4 Washington high school football games you should not have missed from Week 7 (10/13/2023)
POULSBO, Wash. - A showdown for what likely will determine the 2A Olympic League championship turned into a beatdown.
Behind a swarming defense and a pounding rushing game, the No. 5 North Kitsap Vikings routed the previously undefeated Bremerton Knights, 41-14, in a battle for the league's top spot.
* WEEK 7 WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
"This was a really big game for us," Vikings running back Carter Dungy said. "Our players have been working real hard. We were ready for them."
Dungy scored four touchdowns and rushed for 219 yards on 25 carries as the Vikings turned to their running game when it began to rain above North Kitsap Stadium.
On the Vikings’ opening possession of the third quarter, Dungy carried on all eight plays on a 65-yard drive, ending with a four yard run to give North Kitsap a 35-0 lead.
"After that second half, they said just keep pounding them," Dungy said. "They’re going to give up eventually. That’s what we did, and it was working real good."
While the running game was going, the Vikings’ defense made sure the Knights didn’t go anywhere. Before giving way to the reserves in the fourth quarter under a running clock, North Kitsap’s defenders routinely got into the Bremerton backfield and shut down their offense. They held the Knights to 21 yards rushing and 76 yards passing. Both of Bremerton’s touchdowns came late against the Vikings’ reserves.
Logan Sloman led the Vikings’ defense with three first half interceptions. On offense, he caught two passes for 55 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown from Cole Edwards for the game’s first touchdown - and added a 48 yard run in the third quarter for the Vikings’ final score.
With the win, the Vikings (5-0 Olympic League, 6-1 overall), look to repeat as Olympic League champions and have an inside track to a top seed in the postseason..
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EASTMONT BUOYS 'RESPECT FACTOR' WITH WIN OVER SKYLINET
Yes, folks - the 4A CBBN is for real this fall.
Eastmont drove 80 yards on its opening drive for a 1-yard Luke Gale touchdown run, and the Wildcats never looked back in a 21-3 non-league victory at 4A KingCo champion Skyline in Sammamish.
Gale also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Adrien Ruffins with six seconds remaining in the first half to extend Eastmont's lead to 14-3.
Gunnar Peterson added a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
But the story was the Eastmont defense, which fended off a few promising Skyline chances to keep the Spartans out of the end zone.
"It was awesome," said Eastmont coach Mike Don, enjoying arguably the team's best win during his coaching tenure. "Guys stepped up and made big play after big play."
After Moses Lake defeated Kamiakin early in the season - and now Eastmont's big win Friday, it appears both 4A CBBN co-favorites will remain in play for a high seeding from the WIAA"s RPI rankings.
"One, this is big for the respect factor," Don said. "And it sets up one big showdown (with Moses Like) in Week 9."
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LA CENTER ROARS BACK TO CLIP SETON CATHOLIC
Trailing by two scores early in the fourth quarters, things didn't look good for reigning 1A Trico champion La Center.
And then the Wildcats went on what coach John Lambert went on a "typical La Center" drive to change the game's outlook.
It not only netted a touchdown, it got fifth-ranked La Center going - eventually pulling out a 14-13 victory over No. 10 Seton Catholic.
La Center tallied two touchdowns in the final four minutes - the first on Jalen Ward's 3-yard run that capped a 60-yard drive that took off nearly six minutes.
After the Wildcats' defense forced a three-and-out, they took the lead two minutes later on Parker McKinney's 25-yard score from Houston Coyle for a 14-13 lead with 2:04 to go.
Seton Catholic threatened to get a win, marching to the Wildcats' 24. But on an end-around trick play, wide receiver Joe Callerame's pass was picked off in the end zone by Coyle.
"Seton played lights out, but ... we respond really well to challenges and failures," Lambert said. "It was great to see the kids stay with it."
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WOODINVILLE RATTLES BOTHELL, SHAKES UP 4A KINGCO RACE
Who is going to win the 4A KingCo title over the next few weeks?
It is anybody's call.
It could be Woodinville, which crunched seventh-ranked Bothell, 38-20, at Pop Keeney Stadium.
Fueled by forcing three first-half turnovers, the Falcons tallied three touchdowns in the final 3:10 of the first half to pull away from the Cougars.
The capper came after linebacker Ryan Bowles - who minutes earlier had a fumble return for a touchdown - picked off a Jaylen Viars' pass for Bothell with 80 seconds remaining.
The Falcons quickly drove 58 yards for Levi Grothen's 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Casey Larson along the left sideline for a 28-7 lead.
Woodinville coach Wayne Maxwell knows this league-title race is still up in the air.
"You have a group of teams, if you can make a few plays that night and things go your way, anybody can come out with a 'W,'" Maxwell said.
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