HS Football: 4A Post Season; Round of 32 Complete; State Bracket due Sunday

11/10/2024

The 4A Post Season kicked off Friday night with round of 32. All games from now on are loser out, winner advances until the ultimate loser out game the State Championship. The 4A classification will compete in a 16-team State Tournament format after the round of 32.

The round of 32 are not State Tournament games but would be better compared to a statewide district play-in game. The seeding committee for the round of 32 is not the same as the committee that will meet on Sunday for the 1-16 seedings into the State Tournament. Sunday afternoon the seeds for the State Tourney should be released and the opening round of state is next weekend.

This post will be updated through the Post Season all the way to the crowning of the 2024 4A State Champions.

State 4A Football Bracket

Below are the game results from the Round of 32 and any additional coverage we have if it was a game we covered.

(1) Camas 56, (32) Stadium 3

(2) Sumner 52, (31) Auburn 14 (Coverage Below)

(3) Chiawana 49, (30) Sunnyside 0

(4) Kennedy Catholic 58, (29) Mount Si 3

(5) Gonzaga Prep 41, (28) Woodinville 18

(6) Arlington 56, (27) North Creek 35

(7) Lake Stevens 56, (26) Tahoma 24

(8) Moses Lake 20, (25) Kamiakin 49

(9) Skyview 33, (24) Juanita 0

(10) Graham-Kapowsin 48, (23) Jackson 6

(11) Glacier Peak 0, (22) Curtis 28

(12) Bothell 52, (21) Olympia 14

(13) Mead 31, (20) Eastmont 10

(14) Yelm 20, (19) Richland 24

(15) Eastlake 14, (18) Puyallup 27

(16) Emerald Ridge 37, (17) Skyline 22 (Coverage Below)

ESN Game Coverage

Sumner rolls it up Big in 1st half to secure spot in Final 16

Sumner 52, Auburn 14

(Sumner, WA) The Sumner Spartans came out Friday night as the #2 seed and they didn’t take any chances with an Auburn team who can move the ball effectively on offense where they have no running backs and sling the ball all over the field. In fact the Trojans took the ball first and picked up 3 1st downs and got into Spartan territory before Sumner shut them down and took over on downs on their own 39.

Sumner then hit a big play on 1st down from Nate Donavan to Braylon Pope for a 61 yard strike but was called back on a holding call. The Spartans then marched down the field in 8 plays and running back Steele Isaacs pounded the ball in from the 1 yard line, Austin Ferencz added the PAT and it was 7-0 with 7:00 to play in the 1st.

After focing an Auburn punt, Sumner scored on the 4th play of their 2nd drive when Isaacs burst into the endzone from the 28 yard line to go up 14-0. After another Auburn punt the Spartan running game was clicking and this time Che Molina sprinted 22 yards to paydirt and a 21-0 lead on the final play of the 1st quarter.

The Spartans didn’t slow down and the wheels came off the Trojan offense that time and again would pick up 1st downs and get nice little drives going but could never finish the drive. After a turnover on downs Molina got his 2nd score this time from 6 yards out to push the lead to 28-0 with 9:03 to go in the half.

The scoring barrage didn’t end there with Isaacs sprinting 22 yards to go up 35-0 with 5:34 to play. On their next possession Donavan hit TE Carter Cocke` made a tremendous play by grabbing a tipped pass intended for Kainoa Grounds and then bulled his way across the goal line for to go up 42-0. After a Sikander Virk interception Donavan then got to Kainoa Grounds on a perfect 23 yard TD strike to go up 49-0. The Spartans got one more possession with Ferencz nailing a 37 yard field goal to cap their 1st half scoring at 52-0.

The 2nd half began in a running clock and the Spartans pulled all their starters. The Trojans had a pair of nice drives withy Monty Conlan scoring from 2 yards out and QB Baylen Erdmann hitting Logan O’Neal for a 3 yard TD catch. Alejandro Banegas hit both PAT’s for the 52-14 final.

