HS Football: Mount Tahoma Beats Lakes in OT Thriller, Bellarmine Advances to Round of 32

11/1/24

(Lakewood, WA) Week 9 of the 2024 high school football season in Washington arrived and with it came some new twists and turns in leagues across all classifications. With the PCL and SSC merging to become the 3A Puget Sound League, week 9 brought with it crossovers between the Nisqually and Narrows divisions in the PSL. Two games took place at Harry E. Lang Stadium in Lakewood as two teams were playing to keep their seasons alive while two would look to strengthen their resumes heading into the Round of 32 next week.

Bellarmine Prep 30, River Ridge 14

In game one in Lakewood, it would be an elimination game as Bellarmine Prep took on River Ridge for a spot in the Round of 32. In their first season since dropping down from the SPSL 4A, the Bellarmine Prep Lions would look to extend their season by another week but would have to snap a three-game losing streak to do so. The River Ridge Hawks found themselves taking massive strides as a program as they looked to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2017.

First Half

Bellarmine Prep would send their offense onto the field to begin the game after a great return by Gabe Gomez. Myles Alvarez would move the ball on the ground while Birk Johnston found Brian McDonough for a 21-yard completion. The drive looked like it ended in a touchdown, but an ineligible man downfield penalty backed the Lions up. They would have to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Cal Tsuneyoshi would still get Bellarmine Prep on the board, leading early 3-0.

Defensively the Lions were dominant in the opening half. A quick three-and-out gave the Lions offense back the ball. This drive never really turned into a dominant drive. However, Johnston would elect to take a shot deep down the left side of the field. Gabe Gomez would be interfered with, but still came back to the ball and made a phenomenal catch. Gomez then broke free and took it to the house for a 66-yard touchdown. With about four minutes left in the opening quarter, Bellarmine Prep led River Ridge 10-0.

Another three-and-out took the River Ridge offense off the field and gave Bellarmine Prep a chance to go up by three possessions. Again, it was Myles Alvarez working the Lions down the field while Johnston bided his time to throw the ball down field. Once again, he would find Gabe Gomez for a long touchdown as Gomez took this one 41-yards for the score. It was all Lions in the first quarter as they led River Ridge 17-0.

A couple of drives later, River Ridge found themselves backed up near their own goal line. Still looking to find some momentum on offense, River Ridge tried to get some breathing room by running the ball. A fumble would be the disastrous result and the Lions would pounce. Bellarmine Prep recovered the loose ball in the endzone for another touchdown. The Lions continued to pull away as the lead grew to 23-0.

Looking for a spark, River Ridge quarterback Darian Harper would move around with a new jersey on as well. The Hawks moved the ball right down the field as Harper ran through tackles and even caught a pass on a trick play from Keenan Shea for 15 yards. Another new wrinkle for the Hawks was Hayden Jacquet getting more involved in the ground game. As River Ridge built some momentum they moved the ball down into the red zone where they would cash in. Jacquet would take a carry in for an eight-yard score to get River Ridge on the board. Neither team could get points on their final possession of the half so the score at halftime was 23-8 in favor of Bellarmine Prep.

Second Half

An injury to Darian Harper just before halftime kept him out of the game in the 3rd quarter. Rashaun Harkless would take over at QB for River Ridge. The Hawks would still move the ball pretty well but could not find points. Neither could Bellarmine Prep however as the River Ridge defense began to tighten things up. An interception by Kaden Haggard helped out River Ridge but late in the 3rd quarter, the Lions found their opportunity. Once again it would be Gabe Gomez but this time it would come from the wildcat. Gomes took the direct snap on and had the entire right side of the field to himself. Gomez took it 26 yards to the house for his third score of the game. Going into the 4th quarter, Bellarmine Prep expanded their lead to 30-8.

River Ridge would find success to open up the 4th quarter with Darian Harper returning at wide receiver. Harkless and Harper were working well together while Hayden Jacquet continued to churn away on the ground. Harkless and Harper would be the duo to put up the points on this drive as Harkless found Harper for a 36-yard touchdown. With still 9:24 to go, it was just a two-possession game with Bellarmine still leading 30-14.

It looked like the Lions would just run the clock out with Elias Givens, but a fumble would be recovered by the Hawks and give River Ridge some hope late. A 30-yard completion to Naiveo Brown continued to build momentum for the Hawks as they searched for a late comeback. Bellarmine Prep’s defense would have one last big play in them. A shot deep would be picked off by Cooper Fournier to seal the deal. Bellarmine Prep’s big first half would be enough for the Lions as they knocked off River Ridge 30-14 to advance to the Round of 32.

