pederson skipped the ball to the receiver, who then launched it downfield for a touchdown. As soon as the ball hit the ground, Puyallups DB froze leaving the receiver wide open downfield. The only problem with the play is that just as the receiver threw the ball, the official blew the play dead believing that the quarterback had just thrown an incomplete pass. Bummer. Despite the call, what stood out in this game was the performance of Billy Joe Hobert. The passes he threw to Danny Thurston solidified him as the best high school football player I've ever seen out of this state.
Ballard 2003. After struggling to a 7-2 regular season, the Beavers hit their stride in the playoffs. As the championship game got underway against Pasco, they looked invincible. They simply handed the ball off to J.T. Diederichs who would pick a gap (usually one close to Tyler Ashby) and hit it as hard as he could. For some reason he abandoned this approach to running and decided to start dancing as the game went on. This led to a fumble that Leon Jackson returned for a touchdown in the third quarter that tied the game at 7. Ballard took the lead again when Keauntea Bankhead scored on a 31 yard touchdown run. Pasco showed their big game experience in the end by making some more plays, eventually winning the game 21-14.
Walla Walla 1994. Early in the state championship game, South Kitsap had no answer for the Blue Devils. The combination of Peter Sirmon throwing the ball and Kirk Holman (now deceased) running it was simply overpowering the Wolves. Towards the end of the first half, though, Holman bulled his way for a 20 yard run only to fall on the ball when getting tackled. The result was broken ribs (although he did try once or twice to run the ball again) and the end of Walla Walla's running game. This allowed SK to focus on the pass, resulting in Casey Fisher laying one of the hardest hits I've ever seen on one of Walla Walla's receivers. Still, Wa-Hi's defense kept the game close. Not close enough.
Eastlake 2006 & 2007. For the first 43 minutes of the game, Eastlake put on a clinic against Gonzaga. They led 20-0 with five minutes to go, and the score could have easily been much more lopsided. For the last five minutes it looked as though the Wolves forgot whether the ball was pumped or stuffed. As a result, the Bullpups ran off 21 straight points to pull out a quarterfinal victory. The '07 looked very strong in the playoffs until Ryan Robertson was injured against Edmonds-Woodsway. The injury was even more significant when highly regarded backup, Drake Furcini, was hurt during practice earlier in the week.
Bellarmine Prep 1983. The only reason I include this team is because I saw them play Snohomish earlier in the season, and they looked unstoppable. Among other things, they had a nose tackle by the name of Grederick Washington who controlled the entire line of scrimmage. They lost to eventual state champion, Bellevue, 17-13 in the semifinals. In and of itself, that wouldn't seem too significant. The one notable difference between this B-Prep team and the one I saw earlier in the season was that Grederick Washington was nowhere to be found. I don't know what happened to him, but I think his absence made a difference.
Mead 1996. This team was absolutely loaded with talent. Some of the players included Evan Thomas, future UW players Joe Collier and Ossim Hatem, and one of the best shop putters in the state, Scott McGlocklin (anyone who doesn't think this is a good skill for a running back to have can feel free to watch any game tape of Lewis & Clarks's Alex Shaw this season). Throughout the season the Panthers rolled up huge scores over everyone they played. What they failed to do was develop any depth. Typically only about 12-15 different players saw the field during the season, which is not nearly enough bodies for the 4A level (typically most championship teams have 20-25 regulars). They certainly had the personel, but failed to rotate them in when games got out of hand. This approach finally caught up to them in the quarterfinals against Richland. After building a huge lead, Mead ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The Bomber's tied the game, then went on to win in overtime, 34-27.
Interlake 1987. In the days before the qualifying round of playoffs, it was possible to have your title hopes erased early in the season. That's exactly what happened to the Saints when for the second year in a row Bellevue beat a team that included Mike Lustyk and Jon Bostic. Interlake was one of the top football programs in the state during the mid 80's, making it all the way to the semifinals in 1985. If todays format existed back then, we probably would have heard more about them.
Blanchet & Garfield 1975. Some of the players on these teams included Joe Steele, Al Roberts, Anthony Allen, Bruce Harrell, Frank Vaculin, and Darren Powell. Blanchet won the state title in '74. In '75, these teams engaged in what is still considered the best high school football game in Seattle history. The emotion of this game proved to be too much as the Braves lost to Sammamish the following week, thus ending their season.
Kentwood 1999. This team was a powerhouse. Players included Mike Karney, Ryan Scott, AJ Mitz, Will Conwell, Carl Bonnell, Luke Heatherington, John Gardenhire, and many others. The team they lost to, Richland, had some talent as well (Ryan Brooks, Kai Jones, Landon Kafentzis, Jeff Stowe, Jeremy Bohannan, etc.). Throughout the first half, the Conqs looked like they were asleep while the Bombers jumped to a 14-3 lead. Kentwwod came to life in the second half, and looked poised to win the game. 2 things prevented this; their inability to cover Kafentzis coming out of the backfield, and Karney's roughing the passer penalty on 3rd and long with 2:27 left to go in the game. When the latter happened, Richland was able to run out the clock.
Kennewick 1986. As I mentioned in another article, the Lions had one of the top programs in the state during the 80's. The only problem was that they kept running into G-Prep (something that could be avoided under todays format). Of all of Ed Troxel's teams, this one was his best (That includes his 2nd place team in 1983). Kennewick featured a running back duo of Bob Wilkinson and Billy Templeton that caused opponents to celebrate if they held Kennewick to within 20 points. The showdown between the Lions and the Bullpups took place in the quarterfinals at Albi. This game for the ages ended in regulation with both teams even. 2 overtime periods later, G-Prep had prevailed, 27-21. Many fans consider this game the real state championship. No argument here.
