2016 Gridiron Classic
Football Brackets


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2016 4A Gridiron Classic

Click here for the 4A Championship Bracket

 

2016 3A Gridiron Classic

Click here for the 3A Championship Bracket

 

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Gig Harbor Fends Off Interlake in Playoff Downpour

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Saturday Nov 5th 2016 3A Playoffs Boys Football
Interlake High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Interlake 13 0 0 0 13
Gig Harbor 0 14 0 0 14

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See game recap below
 


Gig Harbor Fends Off Interlake in Playoff Downpour
By Steve Dion

A late Saturday afternoon with unrelenting rain at Interlake High School was the scene for an opening round playoff matchup between the host Saints and visiting Gig Harbor Tides.

Interlake was ready to defend their home field at the onset as their first play from scrimmage was a flea flicker to put them within striking distance. Moments later, Duncan Varela found Micheal Veliyev behind the Tide secondary for the opening score of the game from 31 yards out.

A minute later, Veliyev picked off Nick Yockey’s pass and the Saints were in business.

In the closing seconds of the first quarter, Varelia connected with Charlie Galanti to put Interlake up by 13. The Tides were reeling.

Needing a successful drive, the Gig Harbor put together a series of plays which eventually placed them in striking distance for their first points of the game; a fake handoff by Ben Hollenbeck which allowed the Tide quarterback to trot into the endzone untouched.

Feeding off the momentum swing, Gig Harbor came up with a fumble by the Saints and before the half concluded grabbed a one-point lead when Martin Brazier punched it in from 2 yards out.

When play resumed, so did the rain and a flurry of turnovers created a game which saw few legitimate scoring opportunities. The score remained 14-13 and the clock was winding down.

In the final two minutes of the contest, Interlake had the ball on the Gig Harbor side of the field and were driving. Varela was able to move the sticks a number of times to retain fresh sets of downs. The Interlake quarterback tucked the ball and was endzone bound, but the ball came loose and the Tide defense jumped on it within their own 5 yard line.

Utilizing timeouts effectively, Interlake was able to stop the Tides from running the clock dry and had one last gasp effort. However, Cole Workman hauled in a late interception to put the game on ice. Gig Harbor moves on in the 3A state playoffs, Interlake concludes their season.

The Final Score:
Gig Harbor 14, Interlake 13.

Top Performer

Gig Harbor
Martin Brazier- Go-ahead 2-yard TD

3A State Rankings
Football Week #2

WASHINGTON STATE RANKINGS WEEK #2


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3A LIVE 5! Football Week #2
# School League Record
1 Eastside Catholic Metro 2-0
2 Kamiakin Mid-Columbia 2-0
3 O'Dea Metro 2-0
4 Squalicum Northwest 2-0
5 Ferndale Northwest 2-0


3A IN THE HUNT Football Week #2
# School League Record
6 Lynnwood WesCo 2-0
7 Peninsula South Sound 2-0
8 Oak Harbor WesCo 2-0
9 Kelso Greater St. Helens 2-0
10 Mount Tahoma Pierce County 2-0


3A ON THE BUBBLE Football Week #2
# School League Record
- Interlake KingCo 2-0
- Yelm South Sound 2-0
- Mountain View Greater St. Helens 1-1
- Gig Harbor South Sound 1-1
- Bellevue KingCo 0-0

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3A State Rankings
Football Week #1

WASHINGTON STATE RANKINGS WEEK #1

 

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3A LIVE 5! Football Week #1
# School League Record
1 Eastside Catholic Metro 1-0
2 Bellevue KingCo 0-0
3 Squalicum Northwest 1-0
4 Kamiakin Mid-Columbia 1-0
5 O'Dea Metro 1-0


3A IN THE HUNT Football Week #1
# School League Record
6 Mountain View Greater St. Helens 1-0
7 Lakes Pierce County 0-1
8 Peninsula South Sound 1-0
9 Ferndale Northwest 1-0
10 Gig Harbor South Sound 0-1


3A ON THE BUBBLE Football Week #1
# School League Record
- Bonney Lake Pierce County 0-1
- Kennewick Mid-Cloumbia 0-1
- Lincoln Pierce County 0-1
- Southridge Mid-Columbia 1-0
- Juanita KingCo 0-1

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Football Preview:
NPSL & SPSL
Dion & Cotterill Preview
New Leagues


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League Preview presented by theFinalScore.TV

Steve Dion and TJ Cotterill breakdown the league reclassifications. Leagues have disappeared, new leagues have appeared. Narrows is gone, SPSL leagues have changed just to name a few.

