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Cru Rolls Past Bonney Lake, Advances to Semis

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Friday Nov 20th 2015 3A Boys Football
Memorial Stadium 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Eastside Catholic 14 14 13 6 47
Bonney Lake 7 0 0 0 7

See game recap below
 

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Cru Rolls Past Bonney Lake, Advances to Semis
By Steve Dion

Jeremy Thielbahr’s defending 3A champion Crusaders has looked the part of a team poised to defend their crown all season long. Eastside Catholic entered Friday three wins away from a repeat, but to advance to the semifinal round had a date with Bonney Lake. The 7-4 Panthers were fresh off a head-turning win against Lincoln last week and hungry for more. Coach Jason Silbaugh would get a crack at the state’s best with his team peaking in November.

The opening kickoff was taken 86 yards to the endzone by Eastside’s Brandon Wellington, but an illegal block in the back penalty negated the big play and gave the Panthers an early sigh of relief. The methodical Cru offense eventually punched the opening drive into the endzone on a 33 yard reception by Matt Laris on 4th and 14. The point after sailed wide right and the scoreboard read 6-0 early. Bonney Lake did what few teams do which is return the favor. A run-heavy drive was capped off with a 23 yard touchdown by Ethen Koepke on a screen pass by Dane Wagner in which several EC defenders were staved off en route to the goal line. The Panthers grabbed gained the lead. The Crusaders regained their composure and another drive highlighted by several Laris catches resulted in a 2-yard quarterback sneak by Harley Kirsch. Bonney Lake did not respond this time or any other drive for the remainder of the contest. A fumble at midfield in the second quarter was capitalized on by Eastside Catholic on a Tyler Folkes rushing touchdown and a dagger in the final moments of the first half; a 23 yard receiving touchdown by the always dangerous Devon Arbis-Jackson.

A 28-7 deficit against the Crusaders is a tall task to overcome and the Panthers were not able to climb back into this one. The implementation of a wildcat offense by Bonney Lake to start the 3rd quarter was effective in moving the chains early, but the direct snaps to Jason Day did not equate to points. The relentless ECHS offense recorded another pair of touchdowns in the third frame to put the game out of reach. The 47-7 final score was not fully indicative of the battle Bonney Lake waged in this contest. The Panther defense’s inability to hold the Cru on 3rd and 4th down was the difference maker in this one. Eastside Catholic advances to face the winner of Kennewick and Lakes. Bonney Lake’s 2015 campaign comes to an end.

The Final Score:
Eastside Catholic 47, Bonney Lake 7

Top Performers

Eastside Catholic
Harley Kirsch – 2 passing TDs (23, 33) 1 rushing TD (2)
Devon Arbis Jackson – 2 rec TDs (23, 36)
Tyler Folkes – 2 rush TDs (2, 39)

Bonney Lake
Ethen Koepke – 27 yard rec TD

Crusaders Capture Metro Title, Primed for Postseason Run

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Friday Oct 30th 2015 3A Metro Boys Football
Leon H. Brigham Field at Memorial Stadium 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Eastside Catholic 12 28 0 0 40
Ballard 0 0 0 3 3

See game recap below
 

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Crusaders Capture Metro Title, Primed for Postseason Run
By Steve Dion

The final week of the regular season coincidentally pitted the top two Metro League teams in Eastside Catholic and Ballard for the city championship. For Jeremy Thielbahr and his high-flying Crusaders, this is just step one for a program designed to make another state title run. For Joey Thomas and Ballard, this game served as an opportunity to show how far the Beavers have progressed in a short period of time. Ballard has won as many games in 2015 as they did in the previous two seasons combined. The deck was stacked against the Beavs to go toe to toe with Eastside Catholic, how would they approach the challenge?

Like many opening drives for Eastside Catholic, the result was a touchdown. However, this was a drive that ate up nearly six minutes and pushed the Cru offense to convert on long yardage third and fourth downs. A long pass from Harley Kirsch to Hunter Bryant set up Brandon Wellington for a 3 yard score. The response drive by BHS was stalled at midfield forcing a punt which was not struck well. The short field for ECHS simply allowed them to score their second touchdown faster as Devon Arbis-Jackson hauled in a reception near midfield on a crossing route and took it 65 yards to the house. Ballard was walking on a tight rope at this point. The Beavs were moving up the field with chunks of yardage eaten up by Davine Tullis and Antoine Patton. Unfortunately, the possession took a turn when the ball was coughed up and taken 60 yards the other way by Malik Putney leading to a Tyler Folkes touchdown. The rout was on. By halftime the scoreboard read 40-0.

Joey Thomas deserves a great deal of credit for rallying his team at halftime facing an insurmountable deficit. Ballard would win the second half by preventing the Crusaders from adding to their point total albeit against the depth chart of Eastside Catholic. This game would not be a shutout as Jack Dineen punched a field goal through the uprights in the fourth quarter. With the win, Eastside Catholic demonstrates they have gas in the tank which will propel them in November and likely December. For Ballard, they will also be a postseason team with the experience of facing the state’s finest.

The Final Score:
Eastside Catholic 40, Ballard 3