Pasco 2005. The reason I am including this team is simply because I don't think they got a fair shake. They played a qualifier game on a Tuesday night against G-Prep, then travelled nearly 300 miles the following Saturday to play the eventual state champion, Skyline. They lost the game, 20-9. Incidently this was the most competitive game the Spartans had during the entire post season. I would have loved to see this game played under different circumstances.
Snohomish 1982. The Panthers had difficulty duplicating the success they had in the 70's. This team, which featured Rick Fenney, came as close as any of them.
Pasco, Kamiakin & Gonzaga Prep 1997. I don't think that I'm out of line in saying 7 or 8 of the top football teams in the state this year came from east of the mountains. Back then, regardless of how good or bad teams were east of the mountains were, there was a guaratee that one would be in the semifinals. Central Valley, the eventual champion, played 3 life and death games before finally getting a break. That break came in the form of #1 ranked Puyallup (-21 yards rushing, and 116 total yards) and South Kitsap (49-13). The #2 & #3 teams in the state that year were probably Pasco and G-Prep. In addition to many of the players that went on to win the state championship the following year, the Bulldogs also featured Tyler Brayton. The Bullpups were a talented team as well, and included Kevin O'Connell at quarterback. The last great Don Anderson team.
Bethel 1999. Among other players, the Braves featured all everything, Scott Burcar. In their semifinal matchup against Richland, they jumped out to an early lead. Turnovers eventually did them in, though, and they lost, 21-14.
Gonzaga 1984. A loss to Mead and a tie to a Lewis & Clark team that featured Albert Reeves early in the season kept the Bullpups out of the playoffs. They got stronger as the season went on, and ended up being one of Anderson's better teams.
Woodinville 1996. In the first first 2 1/2 quarters, Marques Tuiasosopo and Pat Coniff ran wild on South Kitsap, building a 29-14 lead on nearly 400 yards rushing. Then the fog came in, which seemed to coincide with the Falcons' collapse. Four consecutive turnovers gave SK all the oppurtunity they needed as they went on to a 41-29 quarterfinal victory.
Gonzaga Prep & Puyallup 1988. After a thrilling championship game in 1987, most people looked at the rosters and figured 1988 would be a rematch. G-Prep returned lineman Dinny Hansen and Glen Cavanaugh, as well as quarterback Graham Pederson. Puyallup was going to answer with Billy Joe Hobert, Steve Wolfe, and Tom Gallagher. In addition to these players, the Vikings also featured Joe Kralik and Damon Huard. During the regular season, G-Prep blew out the Saxons (as well as everyone else in the GSL). However, in the quarterfinals and overconfident Gonzaga squad lost to Ferris, 10-7. On the other side of the state, Puyallup went virtually unchallenged during the regualr season. I'm not sure what happened in their first round game against Kentwood (I was busy with my team in Lakewood getting spanked by Gig Harbor). A completely different team showed up, leading the Vikings to lose, 36-26.
Pasco 2001. Kentwood had the momentum early in this game. Brett Weidenbach started the game off with a long kickoff return. When Pasco got the ball, Allen Ailep fumbled the ball and allowed Kentwood to open with a 10-0 lead. The Conqs would eventually take a 31-12 lead into halftime. Pasco came out in the the second half on track, and quickly started moving the ball. That's when the officials took over the game and began calling back some big plays. The most significant one was a holding call on the other end of the field from where Ailep ran for a 48 yard touchdown. Regardless of who I'm rooting for, having the officials play such a big roll in a game always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Kentwood eventually won the game 38-24.
Gonzaga 1977. The first Don Anderson team to play for a state championship included future USC Trojan, Rob Hedequist. Sumner was up to the challenge, winning 12-7.
Kentwood 2000. This team featured many of the same players from the previous season. They were able to overcome being forced to forfeit 2 games during the regular season due to using an ineligible player. They appeared to be rolling through the playoffs, until they met Pasco in the semifinals. The game wasn't really in doubt as Pasco won, 29-19. I'll always wonder, though, what might have happened if Kentwood had decided to travel to Kennewick on Friday instead of getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and driving for 7 hours for a 1:00 PM game. One thing is certain. We'll never know.
In other instances a highly regarded team might not have made the playoffs, or if they did were eliminated early on due to poor bracketing. Thankfully, most of these problems are starting to be eliminated through changes made to the playoff system. In the last 20 years not only has the number of playoff teams doubled, but there has also been a tremendous effort on the part of the WIAA to spread some of the leagues out in the playoff brackets (even though there is still a lot that leaves to be desired in this department).
Another sequence that has played out in the past is that teams that are regarded as the best in the state end up having a bad game. This has happened several times, and the playoff system does not have double elimination. Once the playoffs start, any given team can catch lightning in a bottle and pull off a miraculous upset. In my opinion, this is one of the things that makes the playoffs so appealing. Certainly something I wouldn't change at all.
Before listing some of these teams, I want to make it clear that I'm in no way trying to disrespect or minimize any championship teams accomplishments in any way. I can only imagine that there is no greater joy in high school football than winning the state championship. If I had a choice between being on one of the following teams that are listed below or one the worst state championship team ever, I'd pick the latter in a heartbeat. Without further ado, here they are in no particular order. Feel free to add a team in you feel I've left one out.
