Prosser tops Sedro-Woolley 33-21, will play for 2A state title

Riley Lusk couldn’t help but linger around in a joyous mix of awe and glory on Zaepfel Stadium’s frozen field turf after the Prosser Mustangs defeated Sedro-Woolley, the defending Class 2A state champions, 33-21 in the state semifinals Saturday evening.

The Mustangs senior and three-year starter left his heart and soul out on the field, along with plenty of sweat and blood, so he didn’t think twice about spilling out a few emotions there, too.

“You just get to celebrate with all the people that come to support you and love you. It’s unlike any feeling in the world. I can’t describe it,” Lusk said amid a few happy tears. “It’s always been a dream since I was a little kid to get to the Tacoma Dome, and now we’re there.”

For the ninth time in school history, Prosser will play for a state championship. Next Saturday, the Mustangs (12-1) will face Tumwater (13-0) at 10 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome, hoping to add a sixth state title to the trophy case.

“This means everything for our program. We really want to honor our past and former players in the stands. We were fighting to be together for another week and get No. 9, and now we’re headed to the Dome,” said Prosser coach Corey Ingvalson, a former Mustangs player who helped the 1999 Prosser squad, coached by the legendary Tom Moore, beat Sammammish 42-38 in the championship.

“When you have great players and a great coaching staff like we do, and with our high expectations, it’s always possible,” Ingvalson said. “We always expect to play into November. This year we get to play in December.”

The Mustangs got a particularly strong effort from Javier Diaz, a senior wide receiver who finished with 10 catches for 210 yards, including a 71-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown on Prosser’s first play from scrimmage.

“We knew they played really deep, so we started attacking on short passes,” Diaz said. “I got a good block from Roy (Borrego) and all my wideouts. It wasn’t just me. It took everybody to get it done.”

That was the underlying theme throughout the game, especially with the Sedro-Wooley firing back to take a 14-6 lead. After Prosser tied the score at 14 just before the half on Michael Kernan’s 4-yard touchdown run, the Cubs punched in another score to make it 21-14 on their first drive of the second half.

But the Mustangs scored on their next possession, capping a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Kernan to tie the score.

On the ensuing kickoff, Prosser surprised Sedro-Woolley with a pooch kick by Diaz that landed behind the front line and just in front of the wedge men. Junior Jude Schnellbach hustled in to swallow it up, and the Mustangs had first-and-10 from the Cubs’ 41.

“Coach told us at halftime he thought there would be a big turning point in this game, and I think that’s what he was talking about,” Diaz said.

Tanner Bolt finished the seven-play drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Borrego, putting Prosser up 27-21 with 5:26 left in the third quarter. It was one of two touchdown passes on the day for Bolt, who completed 29 of 44 passes for 336 yards. But the junior also tossed four interceptions — two of them to Josh Gaethle.

“I can’t say enough about the guys around me. Any time your quarterback throws four interceptions like I did, you have to play really great around him to get things done. Hopefully, I can lower the interceptions next week,” Bolt said with a smile. “You just can’t let things in the past affect you. You have to realize it’s a new play. It is tough. There are times you think, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I threw that.’

“But you can’t lose faith in yourself.”

J.R. Coleman added an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter, sprinting around right end on a sweep for 11 yards and finishing with a full-extension dive into the end zone.

“I’m so happy for the kids. They worked so hard for four years to realize the Tacoma Dome again,” Ingvalson said.

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 9:58 PM with the headline "Prosser tops Sedro-Woolley 33-21, will play for 2A state title."