HS Football: Five Takeaways Lead Eastlake to Win at Mount Tahoma

9/13/24

Eastlake 23, Mount Tahoma 7

(Tacoma, WA) One year removed from making their respective state tournaments, the Eastlake Wolves and Mount Tahoma met at the former host of the 1B and 4A state championship games at George Nordi Field on Friday night. Both teams suffered tough losses to open the season and both desperately needed a win to get the confidence sky high and put win number one in the books.

In 2023, Eastlake made a deep run in the 4A state tournament, falling to Graham-Kapowsin in the semifinals. They would turn to back-up quarterback Ryder Barrysmith to try to get the Wolves in the win column with starter Landon Renfroe out with an injury. For Mount Tahoma, they took home the PCL 3A league title and made it to the quarterfinals before falling to Yelm last season. The Thunderbirds would have to replace both their starting quarterback and running back as well as a UCLA bound lineman who all graduated last spring.

The opening quarter flew by as Eastlake received the opening kick. They would march down the field with a heavy rushing attack that saw them get all the way down to the two-yard line. Then the T-Bird defense dug their heels in. A two-yard loss backed up the Wolves and they couldn’t punch it in from the four-yard line. A turnover on downs would result in a drive that lasted over six minutes, but yielded no points for the Wolves.

Mount Tahoma would buy themselves some breathing room before being forced to punt to open the 2nd quarter. Eastlake would mix in the passing game a bit more on their second drive and moved the ball to the Mount Tahoma side of the field behind the thunder and lightning running back duo of Myles and Colby Johnson. A big stop by the T-Birds forced a 3rd and 10 from the 28-yard line. Ryder Barrysmith would then drop back and throw an absolute dime to Kade Haroldsen who made the catch in stride. Haroldsen found the endzone for the first points of the game, giving Eastlake a 7-0 lead.

Mount Tahoma responded with a very good looking drive behind Felix Diaz and Devon Addison. The drive stayed alive on a third down pass from Mikkah Cordero to Elijah Durr for 14 yards, moving the ball into Eastlake territory. A fumble would bring that drive to a quick end as Eastlake recovered the loose ball. The Wolves had enough time to move the ball down the field thanks to a 28-yard run by Myles Johnson. Barrysmith had issues with a snap and threw up a pass that looked like it would be an interception, but Haroldsen skied up and brought it in for a four-yard gain. That set up a 33-yard field goal by Daniel Ferreira as the first half expired, giving Eastlake a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Both teams turned the ball over on their opening drives of the second half with Kade Haroldsen picking off a pass before Briyton Bailey took it right back for Mount Tahoma. Bailey then had a couple 10-yard gains on offense before Felix Diaz got the ball inside the 10. On 3rd and goal from the one-yard line, Mikkah Cordero ran a read option with Keshawn Hines but kept it himself for the first time in the game. Cordero went untouched into the endzone for a touchdown, getting Mount Tahoma on the board, trailing 10-7.

Defense would then step up for Mount Tahoma as they forced a three-and-out to get the ball back for their offense. Unfortunately for the T-Birds, Dominic Miller would step up big for Eastlake. Miller intercepted a pass to preserve the lead and get the Eastlake offense back out on the field. A perfectly timed jet sweep for Bryson Hodges gained 15-yards and got momentum going for the Wolves. Miller would then be rewarded with a short two-yard touchdown to open up the 4th quarter, giving Eastlake the 16-7 lead.

Another interception by Dominic Miller shortly followed and Eastlake began to attack the clock. A heavy dose of Myles Johnson killed a good chunk of the clock. Johnson would score on a two-yard touchdown and Eastlake added one more takeaway to put the icing on the cake. Five turnovers forced by the Eastlake defense aided the ground and pound attack offensively as the Wolves got into the win column with a 23-7 road victory.

For Eastlake, Myles Johnson led the way on offense with 20 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown. Colby Johnson carried the ball five times for 14 yards and Bryson Hodges added five carries for 37 yards. Chase Dannemiller and Dominic Miller also added two carries a piece for eight and four yards respectively. Ryder Barrysmith went 4-12 through the air for 40 yards and a touchdown with Kade Haroldsen being is go-to receiver with three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. He would also tally an interception while Dominic Miller had a one-yard catch and two interceptions for the Wolves. Daniel Ferreira would knock in a 33-yard field goal while Jack Devine and Jack Beardall stood out on the offensive and defensive line.

For Mount Tahoma, Felix Diaz was the go-to man with 14 carries for 64 yards and two catches for 12 yards. Keshawn Hines had four carries for 26 yards and Devon Addison carried the ball four times for 11 yards. KD Davis also had a 10-yard carry. Briytan Bailey would have two catches for 15 yards, two carries for nine yards, and an interception on defense. Mikkah Cordero went 11-23 passing for 91 yards and had a one-yard touchdown run. Angel Urban caught three passes for 27 yards while Elijah Durr also caught three passes for 31 yards. Malachi Nielson and Shan Jones were the standouts defensively for the T-Birds.

Our Cole Health MVP of the game went to Kade Haroldsen for his touchdown catch and interception as well as an interception saving catch that resulted in the field goal just before the half. An interception in that situation would have kept it 7-0 at halftime and would have given Mount Tahoma all of the momentum before halftime.

The win is the first in 2024 for Eastlake as they move to 1-1. They will have a quick turnaround as they play on Thursday at home against Tumwater. Mount Tahoma starts their season 0-2 and will play another 4A foe on Friday when they visit Mount Si. Both teams will kick-off at 7pm for their next games.

Eastlake @ Mount Tahoma Full Game Replay (Subscription Required)