Renton 1986. This ended up being one of the better years for high school football. The Indians fell to eventual state runner-up, Juanita, in the semi finals. They were driving for the go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, when Ahmad Gold fumbled the ball near the goal line. The Rebels recovered and kicked a field goal to put the game away, 22-14. After losing the state championship game the following week, some of the Juanita players said this was the best team they faced that year. In addition to Gold, Renton also featured Butch Williams at tight end and Corey Perkins at quarterback. They were led by Coach of the Century, Terry Ennis, as well as assistants Rob Smith (longtime WWU coach) and Andre Patterson (NFL journeyman coach). A very solid squad to say the least.
Pasco 2004. This team was well on their way to repeating as state champs, until they hit a bump in the road known as Steve Gervais. Against Bethel in the quarterfinals, Leon Jackson and Tony Coburn ran wild in a 70-28 route. The semifinal game against Skyline started out much the same way with Jackson running for two long scores. As O'Dea found out this year, you can absolutely never count out a team coached by Gervais. Just as the Bulldogs appeared to be on their way to dominating after 2 long runs by Jackson, Pasco suddenly had the air let out of them. As Jason Harris and Tyler Pelluer began to put the clamps on defensively, the Spartans found their rhythm on offense and eventually put away what was regarded as the best team in the state that year, 28-23.
Gonzaga Prep 1987. There are going to be quite a few G-Prep teams on this list. The main reason why this team makes it isn't because of star players like Dinny Hansen, Graham Pederson, Rob Bonneau, and Glen Cavanaugh. Nor is it due to the Bullpups having the experience of playing in their third straight championship game. As significant as those reasons are, I am of the opinion that they really did win their game against Puyallup. In what was one of the best championship games I've ever seen, G-Prep had the ball with about a minute left to go trailing 27-21. Gonzaga ran a perfect double pass in which Pederson skipped the ball to the receiver, who then launched it downfield for a touchdown. As soon as the ball hit the ground, Puyallups DB froze leaving the receiver wide open downfield. The only problem with the play is that just as the receiver threw the ball, the official blew the play dead believing that the quarterback had just thrown an incomplete pass. Bummer. Despite the call, what stood out in this game was the performance of Billy Joe Hobert. The passes he threw to Danny Thurston solidified him as the best high school football player I've ever seen out of this state.
Ballard 2003. After struggling to a 7-2 regular season, the Beavers hit their stride in the playoffs. As the championship game got underway against Pasco, they looked invincible. They simply handed the ball off to J.T. Diederichs who would pick a gap (usually one close to Tyler Ashby) and hit it as hard as he could. For some reason he abandoned this approach to running and decided to start dancing as the game went on. This led to a fumble that Leon Jackson returned for a touchdown in the third quarter that tied the game at 7. Ballard took the lead again when Keauntea Bankhead scored on a 31 yard touchdown run. Pasco showed their big game experience in the end by making some more plays, eventually winning the game 21-14.
Walla Walla 1994. Early in the state championship game, South Kitsap had no answer for the Blue Devils. The combination of Peter Sirmon throwing the ball and Kirk Holman (now deceased) running it was simply overpowering the Wolves. Towards the end of the first half, though, Holman bulled his way for a 20 yard run only to fall on the ball when getting tackled. The result was broken ribs (although he did try once or twice to run the ball again) and the end of Walla Walla's running game. This allowed SK to focus on the pass, resulting in Casey Fisher laying one of the hardest hits I've ever seen on one of Walla Walla's receivers. Still, Wa-Hi's defense kept the game close. Not close enough.
Eastlake 2006 & 2007. For the first 43 minutes of the game, Eastlake put on a clinic against Gonzaga. They led 20-0 with five minutes to go, and the score could have easily been much more lopsided. For the last five minutes it looked as though the Wolves forgot whether the ball was pumped or stuffed. As a result, the Bullpups ran off 21 straight points to pull out a quarterfinal victory. The '07 looked very strong in the playoffs until Ryan Robertson was injured against Edmonds-Woodsway. The injury was even more significant when highly regarded backup, Drake Furcini, was hurt during practice earlier in the week.
Bellarmine Prep 1983. The only reason I include this team is because I saw them play Snohomish earlier in the season, and they looked unstoppable. Among other things, they had a nose tackle by the name of Grederick Washington who controlled the entire line of scrimmage. They lost to eventual state champion, Bellevue, 17-13 in the semifinals. In and of itself, that wouldn't seem too significant. The one notable difference between this B-Prep team and the one I saw earlier in the season was that Grederick Washington was nowhere to be found. I don't know what happened to him, but I think his absence made a difference.
Mead 1996. This team was absolutely loaded with talent. Some of the players included Evan Thomas, future UW players Joe Collier and Ossim Hatem, and one of the best shop putters in the state, Scott McGlocklin (anyone who doesn't think this is a good skill for a running back to have can feel free to watch any game tape of Lewis & Clarks's Alex Shaw this season). Throughout the season the Panthers rolled up huge scores over everyone they played. What they failed to do was develop any depth. Typically only about 12-15 different players saw the field during the season, which is not nearly enough bodies for the 4A level (typically most championship teams have 20-25 regulars). They certainly had the personel, but failed to rotate them in when games got out of hand. This approach finally caught up to them in the quarterfinals against Richland. After building a huge lead, Mead ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The Bomber's tied the game, then went on to win in overtime, 34-27.