We’ll break down the changes, the teams and players to look out for in 2016. This will be a crazy season in the South Sound Region – Follow us all year long on Varsity Football Live on Sports Radio 950 KJR and theFinalScore.TV.

Listen to our NPSL/SPSL Football Preview by clicking on the PLAY BUTTON below.

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Be sure to visit thenewstribune.com and follow TJ’s high school football coverage all season long!

 

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theFinalScore.TV
4A State Football Rankings Week 9

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theFinalScore.TV
4A State Football Rankings Week 9
By Steven Dion

There has been a little movement this week with teams in the Top 10. Federal Way jumped a couple of spots to number 6.  Here is our breakdown of the top teams in the 4A Classification.

1) Camas 9-0, 6-0 League
Coach Eagle has his eyes set on unfinished business from 2013. The Papermakers season will likely wrap up in the woodshed again, but can they raise the hardware?


2) Bothell 9-0, 6-0 League
These Cougars has some serious firepower posting a 422-79 combined scoring tally in the regular season. The blue and white have the pieces to contend.


3) Chiawana 8-1, 7-0 League
Don’t sleep on the reigning champs. This team posted another solid season with the lone loss a non-league clash with fire-breathing Papermakers.


4) Gig Harbor 8-1, 6-0 League
The Tides are playing like tsunamis right now as Coach Chantler’s gradual building of a program has a Narrows 4A title in the bank and a great deal of momentum heading into the playoffs.


5) Union 8-1, 5-1 League
A team that has shown the ability to rise up in nail biters can bode well in November when most games are settled in the waning minutes. The mighty, mighty Titans are not a team to take lightly.


6) Federal Way 7-2, 5-0 League
The Eagles have been dominant since opening the season with a pair of losses. With a healthy linebacker unit and game-breaker Chico McClatcher, the sky is the limit.


7) Kentwood 8-1, 4-0 League
A staunch defense is the cornerstone of Conks football and the regular season did not disappoint as only 78 points have been surrendered in 9 games thus far.


8) Lake Stevens 8-1, 6-0 League
Clawing out a victory over Kamiak may be just what the doctor ordered as the Viks prepare for the postseason. The more reps young Eason gets, the more dangerous Lake Stevens becomes.


9) Gonzaga Prep 8-1, 6-1 League
The parity in the Greater Spokane league has given the Bullpups a well-balanced schedule in which there has not been any push-over weeks. A league championship may not be enough for Prep.


10) Graham-Kapowsin 8-1, 5-1 League
The second of two SPSL Eagles in the top ten rankings finished second to Emerald Ridge in the league standings, but are a top ten talent in the state. Foster Sarell can wreak havoc moving forward.

On the Bubble:
Wenatchee 8-1, 6-0 League
Emerald Ridge 7-2, 6-0 League
Kamiak 7-2, 6-1 League

 

theFinalScore.TV
4A State Football Rankings Week 7

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theFinalScore.TV
4A State Football Rankings Week 7
By Steven Dion

Our team has scoured the entire state of Washington to see who might raise the trophy over their heads in December. As league play comes to an end and the playoffs quickly approach, here is our breakdown of the top teams in the 4A Classification.

1) Camas 7-0, 4-0 League
The 2013 state runner-up a season ago has wins over 3 of the top 10 in 4A (Camas, Federal Way, Union) earning the Papermakers the top spot.


2) Bothell 7-0, 5-0 League
Last week’s 56-0 dismantling of Skyline on the plateau was impressive. Bainter’s Cougs are firing on all cylinders as the playoffs approach.


3) Chiawana 6-1, 5-0 League
The defending state champs took down a tough Walla Walla team on the road last Friday. Falling to a hungry Camas squad by two points in week one is the only blemish on the schedule.


4) Union 6-1, 3-1 League
The Titans earned a road win against top-10 Federal Way in the season opener. Their only loss? Last Friday against Camas by the score of 37-20.


5) Gig Harbor 6-1, 4-0 League
Beating Olympia 45-14 is a clear indicator the Tides are steadily climbing up the 4A ranks. As the season unfolds, the win over Peninsula looks more impressive. Eastlake is the only loss on the record.


6) Gonzaga Prep 6-1, 4-1 League
The Bullpups shut-out Bellarmine Prep 17-0 early in the season and also have a nice win over Mt. Spokane. The lone blemish this season is a fluky loss against league opponent Shadle Park.