Stats and MVP

Our Elisportsnetwork.com MVP of the game went to Gabe Gomez for Bellarmine Prep. Gomez was electric every time he touched the football whether it be on offense or special teams. Gomez would catch three passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns while running the ball twice for 32 yards and another touchdown. He also added in a couple of explosive kick returns to put his team in great field position.

Also for Bellarmine Prep, Myles Alvarez was a workhorse, carrying the ball 18 times for 90 yards while Elias Givens was the closer with eight carries for 16 yards. Birk Johnston went 7-15 passing for 164 yards and two touchdowns to lead the passing attack. Brian McDonough and Jeremy Williams each caught a 21-yard pass while Hunter Goodsell and Casey Gebauer each caught a 12-yard pass. Defensively, Cooper Fournier had an interception and Cody Coovert recorded two sacks for the Lions. Cal Tsuneyoshi would knock in three extra points and a 25-yard field goal.

For River Ridge, Darian Harper was doing it all as he completed 4-4 passing, had six carries, and caught six passes for a total of 119 yards and a receiving touchdown. Rashaun Harkless took over at quarterback in the second half and he went 9-19 passing for 125 yards and a touchdown and five carries for 42 yards. Hayden Jacquet was solid on the ground with nine carries for 46 yards and a touchdown while Xavier Street had two carries for 17 yards. Naiveo Brown caught four passes for 42 yards while Street had an eight-yard catch and Gabriel Ford had a two-yard catch. Kaden Haggard had an interception on defense for the Hawks.

Bellarmine Prep snaps their losing streak and moves to 6-3 on the season as they head into the Round of 32. The Lions will travel to take on the Monroe Bearcats next week with a time TBD. River Ridge finishes the season 5-4 in what was a culture changing season for the Hawks.

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ESN Postgame Show

Game Highlights

Gomez Highlight Catch

Bellarmine Prep 4th Down Touchdown

Harper Diving TD Catch

Mount Tahoma 40, Lakes 37 (OT)

It was a different kind of intensity for the second game of the doubleheader as both the Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds and the Lakes Lancers already knew that they would be moving on to the Round of 32 next week. However, there was still a lot on the line for both sides. For Mount Tahoma, a win over Lakes could bump them up into the top 16 for a home game in the Round of 32. For Lakes, a win would complete a perfect regular season and give the Lancers all the confidence in the world going into the playoffs.

First Half

Things did not start off well for Lakes at all. The first snap from scrimmage would go through the hands of Willie Nash and made it 2nd and 20. After two more plays, Lakes would punt the ball away and waiting for his chance to return it would be Briytan Bailey. Taking it at the T-Birds own 42, Bailey found space and blocking and was off to the races. Bailey took it 58 yards to the house and before the offense stepped on the field, Mount Tahoma led 7-0.

Lakes would respond to some adversity nicely on their second drive of the game. Toetu Moliga would move the ball on the ground with some physical runs between the tackles. After an 11-yard completion from Nash to Bryce McCray, the two would connect again, this time for six. Nash found McCray who would do the rest and took it 28 yards for the score. Mount Tahoma would block the extra point, so the T-Birds still led the Lancers 7-6.

Both teams traded possessions as the game moved into the 2nd quarter with Mount Tahoma driving. While Felix Diaz was the featured back for the T-Birds, they would give the Lakes defense a 1-2 punch to deal with. Johnny Camoza turned out to be a problem for the Lancers defensive front with some powerful runs between the tackles. As the T-Birds got the ball inside the five, Camoza had his number called again and punched it in for a three-yard score. The long drive ended with Mount Tahoma extending their lead to 14-6.

Lakes would not be able to respond to that scoring drive but Exavier McChristian bombed a punt back to the Mount Tahoma 14-yard line. With the Thunderbirds backed up fairly deep on their own side of the field, it took one play for them to hit a home run. Johnny Camoza would take the handoff and broke multiple tackles to get into the secondary where he continued to fly down the field. Another broken tackle would clear the way for Camoza to take it to the house for an 86-yard touchdown. In the blink of an eye the T-Birds lead had grown to 21-6.

A takeaway gave the ball back to Mount Tahoma and the offense was humming. A 37-yard run for Felix Diaz and a 22-yard pass from Mikkah Cordero to Kane Roy moved Mount Tahoma right down the field. Finally, it was time for the Mount Tahoma quarterback to find the endzone as Cordero found Angel Urban for an eight-yard score. With the half winding down, Mount Tahoma was rolling with a 27-6 lead.

It looked like Mount Tahoma would get one last offensive possession. A muffed punt however would be recovered by Lakes and gave the Lancers a shot to cut into the deficit before halftime. Moliga would lead the Lancer offense right down the field and they were able to cash in on the extra opportunity. Michael Pulalasi would find the endzone with a short touchdown run to give Lakes some momentum at halftime with their deficit trimmed down to 27-13.