Interlake 1987. In the days before the qualifying round of playoffs, it was possible to have your title hopes erased early in the season. That's exactly what happened to the Saints when for the second year in a row Bellevue beat a team that included Mike Lustyk and Jon Bostic. Interlake was one of the top football programs in the state during the mid 80's, making it all the way to the semifinals in 1985. If todays format existed back then, we probably would have heard more about them.
Blanchet & Garfield 1975. Some of the players on these teams included Joe Steele, Al Roberts, Anthony Allen, Bruce Harrell, Frank Vaculin, and Darren Powell. Blanchet won the state title in '74. In '75, these teams engaged in what is still considered the best high school football game in Seattle history. The emotion of this game proved to be too much as the Braves lost to Sammamish the following week, thus ending their season.
Kentwood 1999. This team was a powerhouse. Players included Mike Karney, Ryan Scott, AJ Mitz, Will Conwell, Carl Bonnell, Luke Heatherington, John Gardenhire, and many others. The team they lost to, Richland, had some talent as well (Ryan Brooks, Kai Jones, Landon Kafentzis, Jeff Stowe, Jeremy Bohannan, etc.). Throughout the first half, the Conqs looked like they were asleep while the Bombers jumped to a 14-3 lead. Kentwwod came to life in the second half, and looked poised to win the game. 2 things prevented this; their inability to cover Kafentzis coming out of the backfield, and Karney's roughing the passer penalty on 3rd and long with 2:27 left to go in the game. When the latter happened, Richland was able to run out the clock.
Kennewick 1986. As I mentioned in another article, the Lions had one of the top programs in the state during the 80's. The only problem was that they kept running into G-Prep (something that could be avoided under todays format). Of all of Ed Troxel's teams, this one was his best (That includes his 2nd place team in 1983). Kennewick featured a running back duo of Bob Wilkinson and Billy Templeton that caused opponents to celebrate if they held Kennewick to within 20 points. The showdown between the Lions and the Bullpups took place in the quarterfinals at Albi. This game for the ages ended in regulation with both teams even. 2 overtime periods later, G-Prep had prevailed, 27-21. Many fans consider this game the real state championship. No argument here.
Pasco 2005. The reason I am including this team is simply because I don't think they got a fair shake. They played a qualifier game on a Tuesday night against G-Prep, then travelled nearly 300 miles the following Saturday to play the eventual state champion, Skyline. They lost the game, 20-9. Incidently this was the most competitive game the Spartans had during the entire post season. I would have loved to see this game played under different circumstances.
Snohomish 1982. The Panthers had difficulty duplicating the success they had in the 70's. This team, which featured Rick Fenney, came as close as any of them.
Pasco, Kamiakin & Gonzaga Prep 1997. I don't think that I'm out of line in saying 7 or 8 of the top football teams in the state this year came from east of the mountains. Back then, regardless of how good or bad teams were east of the mountains were, there was a guaratee that one would be in the semifinals. Central Valley, the eventual champion, played 3 life and death games before finally getting a break. That break came in the form of #1 ranked Puyallup (-21 yards rushing, and 116 total yards) and South Kitsap (49-13). The #2 & #3 teams in the state that year were probably Pasco and G-Prep. In addition to many of the players that went on to win the state championship the following year, the Bulldogs also featured Tyler Brayton. The Bullpups were a talented team as well, and included Kevin O'Connell at quarterback. The last great Don Anderson team.
Bethel 1999. Among other players, the Braves featured all everything, Scott Burcar. In their semifinal matchup against Richland, they jumped out to an early lead. Turnovers eventually did them in, though, and they lost, 21-14.
Gonzaga 1984. A loss to Mead and a tie to a Lewis & Clark team that featured Albert Reeves early in the season kept the Bullpups out of the playoffs. They got stronger as the season went on, and ended up being one of Anderson's better teams.
Woodinville 1996. In the first first 2 1/2 quarters, Marques Tuiasosopo and Pat Coniff ran wild on South Kitsap, building a 29-14 lead on nearly 400 yards rushing. Then the fog came in, which seemed to coincide with the Falcons' collapse. Four consecutive turnovers gave SK all the oppurtunity they needed as they went on to a 41-29 quarterfinal victory.
Gonzaga Prep & Puyallup 1988. After a thrilling championship game in 1987, most people looked at the rosters and figured 1988 would be a rematch. G-Prep returned lineman Dinny Hansen and Glen Cavanaugh, as well as quarterback Graham Pederson. Puyallup was going to answer with Billy Joe Hobert, Steve Wolfe, and Tom Gallagher. In addition to these players, the Vikings also featured Joe Kralik and Damon Huard. During the regular season, G-Prep blew out the Saxons (as well as everyone else in the GSL). However, in the quarterfinals and overconfident Gonzaga squad lost to Ferris, 10-7. On the other side of the state, Puyallup went virtually unchallenged during the regualr season. I'm not sure what happened in their first round game against Kentwood (I was busy with my team in Lakewood getting spanked by Gig Harbor). A completely different team showed up, leading the Vikings to lose, 36-26.
Pasco 2001. Kentwood had the momentum early in this game. Brett Weidenbach started the game off with a long kickoff return. When Pasco got the ball, Allen Ailep fumbled the ball and allowed Kentwood to open with a 10-0 lead. The Conqs would eventually take a 31-12 lead into halftime. Pasco came out in the the second half on track, and quickly started moving the ball. That's when the officials took over the game and began calling back some big plays. The most significant one was a holding call on the other end of the field from where Ailep ran for a 48 yard touchdown. Regardless of who I'm rooting for, having the officials play such a big roll in a game always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Kentwood eventually won the game 38-24.
