Washington 4A Quarterfinal Preview

 

Last week was one of the more interesting first rounds I can remember. For a look at the updated look at the 4A bracket click Right Here .

I’ve added a link to each game with the Google Map location of the stadium. If you need directions, simply click the name of the stadium and in the upper left corner of the map you can click “directions” and enter your city.

 

Bothell Cougars (11-0) @ Bellarmine Prep Lions (8-3)

Saturday 1:00 pm at Mount Tahoma High School

Bothell: Avg. Points For – 47.5 / Points Against – 9.1

Bellarmine Prep: Avg. Points For – 26.2 / Points Against – 17.5

 

This is the fourth time in five years, and third in a row, these two have matched up in the playoffs, with Bellarmine Prep winning each time. This is the third time of the four that a trip to the Tacoma Dome is at stake, the 2012 game was a first round matchup.

Bellarmine Prep scored the biggest upset of the first round with their 20-13 grind-it-out win over the high powered Camas Papermakers.

So, what is it gonna take for Bothell to overcome the Mount Tahoma curse?

I think they need to play Bothell Cougars football.

Bellarmine Prep is very tough defensively and do a great job offensively running the football, but I don’t think the Lions have seen or will see a team as talented as Bothell.

Now don’t get me wrong… I am a Bellarmine Prep believer. I said last week they needed to run the ball and chip away first downs. Nothing has changed this week, but Bothell comes at you with a much tougher front seven than Bellarmine Prep has seen all season.

Even without do everything Sam McPherson, the Bothell Cougars are still the most talented and dangerous team in 4A. With receiving targets like Dayzell Wilson, Jackson Keimig and Cole Ford, the Cougars have plenty of weapons to pick up the slack.

 

Federal Way Eagles (9-2) @ Newport Knights (9-2)

Saturday 7:00 pm at Newport High School

Federal Way: Avg. Points For – 41.8 / Points Against – 20.7

Newport: Avg. Points For – 34 / Points Against – 24.1

 

The Chico McClatcher Show hits the road for the first time in over a month. As a matter of fact, the Eagles have only left Federal Way Memorial Stadium twice this season, and they scored a combined 20 points in those two games. Newport on the other hand returns home for only the second time in their last seven games.

An obvious key for Federal Way is going to be slowing down Newport’s running game. In a 43-40 win over Lake Stevens, Newport ran the ball 83 times for 541 yards, and did not attempt a pass the entire game.

Senior RB Paul Wells was virtually unstoppable last week, and will be vital for Newport to continue their run. When you add in backs Nick Keithley, Thomas Day, and quarterback Jordan Sanberg, the Knights rushing attack can be almost impossible to stop.

Where Newport does a lot of damage of on the sweeps and options to the outside. Lake Stevens struggled to stop the option, usually only getting a hit on the pitch.

Federal Way has a great front seven, with one of the best sets of LB’s in the state, and an all-around tough defense. With the likes of Jared Pulu, Chris Tuiasosopo and Andrzej Hughes-Muray, the Eagles should be able to match the Newport toughness up the middle.

The Eagles got revenge last weekend, beating a Union squad that got the better of them in week one. This week, they will be trying to get back to the semi-final round where their season ended a year ago… This time it will be in Tacoma.

At the end of the day, this game has the makings of being a terrific football game.

 

Wenatchee Panthers (9-1) @ Graham-Kapowsin Eagles (10-1)

Friday 7:00 pm at Art Crate Field

Wenatchee: Avg. Points For – 34.1 / Points Against – 13.7

Graham-Kapowsin: Avg. Points For – 37.1 / Points Against – 15.9

 

Another upset last weekend was GK’s win over Gig Harbor. Maybe not on the scale as BP’s win at Camas, but many people thought Gig Harbor would make a decent run.

Since losing a week three game against Emerald Ridge, the Eagles have really woken up. They’ve won eight straight by an average of 22.5 points.

What Graham-Kapowsin has been able to do on the ground this year has really contributed to their success. Senior RB Shannon Edwards is one of the more underrated backs in the state, and has done a tremendous job this season.

Make no mistake, Wenatchee is no slouch.

The Panthers are in a similar boat, having won eight straight by an average of 28.3 points since a week two loss to defending state champ Chiawana.

Wenatchee has good balance on offense and showed it in last week’s 41-27 win over Skyview. RB Chase Resch carried 15 times for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns, while QB Brandon Graves threw for 208 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Both teams are very capable in the run and pass, but this game will be won in the trenches, and this game features two of the state’s best in Trey Adams (Wenatchee) and Foster Sarell (GK).

Last week Wenatchee gave up almost 300 yards passing, but Skyview was coming from behind and was forced to throw. It will be interesting to see if GK tries to throw the ball more than usual.

 

Gonzaga Prep Bullpups (10-1) @ Chiawana Riverhawks (10-1)

Saturday 1:00 pm at Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium

Gonzaga Prep: Avg. Points For – 30.2 / Points Against – 16.1

Chiawana: Avg. Points For – 39.4 / Points Against – 7.5

 

The defending champs are on a roll. Since a week one loss at Camas, the Riverhawks defense has been as tough as they come, only allowing double digits twice, and no more than 7 in an other week.

Chiawana RB Austin Urlacher has been an absolute force this season, and racked up another 189 yards and two touchdowns last week.

Two players to keep a real eye on this week for Chiawana are TE/DL Christian Penny and LB Caleb Weber. Penny is kind of a secret weapon on the offensive side, and does a tremendous job defensively of creating havoc on the DL. Weber finished with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery he returned for a TD. Being the focal point of the LB’s, he should see plenty of action against Prep’s run heavy offense.

Speaking of Gonzaga Prep’s run heavy offense, they are going to have to play their best game this week if they want to move on. Last week they scored a 23-0 win over Todd Beamer, and only attempted 6 passes on the day.

RB Jack Bamis carried 22 times for 155 yards, and really did a good job at grinding away the clock. Senior Nick Wood scored twice, one on the ground (46 yards) and one through the air (17 yards).

Gonzaga Prep is going to have to play very tough defensively to keep Urlacher in check, if the senior back gets loose, it could be a long day for the Bullpups.