Auburn ended their season with a 5-5 mark and Sumner is now 9-1 as they wait to what likely would be a #2 seed into the 16 team State Tournament.

The Trojans did finish with 237 yards of offense as Erdmann was 24-53 for 222 yards and a touchdown. Lucas Whitehall-Gilkes grabbed 13 receptions for 154 yards and Rashad Hart had 6 grabs for 34 yards.

Sumner rolled up 401 yards of offense with 398 of them in the 1st half. Steele Isaacs ran the ball 8 times for 119 yards and 3 scores, Che Molina 7 for 50 and 2 TD’s and Israel Nabors 2 for 12. Nate Donavan was 13 of 17 for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns. Braylen Pope led the pass catchers with 7 for 108 and had the 61-yard TD taken off the board on top of it. Carter Cocke` had a big night at TE with 4 receptions for 73 yards and a TD, Kainoa Grounds the 1 23-yard TD grab and Nate Carnahan 1 catch for 13. Austin Ferencz scored 10 points as the kicker with 7 PAT’s and the 37-yard field goal.

Our Eli Sports Network dot com MVP went to QB Nate Donavan.

ESN Postgame Show

Steele Isaacs sprints in from 28

Carter Cocke` with a brilliant catch of a tipped pass and into the endzone

Two Defensive Touchdowns Leads Emerald Ridge Playoff Win Over Skyline

Emerald Ridge 37, Skyline 22

(Puyallup, WA) One of the most intriguing matchups in the round of 32 regardless of classification took place at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. The Emerald Ridge Jaguars would look to prove doubters wrong as they were overlooked by many coming into the season due to a mass exodus from last year’s senior heavy team. On the other sideline, the Skyline Spartans battled back from a tough three-game losing streak in the middle of the season to put themselves on a three-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.

First Half

Neither team could put any points on the board in the opening quarter. Skyline kept a drive alive after a running into the kicker on the first punt attempt and a muffed catch on the next one. However, defensive lineman Elijah Wallace dominated the first quarter and created chaos in the backfield. Wallace recorded three sacks in the first to put a stop to multiple Spartan drives. Defense stole the show as the game moved to the second quarter still 0-0.

Ben Druckman then began to find his groove in the Jaguar passing attack. The sophomore was smart with the football while ripping off completion after completion to move Emerald Ridge right down the field. Logan Lipscomb was his favorite receiver on Friday night, but a trick play would set up the first score. Druckman threw a backwards pass to Robert Lutz who then found Jayvion Kidd on the double pass and Kidd would get down to the one-yard line for a 30-yard gain. One play later, Carson Cody would punch it in for the score giving Emerald Ridge the initial 7-0 lead with 7:42 left in the second.

Seeing the Emerald Ridge offense move the ball right down the field seemed to fire up the Skyline offense. The Spartans next drive only lasted three plays but they were explosive. After moving the ball to their own 44, Mason Pirello just snuck a throw into Cam Weir as the ball was nearly intercepted. Weir then showed his explosiveness as he weaved his way down the field to take it 56 yards for the score. The immediate response erased the slow start as Skyline tied it up at 7-7 with 6:43 left in the half.

Skyline’s defense then got off the field and gave the offense as chance to take their first lead of the game. Josh Menold began to find success on the ground as they leaned on him to make their way down the field. Pirello would then look to complete a little five-yard out, but Logan Lipscomb read it the entire way. The senior jumped the route and picked off the pass and was gone. The pick-six was just the start for the Emerald Ridge defense as Amosa Masaniai would come up with another interception in the endzone to allow Emerald Ridge to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Second Half

While there wasn’t any scoring in the first quarter, there was plenty of it in the third. Emerald Ridge received the opening kick and while they wouldn’t score on the first drive, a masterful punt by Logan Lipscomb went out of bounds at the one-yard line. A quick three-and-out gave Emerald Ridge the ball back in great field position and they capitalized on it. Malcolm Akuffo scored from eight yards out and the Jaguars extended their lead to 21-7.