Gonzaga 1977. The first Don Anderson team to play for a state championship included future USC Trojan, Rob Hedequist. Sumner was up to the challenge, winning 12-7.
Kentwood 2000. This team featured many of the same players from the previous season. They were able to overcome being forced to forfeit 2 games during the regular season due to using an ineligible player. They appeared to be rolling through the playoffs, until they met Pasco in the semifinals. The game wasn't really in doubt as Pasco won, 29-19. I'll always wonder, though, what might have happened if Kentwood had decided to travel to Kennewick on Friday instead of getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and driving for 7 hours for a 1:00 PM game. One thing is certain. We'll never know.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The 1986 3A state championship game, revistited.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/highschoolsports/2004036978_flashback27.html
This is a great article about the 3A (now 4A) title game in 1986. After the game, my overall impression was that Gonzaga Prep was a much more talented team (they had several returning players from the runner up team the previous year), but that Juanita was overloaded on the experience side which enabled them to keep the game close. In addition to winning the previous 2 championships, Juanita also was bolstered by several members of the little league world series team. To say that they had some players with big game experience would be a tremendous understatement. Without players like Kurt Steck and Shawn Rainwater, though, they just didn't have the horses to match up with G-Prep. In addition, they had struggled the entire regular season in winning many close games. In the seventh week of the season they had finally lost their first seasonal game in 3 years when Sammamish beat them in overtime, 21-14.
Besides the players mentioned in the article, the two that stood out for me on the G-Prep side were Glen Cavanaugh and Dinny Hansen. Both of these lineman were men among boys, and went on to play at Stanford. On the Juanita side, Mike O'Hearn (now Titan on American Gladiators) was very dominating on the defensive side of the line. The Rebels also had another D-lineman whose name escapes me. He was undersized and had a non-stop motor. I remember one of the Seattle papers did an article on him the week of the game, and Tarbox told the reporter to come during practice to interview the player (something that was almost unheard of). The reason for this, Tarbox said, was due to the fact that the player was constantly injured. As much as the coaches tried to keep him out of contact, however, he kept finding ways to sneak back out onto the field. With those concerns on his mind, Tarbox felt could eliminate the problem with an interview during practice.
One of the things that I recall following the game was some of the Juanita players saying they thought Renton was the best team they faced all season. The Indians, whom Juanita had beaten the previous week in the semi finals, featured Terry Ennis as coach as well as running back Ahmad Gold and tight end Clarence "Butch" Williams. Unfortunately I chose to travel to Spokane to watch G-Prep beat up Kelso, 35-0. Big mistake. I've since heard that Juanita's 22-14 victory was one for the ages.
Another playoff game in which I thought Juanita was overmatched came in the opening round of the playoffs against Ingraham. Most people (including myself) thought the Rebels were going to win this game easily. During player introductions, what I remember most is Ingraham's fans booing Juanita quarterback, Darrell Cloud (he had attended Ingraham before transferring to Juanita). This is the same Darrell Cloud who attended Whitman Middle School (and later Ingraham) from 1981-83, only to be sexually molested by Neal Summers who was a teacher at the time. Darrell Cloud would return to Whitman more than 10 years later and execute him.
Ingraham started the game off having the ball and wasted no time establishing themselves. In what is to this day one of the demoralizing drives I've ever seen, the Rams took the entire 1st quarter to open the game with a touchdown. They did it running pretty much just 1 play; power I left. They had some huge Pacific Islander left tackle (I think his last name was Mefi) who would seal off the line. Then James Clifford came through and put the first guy he ran into flat on his back. The play concluded with Chris Doyle handing the ball off to Greg Lewis who would knife his way for 3-5 yards. The play looked pretty much unstoppable. True to their reputation, Juanita made some adjustments and put Ingraham in some passing situations. They were then able to force turnovers and punt, thus throwing Ingraham out of rhythm. The Rams only managed to score another 3 points on route to losing, 16-10.
Juanita was an amazing program during the 80's. In addition to having success in football, they also won state championships in basketball and baseball. At one time they had a student body of 2000 kids, and had 150 boys out for football. Today it is roughly half that, and the football turnout is roughly a third of what it was. I'm not sure where everyone has gone. Since that time, the population in Kirkland has more than doubled. The only high school that has been built during that time is Eastlake, and they are on the other side of the Lake Washington School District. The only explanation I can think of is that some significant gerrymandering has taken place. The numbers simply do not add up.
In any event, the powerhouse that was Juanita is unprecedented. There have certainly been programs who have matched and exceeded what they did in individual sports at the 3A (now 4A) level, but no one has even come close collectively. Pretty amazing.
Gonzaga Prep was trying to win their second state title after failing against Juanita the previous season. They had become my favorite high school football team in 1982 after defeating nationally ranked South Kitsap. Throughout the week I had grown weary of hearing all the hype surrounding the Wolves. The final straw for me was when Ed Fisher led his team onto the field and a handful of his players wore gold helmets as oppossed to maroon which was suppossed to show which players gave 110%. I'm sure SK fans will disagree with me when I say that it looked very tacky.
