Bracket Breakdown: WIAA 1B state football tournament first-round previews, stat leaders, game picks
A swelling of anticipation and excitement is happening again for Darrington High School football in this small logging town in Snohomish County.
Third-year coach Shane Wright cannot go anywhere in the street without locals asking him about the Loggers' playoff chances in the Class 1B ranks.
They make their state eight-man playoff debut Saturday in a first-round game at Wellpinit in eastern Washington.
* CLASS 1B WASHINGTON TOURNAMENT BRACKET
And the last time they won a WIAA tournament game? It was when Wright was the starting quarterback for the Loggers in 1997 when they reached the Class 2B quarterfinals, losing to Mossyrock.
"It's definitely exciting," Wright said. "I cannot go in the store without people asking me about football."
Before the past three seasons, Wright's experience in football - as a player and youth coach - has almost exclusively been in the 11-man game.
But when the high-school job opened in 2020, Wright applied for it so he could follow his son, Creed, who is now the team's backup quarterback.
"I got the job, and the season was canceled because of COVID-19," Wright said. "We ended up playing in the spring (of 2021), and I didn't know a lot about the eight-man style. We changed our offense three times, trying different things out. It was fun ... and we learned a lot."
The good thing about installing different offenses, it is easier to go back to them when the situation calls for it.
This fall, the Loggers split their time between a spread offense with four wide receivers and a bunched-in T-formation with two running backs lined up side by side.
"We worked a lot on our passing this summer," Wright said.
That is good news for sophomore Hunter Anderson in his second year as the starting quarterback. Both offenses fit his dual-threat style, too.
It's worked - the Loggers went 9-1 with their only loss to reigning state runner-up Neah Bay.
And this could be the start of a multi-year stay in the 1B playoffs. Darrington has just one senior starting in lineman Sam Gloman.
"They are jacked and all pumped up (for Saturday)," Wright said. "And we've had some good conversations about it, like even though we've made it to state, let's not let it end right here."
Editor’s note: Here’s a game-by-game breakdown, including top individual performers, outlook and score predictions of this weekend’s 2023 WIAA Class 1B football first-round matchups.
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NO. 9 DARRINGTON LOGGERS (9-1) at NO. 8 WELLPINIT REDSKINS (7-2)
Photo by Danea Norman/Wellpinit athletics
2 p.m. Saturday at Wellpinit High School
Statistical leaders: For Darrington – QB Hunter Anderson (45-88, 1,313 yards, 19 TDs), RB Mikey Soito (906 rushing yards, 16 TDs; 547 receiving yards, eight TDs), WR Cooper Green (473 receiving yards, eight TDs) and LB Chevy Vincent and DL McKinlee Green. For Wellpinit – QB Grant Denison III (57-81, 745 yards, 16 TDs), RB Andrew Moyer (126 carries, 1,182 yards, 16 TDs; nine catches, 199 yards, three TDs), RB Kaden McCrea (51 carries, 592 yards, 12 TDs; 11 catches, 158 yards, two TDs) and LB Carter Hughes (110 tackles).
What to watch for: There are teams in the tournament with rich eight-man football history - and then there are these two teams. Wellpinit earned its first 1B berth a year ago - and this is the Loggers' first state trip at this level. Expect both offenses to spread it out with quick-strike capability - especially behind the two signal callers, Anderson and Denison, who played wide receiver for the Redskins during their run to the 2022 state quarterfinals.
Pick: Wellpinit, 60-53.
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NO. 12 WINLOCK CARDINALS (5-5) at NO. 5 NEAH BAY RED DEVILS (7-2)
Photo by Todd Milles
5 p.m. Friday at Forks High School
Statistical leaders: For Winlock – QB Landon Cline (30-47, 507 yards, 10 TDs; 97 carries, 313 yards, seven TDs), RB James Cusson (148 carries, 1,340 yards, 18 TDs), TE Lincoln Ruiz (seven catches, 126 yards, five TDs) and DL Tyson Bonds (55 tackles, eight sacks). For Neah Bay (in six games) – QB Mathias Greene (29-59, 622 yards, five TDs), RB Jodell Wimberly (87 carries, 715 yards, eight TDs), RB Tyler Swan (71 carries, 701 yards, 13 TDs), WR Adan Ellis (12 catches, 271 yards, five TDs) and LB Adan Ellis (46 tackles).
What to watch for: This is a rematch from last season's district-round matchup - won 56-6 by the Red Devils, who advanced all the way to the WIAA title game. Expect them to attack the same way as usual - in I-formation and running downhill with Wimberly and Swan, and then allowing Greene to take downfield shots. As the season has gone on - with improving health - the Cardinals have morphed into a power-run offense. But watch out for Cline, a talented ninth grader.
Pick: Neah Bay, 66-30.
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NO. 10 NASELLE COMETS (9-1) at NO. 7 POMEROY PIRATES (9-1)
Photo courtesy of Naselle athletics
1 p.m. Saturday at Pomeroy High School
Statistical leaders: For Naselle – QB Jacob Lindstrom (70-102, 1,368 yards, 19 TDs; 77 carries, 1,066 yards, 19 TDs), RB Jack Strange (104 carries, 1,363 yards, 18 TDs; 29 catches, 638 yards, 10 TDs), WR Jacob Pakanen (15 catches, 332 yards, four TDs) and LB Jack Strange (72 tackles). For Pomeroy – QB Jett Slusser (46-84, 963 yards, 14 TDs; 635 rushing yards, 12 TDs), TE Ollie Severs (61 carries, 646 yards, 12 TDs; 13 catches, 332 yards, six TDs), ATH Walker Flynn (66 carries, 479 yards, five TDs), WR Boone Schmidt (17 catches, 315 yards, six TDs) and LB Walker Flynn.
What to watch for: More than a few coaches think the big-bruising-and-aggressive Pirates are a sleeper built for the state playoffs. Their disruptor up front is DL Trace Roberts, the 1B Southeast defensive MVP who can blow up an offense single-handedly. Naselle saw a team similar to this in Mossyrock nearly a month ago - and lost 62-8. Lindstrom will need to find way to extend plays and find the Comets' quicker athletes in space for them to keep up.
Pick: Pomeroy, 41-24.
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NO. 11 CONCRETE LIONS (7-3) at NO. 6 ALMIRA/COULEE-HARTLINE WARRIORS (8-2)
Photo by Paul Rider
1 p.m. Saturday at Lions Field, Moses Lake
Statistical leaders: For Concrete – QB Josiah Rider (45-110, 1,155 yards, 18 TDs; 87 carries, 994 yards, 18 TDs), RB Jakob Lofton (35 carries, 331 yards, six TDs), WR Adam Culver (17 catches, 426 yards, seven TDs) and DL Josiah Rider (73 tackles). For ACH – QB Caden Correia (37-87, 768 yards, 11 TDs; 132 carries, 675 yards, nine TDs), RB Carter Pitts (121 carries, 1,134 yards, 17 TDs), WR Max Grindy (14 catches, 428 yards, seven TDs) and DL John Pierce (59 tackles, 16 TFL, five sacks).
What to watch for: The 2021 state champions think they are in position to make another run, and will host a team that is making its 1B state playoff debut. After moving from quarterback in the offseason, Pitts has shaken off nagging injuries to lead ACH's run-oriented attack. And after early struggles, Correia is playing his best ball under-center now. For the Lions, most of the offense runs through Rider, an athletic dual-threat performer who can break off a big play at any time.
Pick: ACH, 50-32.
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