Cam Weir stole the show again immediately after the Emerald Ridge score. While he would have issues receiving the kick, Weir scooped it up and created a big highlight. Weir flew up the near side and took the kick 96 yards to the house. Weir’s second explosive touchdown was followed by a successful two-point conversion and cut Skyline’s deficit down to 21-15 with 6:46 left in the third.

Skyline’s defense would be helped out on a holding penalty against Emerald Ridge that put a stop to the Jaguars drive. Skyline got the ball at the Emerald Ridge 47-yard line and it would be more of the same for the Spartans. Once again, they would get the ball to Cam Weir but this time he didn’t have to do too much. Mason Pirello dropped a dime over the defense and Weir was able to walk into the endzone for a 47-yard touchdown. The senior receiver’s big play ability flipped the script as Skyline led for the first time 22-21 with 5:02 left in the third.

While the first half was a heavy passing attack for Emerald Ridge, their powerful rushing duo slowly wore down the Skyline defense. The freshman-senior duo of Malcolm Akuffo and Joshua Moultrie plugged away with short gains for most of the first half but the explosive plays began to come in the second. Druckman continued to find success passing the ball but Akuffo and Moultrie were the guys in the second half. Emerald Ridge marched down the field and scored on a 17-yard run by Moultrie to retake the lead, 28-22.

Defensively, Emerald Ridge allowed plenty of yards, but made plenty of plays to slow down the Spartan offense. An end-around would be knocked loose and was recovered in the endzone by Sean Barber for a second defensive touchdown to make it 34-22. A field goal for Zion Jose Antonio was the only scoring in the 4th quarter as Emerald Ridge’s lead was up to 37-22. Another interception for Masaniai and one for Dominique Pace put a cap on a strong performance for the Jaguars. Five takeaways for Emerald Ridge was the catalyst for a 37-22 win over Skyline to keep the Jaguars season alive.

Stats and Awards

Our Elisportsnetwork.com MVP of the game went to Logan Lipscomb who was Mr. Do it all for Emerald Ridge. A pick-six for the senior was just the tip of the iceberg. He would also record seven catches for 81 yards and two carries for five yards. On top of that, Lipscomb had a play that won’t show up on the stat sheet. A long punt down to the one would lead to a touchdown for Emerald Ridge to extend their lead in the third quarter. Adding in many tackles, Lipscomb was the leader on both sides of the ball for Emerald Ridge in the Jaguars biggest game of the season.

Also for the Jags, Malcolm Akuffo and Joshua Moultrie put together strong games. Akuffo ran the ball 16 times for 103 yards and a score while Moultrie had 18 carries for 78 yards and a score while adding a 12-yard reception. Carson Cody rushed the ball for a one-yard score and Clayten Meray had a two-yard carry. Ben Druckman put together a very nice performance at quarterback, completing 14-20 passes for 153 yards and not turnovers. While Lipscomb led the receivers, Hunter Rusler had a nice game with two catches for 35 yards and Robert Lutz had two catches for 18 yards. Mason Rodriguez added two catches for seven yards while Jayvionn Kidd added a 30-yard catch. Amosa Masaniai intercepted two passes on defense, while Lipscomb and Dominique Pace each had one. Sean Barber had a fumble recovery for a touchdown and Elijah Wallace recorded four sacks.

For Skyline, Mason Pirello would go 11-17 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns while running the ball six times for 26 yards. Cam Weir was the playmaker for the Spartans, catching four passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns, one carry for 11 yards, and a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Josh Menold had a busy day as well, carrying the ball 14 times for 52 yards and five catches for seven yards. Hunter Hixson had a four-yard carry while being the standout on defense and Luke Morgan had a five-yard carry. Bupe Chisanga Jr. would record two catches for 10 yards to cap off the offense.

With the win, Emerald Ridge moves to 7-3 and will travel to take on Gonzaga Prep in the round of 16 next week. Skyline’s season comes to an end as the Spartans finish the season with a record of 6-4.

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