The only close call G-Prep had all season was against Kennewick in the quarterfinals. They prevailed 27-21 in 2 overtimes in what was their second of 4 straight playoff wins against the Lions. Kennewick had a great program during the 80's. The only reason no one on this side of the mountains had never heard of them is due to the playoff format that was in place until the 2005 season. Before, it was impossible for more (or less) than one 3A (4A) team from east of the mountains to make it to the semifinals. That meant they had to get past G-Prep at some point which was easier said than done. Had the format that exists now been around during the 80's, we probably would have seen them in the finals/semifinals more than 3 times.
Lots of fun topics to discuss that are relative to this '86 title game. I'm sure the same could be said for almost every one of them.
This is a great article about the 3A (now 4A) title game in 1986. After the game, my overall impression was that Gonzaga Prep was a much more talented team (they had several returning players from the runner up team the previous year), but that Juanita was overloaded on the experience side which enabled them to keep the game close. In addition to winning the previous 2 championships, Juanita also was bolstered by several members of the little league world series team. To say that they had some players with big game experience would be a tremendous understatement. Without players like Kurt Steck and Shawn Rainwater, though, they just didn't have the horses to match up with G-Prep. In addition, they had struggled the entire regular season in winning many close games. In the seventh week of the season they had finally lost their first seasonal game in 3 years when Sammamish beat them in overtime, 21-14.
Besides the players mentioned in the article, the two that stood out for me on the G-Prep side were Glen Cavanaugh and Dinny Hansen. Both of these lineman were men among boys, and went on to play at Stanford. On the Juanita side, Mike O'Hearn (now Titan on American Gladiators) was very dominating on the defensive side of the line. The Rebels also had another D-lineman whose name escapes me. He was undersized and had a non-stop motor. I remember one of the Seattle papers did an article on him the week of the game, and Tarbox told the reporter to come during practice to interview the player (something that was almost unheard of). The reason for this, Tarbox said, was due to the fact that the player was constantly injured. As much as the coaches tried to keep him out of contact, however, he kept finding ways to sneak back out onto the field. With those concerns on his mind, Tarbox felt could eliminate the problem with an interview during practice.
One of the things that I recall following the game was some of the Juanita players saying they thought Renton was the best team they faced all season. The Indians, whom Juanita had beaten the previous week in the semi finals, featured Terry Ennis as coach as well as running back Ahmad Gold and tight end Clarence "Butch" Williams. Unfortunately I chose to travel to Spokane to watch G-Prep beat up Kelso, 35-0. Big mistake. I've since heard that Juanita's 22-14 victory was one for the ages.
Another playoff game in which I thought Juanita was overmatched came in the opening round of the playoffs against Ingraham. Most people (including myself) thought the Rebels were going to win this game easily. During player introductions, what I remember most is Ingraham's fans booing Juanita quarterback, Darrell Cloud (he had attended Ingraham before transferring to Juanita). This is the same Darrell Cloud who attended Whitman Middle School (and later Ingraham) from 1981-83, only to be sexually molested by Neal Summers who was a teacher at the time. Darrell Cloud would return to Whitman more than 10 years later and execute him.
Ingraham started the game off having the ball and wasted no time establishing themselves. In what is to this day one of the demoralizing drives I've ever seen, the Rams took the entire 1st quarter to open the game with a touchdown. They did it running pretty much just 1 play; power I left. They had some huge Pacific Islander left tackle (I think his last name was Mefi) who would seal off the line. Then James Clifford came through and put the first guy he ran into flat on his back. The play concluded with Chris Doyle handing the ball off to Greg Lewis who would knife his way for 3-5 yards. The play looked pretty much unstoppable. True to their reputation, Juanita made some adjustments and put Ingraham in some passing situations. They were then able to force turnovers and punt, thus throwing Ingraham out of rhythm. The Rams only managed to score another 3 points on route to losing, 16-10.
Juanita was an amazing program during the 80's. In addition to having success in football, they also won state championships in basketball and baseball. At one time they had a student body of 2000 kids, and had 150 boys out for football. Today it is roughly half that, and the football turnout is roughly a third of what it was. I'm not sure where everyone has gone. Since that time, the population in Kirkland has more than doubled. The only high school that has been built during that time is Eastlake, and they are on the other side of the Lake Washington School District. The only explanation I can think of is that some significant gerrymandering has taken place. The numbers simply do not add up.
In any event, the powerhouse that was Juanita is unprecedented. There have certainly been programs who have matched and exceeded what they did in individual sports at the 3A (now 4A) level, but no one has even come close collectively. Pretty amazing.
Gonzaga Prep was trying to win their second state title after failing against Juanita the previous season. They had become my favorite high school football team in 1982 after defeating nationally ranked South Kitsap. Throughout the week I had grown weary of hearing all the hype surrounding the Wolves. The final straw for me was when Ed Fisher led his team onto the field and a handful of his players wore gold helmets as oppossed to maroon which was suppossed to show which players gave 110%. I'm sure SK fans will disagree with me when I say that it looked very tacky.
The only close call G-Prep had all season was against Kennewick in the quarterfinals. They prevailed 27-21 in 2 overtimes in what was their second of 4 straight playoff wins against the Lions. Kennewick had a great program during the 80's. The only reason no one on this side of the mountains had never heard of them is due to the playoff format that was in place until the 2005 season. Before, it was impossible for more (or less) than one 3A (4A) team from east of the mountains to make it to the semifinals. That meant they had to get past G-Prep at some point which was easier said than done. Had the format that exists now been around during the 80's, we probably would have seen them in the finals/semifinals more than 3 times.
