Mid-Columbia football and volleyball teams ready to battle for state titles
Another weekend, another batch of state football playoffs — this time the state quarterfinals in all classifications.
In addition, it’s the final weekend of all non-football fall sports, with the Class 4A and 3A state volleyball tournaments.
In all, the Mid-Columbia has seven sports teams still vying for state championships.
Here’s a look at all seven:
Class 3A football quarterfinal
(#5) Kennewick (10-1) at (#4) Bethel (8-3), 6 p.m., Saturday, Art Crate Field, Spanaway.
The Lions are coming off that exciting 35-34 overtime victory last week over Yelm.
Now, it’s time to face the Braves.
Kennewick features Baylor and Baiden McElroy, a devastating 1-2 punch on the offensive line. Both were named first-team all-Mid-Columbia Conference this past week, and Baylor was named the MCC Lineman of the Year.
They’ll create holes for fellow first-teamer Myles Mayovsky, a sophomore standout running back.
Senior Jagger Childs, another first-team all-star on the defensive line, anchors a tough Kennewick defensive unit.
The Lions will have to keep an eye on Bethel junior quarterback Kekoa Visperas, who has passed for 2,010 yards and thrown 18 touchdown passes to just five interceptions.
His top target is senior Cameron Parker, who has caught 38 passes for 846 yards.
Middle linebacker Oge Toatolualoalii feo averages 9.7 tackles a game for the Braves.
“Keys to beating Bethel will be stopping their run game and not letting their QB outside the pocket on passing downs,” said Kennewick head coach Randy Affholter. “Offensively, running the football against their front so we can control the football on offense to make them impatient on offense.”
The Lions, Affholter, have become tough this year out of necessity.
“We have handled so much adversity this season,” he said. “We are building a new school, so right now we have no locker room, no practice facility on campus all season — except for this week we get to practice at Lampson all week — kids dealing with a new head coach, and just working on changing our mindset of, ‘We are a great team.’”
The game will be broadcast on KONA Mix 105.3 FM, and on the internet at MIX1053.com. Pre-game show starts at 5:45 p.m.
Class 2A football quarterfinal
(#7) Prosser (8-2) vs. (#2) Steilacoom (9-2), 7 p.m., Friday, Mt. Tahoma High School.
Prosser coach Corey Ingvalson is expected to depend on sophomore quarterback Kaiden Rivera to run the Mustangs offense — as he has since Week 2, when Haden Hicks had his season end with a broken clavicle.
But Rivera has been outstanding, throwing for 2,304 yards, and 19 TDs against just five interceptions.
“I think it is a great story,” said Ingvalson. “Really, he hasn’t been a starting quarterback since fourth-grade. I guess we didn’t know what to expect when he became the full-time starter. We saw some really good things at camp during the summer, but you never know until the game is live on Friday night.”
Rivera’s top target is Will Thompson, who has caught 32 passes for 598 yards. But nine different Prosser receivers have caught at least one TD pass this season, so Rivera spreads the ball around.
RB Logan Candanoza has carried the ball 139 times this season for 907 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.
Sentinels head coach Colby Davies depends on WR-DB Emeka Egbuka, who is considered the top junior in the entire nation.
Egbuka has caught 58 passes for 1,286 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has five interceptions, two of which were pick-6’s. He has also returned three punts for TDs this year. Oh, by the way, he also punts.
“I don’t think we stop (Egbuka), but we need to minimize his impact after the catch,” said Ingvalson. “A lot of it will come down to our alignment and assignment, can we get aligned up correctly versus where he is aligned on the particular play and can we execute the coverage attached to the down and distance?”
Steilacoom QB Chance McDonald, also a junior, is 161 for 240 (67 percent) for 2,976 yards, and has 40 TD passes against 14 picks.
Senior Ra’sun Williams, Jr., leads the team in rushing with 629 yards.
Class 1A football quarterfinals
(#8) Omak (10-0) at (#1) Royal (11-0), 2 p.m., Saturday, at Royal High School.
Nick Sackman’s Omak Pioneers get their shot at trying to take down Wiley Allred’s top-seeded Knights.
Omak knocked off the defending state champion, Colville, last week by a 38-27 score.
Running back Tanner Hall was the Caribou Trail League’s Offensive MVP this season, while defensive lineman Tanner Sackman was the league’s defensive MVP.
“They have very big and athletic guys on the O-line and D-line,” said Wiley Allred. “They also have an explosive running back and quarterback. They’re a very good team. Solid everywhere.”
But Allred’s Knights, who lost a lot of players last season to graduation, are also very good.
Nine players were named to the South Central Athletic Conference East’s first team on all-conference.
Junior QB Caleb Christensen was the East’s Offensive Player of the Year, while defensive lineman Michael Perez, a senior, was the Defensive Player of the Year.