Second Half

Mount Tahoma got the ball to start the second half and the T-Birds carried their momentum into the 3rd quarter. Once again, it would come on the ground as Felix Diaz broke a 37-yard touchdown run as Lakes had no answer to Mount Tahoma’s dynamic offense. With 8:41 to go in the 3rd quarter, Mount Tahoma’s lead was up to 21 as they held a 34-13 advantage.

Things then began to change. While it took awhile for Lakes to get the offense going in the 3rd, they would cut into the deficit before the 4th. With Toetu Moliga still plugging away on the ground, Lakes would move the ball right down the field. Willie Nash would then find Exavier McChristian in the endzone for a 12-yard score. Going into the 4th quarter, the Lancers were still fighting as the deficit was down to 34-20.

Lakes would come up with a stop on defense and then hit an explosive play. Nash found Tristan Baker for a big 34-yard gain as the Lancers moved the ball into Mount Tahoma territory. Moliga and Pulalasi continued to wear down the Mount Tahoma defensive front. Once again, Nash would find the tall receiver in McChristian in the endzone for six more, this time on a six-yard score. With still 7:26 to go, the Lancers were only down by a score, trailing 34-27.

Another stop made things very interesting as Lakes took back over with a chance to tie the game. Lakes would still move the ball very well with McChristian catching a couple of passes for 34 yards and Baker also hauling in a 15-yard pass. Lakes got inside the 10-yard line, but KD Davis came up with a huge defensive play, sacking Nash to back the Lancers up. Lakes would get the ball down to the one-yard line for a 4th and goal with 19 seconds left in the game. With Moliga banged up, Lakes turned to Michael Pulalsi who easily made his way into the endzone for the score. Chris Cosio hit the PAT to erase the 21-point deficit. The game was headed to overtime tied at 34-34.

Overtime

Lakes got the ball first in OT and could not pick up a first down. Chris Cosio would come out to attempt a 38-yard field goal. Despite nasty weather all week, Friday was actually calm and allowed Cosio to nail the 38-yarder to give Lakes their first lead of the game. The Lancers were on top 37-34 and needed a stop to earn the comeback win.

Mount Tahoma knew that a field goal would move the game to double OT but a touchdown would win it. Felix Diaz would pick up a first down on a 10-yard run before gaining another yard to make it 2nd and 9 at the 13-yard line. Mikkah Cordero would buy some time and threw a pass between two receivers. Both Anthony Quintanilla Jr. and Elijah Durr dove for the ball and collided as they went to the ground. Durr would come away with the catch for the game winning 13-yard touchdown. While Mount Tahoma had to sweat it out in the end, the T-Birds earned a huge win by knocking off Lakes 40-37 in OT.

Stats and MVP

Our Elisportsnetwork.com MVP of the game was Johnny Camoza for Mount Tahoma. The #2 running back for the T-Birds went off for his squad especially in the first half. Camoza carried the ball ten times for 134 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the first half. His 86-yard touchdown run was the play for the T-Birds that gave them the same swagger that they had all of last season. While he his the backup, Camoza made sure that opposing coaches have to gameplan for the bruiser as the T-Birds roll into the playoffs.

Elsewhere for Mount Tahoma, Felix Diaz had a big day as well rushing, with 15 carries for 111 yards and a score. In the passing game, Mikkah Cordero went 9-14 passing for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Angel Urban was the leading receiver with three catches for 35 yards and a score. Kane Roy tallied two catches for 44 yards and Anthony Quintanilla Jr. had two catches for two yards. Elijah Durr would have just one catch but it was the game-winning 13-yard touchdown for Mount Tahoma. Briytan Bailey had a four-yard catch, two-yard run, and a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown. KD Davis had a sack on defense while Shan Jones had some big plays defensively as well.

For Lakes, Willie Nash was busy as he went 13-30 passing for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Exavier McChristian had a big day receiving with seven catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Bryce McCray added two catches for 39 yards and a score while Tristan Baker had two catches for 49 yards. Jalen Boone tallied a two-yard reception as well. Toetu Moliga carried the ball 24 times for 140 hard earned yards for the Lancers. Michael Pulalasi had a monster day on defense while rushing the ball four times for eight yards and two touchdowns and adding a reception as well. Chris Cosio had a strong day kicking, with four PATs and a 38-yard field goal in overtime.

Both teams will move on to the Round of 32 next week and Mount Tahoma will do so with a 5-4 record. The Thunderbirds will get a home game as they will host Mount Spokane. Lakes suffers their first defeat of the season as they drop to 8-1. The Lancers will be at home also for the Round of 32 as they will host White River. Both game times are TBD.

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