Lots of fun topics to discuss that are relative to this '86 title game. I'm sure the same could be said for almost every one of them.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Lewis & Clark, 4A state champs!
For the first time in 8 years, I was able to make it to Tacoma to watch the WIAA high school state championships. This had been an annual event for years until I moved to Spokane about 8 1/2 years ago. Of all the games that were played, the consensus seems to be that the 3A game will be regarded as a classic for years to come. While I don't argue that, the 4A game is the one I will relive for years to come.
For about 10 years I have grown to cherish and admire LC's style of football. Although I'm not really a fan of the NFL, my fondness of LC football is traced back to 80's/early 90's versions of the Washington Redskins and New York Giants that emphasized ball control and tough defense. With the Redskins, I simply couldn't get enough of the counter trey. Seeing Russ Grimm and Joe Jacoby pull and destroy the first person they saw was definitive football for me.
For many reasons, the 1990 New York Giants team is my favorite NFL team of all time. Of course my lasting image from their Super Bowl victory is the forearm Ottis Anderson clocks Mark Kelso with at the 54 second point of this video. What I really applauded about them was their ability to force the other team to play at there pace. This was never more evident than in the 1990 NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. While the Giants focussed on ball control and defense, the 49ers were busy running up scores like a pinball machine. After much anticipation over which style would prevail, the Giants ended up winning 15-13 on the strength of 5 Matt Bahr field goals. If there was ever a case to be made of one inflicting their will on another, this was it.
Getting back to LC, I first became familiar with them during the 1998 season. My brother, Lars (who was a sophmore for Mead High School at the time), said that they were easily the toughest team he'd played against in awhile. Their running back, Nick Spurgetis, ran harder than anyone he faced in high school. Conversly, their defense seemed to have an approach that took absolutely no chances in trying to stop the opponent. I witnessed numerous games in which they would repeatedly stop a running back for a 3-4 yard gain or wrap up a receiver after a 6-8 yard reception. All the while they would not chance blitzing or making an interception while risking potentially a large gain by the opponent . Without ever talking to anyone associated with the program, I would've bet the farm that their philosophy was to make you earn a touchdown. All the while most teams were not able to do this due to the discipline required to run 15 consecutive plays without making a mistake. Numerous times I witnessed oppossing teams killing drives going for the long bomb, getting a penalty, or simply fumbling the ball.
Unfortunately that 1998 team lost to the 4th seeded Big 9 team, Wenatchee, 27-7. I don't know what happened. Before the game, Coach Hook mentioned on the radio that he was very concerned about the game due to the team having the worst series of practices they have all season. Despite that, I kept tabs on the team. Of course I wanted my brother's team, Mead, to win, but rooted for LC in all the other games.
Following the 1999 season, head coach John Hook decided to step down. When I first heard that his replacement was going to be an ex-receiver, Tom Yearout, I was a little concerned. Having grown to appreciate their physical style of play, I was pretty sure that a former receiver was going to make the offense more "exciting." Upon reading Yearout's first interview with the Spokesman-Review, I became very relieved that they were going to continue to do more of the same. While I don't have access to the article in which he is asked if there will be any changes to thier offensive or defensive philosophies, the summary of his answer can best be described as, "No."
The 2000 season brought another LC victory over Mead. Towards the end of the game it looked as though Mead was going to stop LC. Typical of LC, though, they sensed Mead gearing up to stop the run and hit a wide open receiver for a long touchdown pass. Still, Mead had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game. Throughout the final drive, it looked as though Mead had figured out how to successfully move the ball against the Tigers. The key, IMO, is be content with 3-6 yard gains and not make mistakes. For the first 19 plays of the drive, Mead executed this plan perfectly. Unfortunately on the 20th play, Mead suffered the same fate most high school teams do when forced to run more 10 consecutive offensive plays. They made a mistake and fumbled. Unfortunately LC proceeded to lose their next playoff game. Something they continued to do until this season.
When I read that LC was going to open the playoffs against Richland this year, another loss was expected on my part. A 28-0 victory caught my attention. I made a point to watch their next playoff game against Wooodinville. Prior to the game I was pretty sure the Falcons would pull off a close one. Every Maxwell coached team I'd ever seen was extremely physical, not too mention Woodinville has its fair share of athletes. The game ended up not even being close. It was at this point my gut started thinking that the rest of the state was in for a rude awakening. I started having visions of LC's opponents having fits being forced to play their style of football, similar to the 1990 Giants team. I had this overwhelming sensation that knew a secret that none of LC's opponents had, and began post it on the internet here and here.
The championship game against Bothell gave LC the oppurtunity to show the entire state their style of play. From my point of view the result of the game was derived from Bothell, a team that had averaged nearly 34 points a game in their first 13 contests, inabilty to adapt to a pace that LC was forcing them to play. I liken this style, just like the Giants and Redskins used to play, as the equivalent to water torture. I predicted a 17-14 LC victory to my Bothell friends, and had visions of the Giants beating the 49ers.
One of the most pleasing moments in the game actually came when I later watched a replay. After playing a mediocre half (at least by most peoples standards), the television reporter asked coach Yearout if his team was going to make any halftime adjustments. While I don't have an exact quote of what the coach said, the summary of his reply can best be described as, "No."
True to form, the Tigers inflicted their will on Bothell and prevailed 21-14. I couldn't have been happier. The Lewis & Clark Football program is one that I have come to admire more as time goes on. Through coaching changes and playoff disapointments, they have maintained a united, singular approach to how they play the game. To see a state championship emerge from a program such as LC is as good as it gets.