In between, Tyler Allred (wide receiver and defensive back), Cooper Christensen (WR-DB) and Lorenzo Myrick (RB-DB) were two-way, first-team all-conference players.
Tyler Allred, in fact, was also first-team at returner.
“It all starts up front,” said Wiley Allred. “We must run the ball and protect Caleb Christensen. Also, protect the football. These are just two really good football teams.”
(#5) Mt. Baker (10-1) vs. (#13) Connell (9-3), 1 p.m., Saturday, Lions Field, Moses Lake.
Ron Lepper’s Mountaineers have to come to Eastern Washington after knocking out Hoquiam 36-21 last week.
In that game, quarterback Mason Jacoby had 144 yards passing, and Jason Lee rushed for 153 yards and two TDs.
Mt. Baker’s only loss this season came Oct. 18, in a 27-8 loss to Lynden Christian.
The Mountaineers do boast a 1,000-yard rusher in junior Toby Jefferson.
After an 0-2 start, Wayne Riner’s Eagles have won nine of their last 10 games — the only loss being to Royal. And they beat highly ranked La Center last week 17-7.
Vicente Rodriguez is a two-way, first-team All-SCAC East all-star at offensive line and defensive line for Connell.
Jekoby Tuttle and Jaxsen Tuttle will get a chance to carry the football behind that impressive offensive line, and when they have to pass, the Eagles look to QB Traver Johnson.
Besides, Vicente Rodriguez, Connell’s defense is also anchored by LB Riley Rodriguez and DB Keyan Francois.
Kicker Alemu Keskitalo is also a first-team all-star.
Class 2B football quarterfinal
(#9) Tri-Cities Prep (10-1) at (#1) Onalaska Loggers (10-0), 1 p.m., Saturday, Centralia High School.
Dan Whitsett’s Jaguars head into a showdown with the top-seeded Loggers, a team that runs the Veer.
Onalaska coach Mazen Saade rarely has his team pass, instead, giving it to guys like Ashton Haight, who averages 7.5 yards a carry.
In last week’s 60-7 win over Brewster, Haight had 170 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Jacob Levy (122 tackles) will spearhead the Jags’ defense.
“Onalaska is a big, physical Veer team,” said Prep head coach Dan Whitsett. “I do not have a single player on my roster that has ever played against a Veer team. So it has been Football 101 since Monday. Their QB makes great Veer reads and is a jitterbug of a runner. Their dive back (Haight) is very good. He has size, speed, and is relentlessly tough.”
So what do the Jags need to do?
“We have to slow down the Veer and get them off schedule,” said Whitsett. “We have to match or answer any scoring. We figure we’ll get 1.5 to 2.5 possessions a quarter. We have to put the ball in the end zone.”
On offense, junior QB Dante Maiuri has thrown for 3,211 yards, 34 TDs and 11 interceptions.
His favorite target is WR Landon Amato, with 73 catches for 1,117 yards and 12 TDs. On defense, Amato has 11 interceptions.
Noah Elliott has rushed for 597 yards this season.
State volleyball
Richland returns to the 4A state tournament in the Yakima Valley SunDome for the fourth consecutive year. Last year, the Bombers lost to West Valley of Yakima 3-1 in the championship.
The Bombers have a 21-3 record, and not only did they run through the MCC regular season undefeated, so did the junior varsity team. So did the C team. So did the freshman team.
It marks the second straight year that Richland, as a program, has pulled this fete off.
“I’ve been pretty lucky with who has walked through the door,” said Richland coach Bob Raidl about his players. “We do work hard at it. But there is no secret sauce. We all just put in the time together.”
Raidl’s team is led by the only three seniors on the squad —Sage Brustad, Hailey Daves and Anya Solferino — and junior Ryan White.
The key, says Raidl, is that these players “genuinely like each other. At times they fight for each other, and they’re sad when someone is struggling.”
The Bombers open the tournament at 1:30 p.m. Friday against North Creek.
“We have to minimize errors and stay confident,” said Raidl. “We have to minimize errors, because at this stage, everybody is good.”
• Meanwhile, head coach Brandy Sonderland is bringing the Kennewick Lions to the 3A state tournament in Yakima — just the third time in school history for the Lions to qualify for state, the other two times being 2010 and 2011.
Kennewick has a 10-13 overall record, but the Lions got hot at the right time — postseason — and beat Kamiakin 3-2 last Saturday for a state berth.
“Consistency has been the key and what we’ve been striving for all season,” said Sonderland. “We need to have consistency in both our play and our energy.”
Junior setter Madeline Gebers is the team captain and one of the leaders on the court.
“Grace Morby is a junior middle blocker and one of our most competitive players,” added Sonderland. “M’Kaylah Mangum is a senior outside hitter and is very dynamic in her play. Autumn Larson went off during the Kamiakin match on Saturday and led the team with 23 kills.”
Kennewick opens 3A tournament play at 9:45 a.m. Friday against Lakeside of Seattle.