HS Football: Emerald Ridge Big Plays too much for Puyallup

9/27/2024

Emerald Ridge 29, Puyallup 19

(Puyallup, WA) It’s hard to say that just 4 weeks into the season and just the first conference game of the year that a game is a must win. Friday night Emerald Ridge was the visitor in their cross-district showdown with Puyallup and it sure had the feeling of a must win game for both teams. Both teams were 1-2 through their non-league schedule and Emerald Ridge coming off a disappointing loss last week to Graham-Kapowsin giving up 20 unanswered points to lose 20-13 with the final score coming with just 14 seconds to play in the game.

The Vikings came in off a tough loss at Skyview last Saturday where the Vikings were never in it losing 38-8. Puyallup began the year with a big loss at Tumwater and then handled Energreen of Vancouver in week 2. But the Viking defense had given up 107 points in 3 games and knew they had to come up with a big defensive effort.

Emerald Ridge began with the ball on their own 20 after Viks kicker Braylon Bowie belted the ball out of the back of the endzone. The Viking defense held forcing a Jags punt when the snap went over the head of punter Logan Lipscomb and out of the back of the endzone for a quick 2 point safety. The Vikings got their 1st chance with the ball on their 43. After a 3 yard gain sophomore QB Brayden Paulino dropped back to pass and found a streaking Nick Neil who caught the ball in stride and ran into the endzone for a quick 8-0 lead. Bowie added the PAT to make it 9-0 with 8:28 to play.

Once again out of the endzone with the kick-off for Bowie and Emerald Ridge was on their own 20. This time they drive the length of the field in an 8 play drive with an even distribution of 4 runs and 4 passes with freshman running back Malcom Akuffo finishing it with a 1 yard plunge for the touchdown. The PAT failed so it was 9-6 with Puyallup leading.

The Viks got the ball back on their own 34 and began to move the ball with a targeted passing attack. Puyallup drove it down to the 17 where the drive stalled and in came Bowie for a 33 yard field goal attempt. Bowie nailed it straight high and long and could have hit from at least 50 to give Puyallup a 12-6 lead with 56-seconds to go in the 1st.

E-R wasted little time in answering with their own 2 play drive starting from the 20 again. After a 4 yard run Jags Head Coach Torey Donovan reached into their bag of tricks and QB Ben Druckman pitched the ball to receiver Robert Lutz on a sweep to the right when Lutz stopped and looked downfield to find a wide open Lipscomb and unloaded a deep bomb that Lipscomb hauled in and went the distance for a 76 yard TD. But the PAT failed again and the score was tied 12-12 with still 5 seconds to play in the 1st.

The Jags would hold Puyallup on the next series and got the ball back on their own 29 with 10:27 to play in the half. As the Jags tried to get the 1st down it was initially marked as 4th and 2 and the Jags sent on their punt team. The ball was then place no more than a yard away but still E-R snapped the ball and Lipscomb punted. But just a split second prior to the snap Puyallup called time out so the ball was re-set at the 38 yard line needing just a yard for the 1st down.

The Jags coaching staff decided to send their offense back out there and handed off to Josh Moultrie who picked up the 1st down to keep the drive alive. This would be a huge pick-up as E-R would move the ball down to the Puyallup 18 and on the 9th play of the drive Akuffo ran over the left side and sprinted into the endzone for his 2nd TD of the game. E-R then sent out a different PAT kicker in Zion Jose Antonio who had been kicking deep and just got eligible to play in this game and he booted it home for their 1st extra point to take a 19-12 lead.

Puyallup got the ball back but on the 12th play of the drive a fumble closed the door on this scoring chance as E-R’s Sean Barber recovered it to end the threat and the Jags ran out the clock to go to the break with a 19-12 lead.

As the 3rd quarter began the Vikings were again moving the ball with a very directed offense of short passes mixed in with solid rushing mostly from Keanu Bartolome. But on the 9th play the Jags Logan Lipscomb somehow reached up with 1 hand and picked off a pass and returned it to the Puyallup 38 to avoid giving up points and putting E-R in a great position to add to their lead.

The Puyallup defense still licking their wounds from last week rose up with a great stop on a 4 play drive that was short and the Jags turned it over on downs. The Viks then made them pay for not taking advantage on the great field position.

Beginning on their own 11 the Vikings would go on a massive 15 play drive and march the 89 yards scoing on a Brayden Paulino to Nick Neil 12 yard TD with the PAT good it was a new game all even at 19-19 with 9:30 left to go in the game.

The Jags only had 10 offensive plays in the entire 4th quarter and just 17 in the 2nd half but they were very efficient. After punting the ball away Puyallup got it back on their own 33 but the E-R defense held them to a 3 and out but it wasn’t the out they wanted. As Bowie took the snap to punt the Jags were coming and River Blue Marx sliced through to block the punt and then Zane Turner picked up the loose ball and scored getting it in just inside the pylon for the go-ahead score. Antonio hit the 2nd PAT and the Jags led by 7, 26-19.

Puyallup got it back on their own 6 and went for it on 4th down deep in their own end when Elijah Mitchell came up with a huge sack back on the 5 yard line where Emerald Ridge would take over 1st and goal and a chance to ice the game. However, after a personal foul and the ball got moved back to the 20 the Jags had to attempt a 27 yard field goal to get it to a 2 score game and Antonio came through again nailing it pushing the score to a 10 point difference 29-19.

There were 4 possessions in the final 2:50 with an interception by E-R, the Viks got it back on a fumble recovery but then needing to score they turned the ball over on downs and E-R ran out the clock to claim their 2nd win and 1st conference victory.

Our Eli Sports Network MVP went to Logan Lipscomb for Emerald Ridge. The Jags are now 2-2 on the year and 1-0 in conference play and will host Rogers next Friday night. Puyallup drops to 1-3 and 0-1 and will have their hands full next Friday at 4-0 Sumner.

The Puyallup defense actually did their job holding E-R to 281 total yards and giving up 19 points as 10 were scored on the blocked punt and the offense turning the ball over on the Vikings 5 and they forced a safety so net points gave up just 17. Puyallup’s offense racked up 378 yards and Paulino finished 21 for 34 and 228 yards of passing with 2 TD’s and 2 INTs. Paulino also led the team in rushing with 15 carries for 76 yards. Bartolome had 18 runs for 71. Nick Neil led the receivers with 13 catches for 159 yards and 2 scores.

Emerald Ridge earned the win by using all 3 phases of the game with Druckman gong 10 for 17 and 78 yards and a TD through the air and Robvert Lutz on his 1 pass the halfback pass that went for 76 yards and the score. Akuffo ran 17 times for 111 yards and 2 TD’s and Logan Lipscomb hauled in 4 passes for 118 yards and the TD. The Jags big plays were the real differfence in this game.

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