A championship that has been in the making for many years that finally culminated on December 1, 2007. Congratulations, Lewis & Clark Football!
For about 10 years I have grown to cherish and admire LC's style of football. Although I'm not really a fan of the NFL, my fondness of LC football is traced back to 80's/early 90's versions of the Washington Redskins and New York Giants that emphasized ball control and tough defense. With the Redskins, I simply couldn't get enough of the counter trey. Seeing Russ Grimm and Joe Jacoby pull and destroy the first person they saw was definitive football for me.
For many reasons, the 1990 New York Giants team is my favorite NFL team of all time. Of course my lasting image from their Super Bowl victory is the forearm Ottis Anderson clocks Mark Kelso with at the 54 second point of this video. What I really applauded about them was their ability to force the other team to play at there pace. This was never more evident than in the 1990 NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. While the Giants focussed on ball control and defense, the 49ers were busy running up scores like a pinball machine. After much anticipation over which style would prevail, the Giants ended up winning 15-13 on the strength of 5 Matt Bahr field goals. If there was ever a case to be made of one inflicting their will on another, this was it.
Getting back to LC, I first became familiar with them during the 1998 season. My brother, Lars (who was a sophmore for Mead High School at the time), said that they were easily the toughest team he'd played against in awhile. Their running back, Nick Spurgetis, ran harder than anyone he faced in high school. Conversly, their defense seemed to have an approach that took absolutely no chances in trying to stop the opponent. I witnessed numerous games in which they would repeatedly stop a running back for a 3-4 yard gain or wrap up a receiver after a 6-8 yard reception. All the while they would not chance blitzing or making an interception while risking potentially a large gain by the opponent . Without ever talking to anyone associated with the program, I would've bet the farm that their philosophy was to make you earn a touchdown. All the while most teams were not able to do this due to the discipline required to run 15 consecutive plays without making a mistake. Numerous times I witnessed oppossing teams killing drives going for the long bomb, getting a penalty, or simply fumbling the ball.
Unfortunately that 1998 team lost to the 4th seeded Big 9 team, Wenatchee, 27-7. I don't know what happened. Before the game, Coach Hook mentioned on the radio that he was very concerned about the game due to the team having the worst series of practices they have all season. Despite that, I kept tabs on the team. Of course I wanted my brother's team, Mead, to win, but rooted for LC in all the other games.
Following the 1999 season, head coach John Hook decided to step down. When I first heard that his replacement was going to be an ex-receiver, Tom Yearout, I was a little concerned. Having grown to appreciate their physical style of play, I was pretty sure that a former receiver was going to make the offense more "exciting." Upon reading Yearout's first interview with the Spokesman-Review, I became very relieved that they were going to continue to do more of the same. While I don't have access to the article in which he is asked if there will be any changes to thier offensive or defensive philosophies, the summary of his answer can best be described as, "No."
The 2000 season brought another LC victory over Mead. Towards the end of the game it looked as though Mead was going to stop LC. Typical of LC, though, they sensed Mead gearing up to stop the run and hit a wide open receiver for a long touchdown pass. Still, Mead had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game. Throughout the final drive, it looked as though Mead had figured out how to successfully move the ball against the Tigers. The key, IMO, is be content with 3-6 yard gains and not make mistakes. For the first 19 plays of the drive, Mead executed this plan perfectly. Unfortunately on the 20th play, Mead suffered the same fate most high school teams do when forced to run more 10 consecutive offensive plays. They made a mistake and fumbled. Unfortunately LC proceeded to lose their next playoff game. Something they continued to do until this season.
When I read that LC was going to open the playoffs against Richland this year, another loss was expected on my part. A 28-0 victory caught my attention. I made a point to watch their next playoff game against Wooodinville. Prior to the game I was pretty sure the Falcons would pull off a close one. Every Maxwell coached team I'd ever seen was extremely physical, not too mention Woodinville has its fair share of athletes. The game ended up not even being close. It was at this point my gut started thinking that the rest of the state was in for a rude awakening. I started having visions of LC's opponents having fits being forced to play their style of football, similar to the 1990 Giants team. I had this overwhelming sensation that knew a secret that none of LC's opponents had, and began post it on the internet here and here.
The championship game against Bothell gave LC the oppurtunity to show the entire state their style of play. From my point of view the result of the game was derived from Bothell, a team that had averaged nearly 34 points a game in their first 13 contests, inabilty to adapt to a pace that LC was forcing them to play. I liken this style, just like the Giants and Redskins used to play, as the equivalent to water torture. I predicted a 17-14 LC victory to my Bothell friends, and had visions of the Giants beating the 49ers.
One of the most pleasing moments in the game actually came when I later watched a replay. After playing a mediocre half (at least by most peoples standards), the television reporter asked coach Yearout if his team was going to make any halftime adjustments. While I don't have an exact quote of what the coach said, the summary of his reply can best be described as, "No."
True to form, the Tigers inflicted their will on Bothell and prevailed 21-14. I couldn't have been happier. The Lewis & Clark Football program is one that I have come to admire more as time goes on. Through coaching changes and playoff disapointments, they have maintained a united, singular approach to how they play the game. To see a state championship emerge from a program such as LC is as good as it gets.
A championship that has been in the making for many years that finally culminated on December 1, 2007. Congratulations, Lewis & Clark Football!
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