7) Kentwood 6-1, 3-0 League
The Conks are only allowing one touchdown per game this season. Yep, 7 points! The 35-14 win over Emerald Ridge was nice but a recent loss vs. Federal Way may be the only true test thus far.


8) Lake Stevens 6-1, 5-0 League
Since falling to Marysville-Pilchuck in week two, the Vikings have rolled out some blowout wins. Jacob Eason and the Viks square off against a tough Kamiak team on Friday.


9) Graham-Kapowsin 6-1, 3-1 League
Taking down the Spartans at Skyline HS on September 10th in front of a packed house shows the Eagles have grit to close out games. Losing to Emerald Ridge by a field goal is GK’s one trip-up this season.


10) Federal Way 5-2, 4-0 League
Meagher’s Eagles were slow out of the gates as they squandered a lead to #4 Union in week one and were blown out in week two by #1 Camas. Since then? 5-0 including a win over #6 Kentwood on the road.

Coach Interview with Gig Harbor Head Coach Aaron Chantler

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2014 Varsity Football Live Interview
Gig Harbor Tides – Head Football Coach
Aaron Chantler

3 Dog Night

Join us as Steve Dion talks with Gig Harbor’s Coach Aaron Chantler about the “weird coincidence” that the top 3 teams in Narrows 4A all play each other in the final 3 weeks of the season.

Why does Coach Chantler feel his Tides can defeat Olympia and Bellarmine Prep for the top spot?

“We put a really big emphasis on creating better men and not just better football players … I think we’ve carried that over to extend to a family atmosphere within our program.”

Gig Harbor’s high scoring offense has averaged 44 points a game and only allowed an average 12 points a game, respectively. Coach Chantler and his staff are impressed with great play from QB Davis Alexander, along with WR’s Santana Johnson, Bobby Blaser, Dylan Lindmark and Noah Samsen.

The Tide’s record has improved from 3-7 just two years ago to 8-3 last year and a 5-1 start this season. Coach Chantler credits the change to his seniors “who are leaving a legacy this year and they want to make sure they build on what last year’s team did.”

 

To catch the complete radio interview with Gig Harbor Coach Aaron Chantler,
simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

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Battle Ground Keeps Season Alive with Win Over Tides

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Saturday Feb 15th 2014 4A Boys Basketball
Mount Tahoma High 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Battle Ground 14 12 19 20 65
Gig Harbor 14 12 13 22 61

Battle Ground Keeps Season Alive with Win Over Tides
By Steven Dion

In the consolation bracket of the District 3/4 tournament, the Battle Ground Tigers were set to take on the Tides of Gig Harbor. BGHS fell to Federal Way in the opening round on Thursday by the score of 82-58. GHHS was defeated by Beamer 67-54 in the opening round as well. In this loser-out contest, the possibility of finishing up to sixth place in the district tourney was still up for grabs by these unfamiliar opponents.

The bulk of early shots by the Tigers were launched by Devin Johnson and Jamie Ford. The forward/guard duo was an integral factor in the outcome of the game and provided solid offensive output despite some difficulty finding consistent rhythm. After the teams were knotted at 14 apiece following the first quarter break, the court began to open up. Each squad was flying up and down the court, but it took until the final minutes before the half to reach the twenties when a string of shots fell for both sides. After sixteen minutes of play tied at 26 apiece, the contest was right as it started. Battle Ground’s strong perimeter defense covered their offensive struggles as the Tigers were 8 of 26 field goals.

The intensity naturally grew in the second half as the reality that one team’s season would be coming to an end clearly resonated on the court. The first offensive possession for Gig Harbor was an And-1 by Casey Gearhart off an offensive board. The junior played big for the Tides on both ends of the floor including a team-high 16 points. But Johnson from the Tigers gave GHHS trouble on the low block throughout as the strong 6’6” junior plays a traditional “back-to-the-hoop” post game. Trailing by nearly double digits down the stretch, Gig Harbor needed buckets. Chris Drake, Chad Glover, and Sam Lovrak rose to the challenge. The Tide trio buried six from downtown in the final minutes to keep the game within reach. However, the Tigers were automatic from the free-throw line as they kept the Tides from stealing the game late. Battle Ground’s 21 of 29 from the charity stripe was the difference in the game and they move on in the tournament. The Tides season is over. Final score 65 to 61.

Top Performers:
Battle Ground
Jamie Ford, Nate Moring, Damien Ford, Devin Johnson (all scored in double figures)

Gig Harbor
Casey Gearhart-16 points, memorable block on defense