Murphy Avenges 2015 Tumwater Knockout in Otton’s Final Game

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

Saturday Nov 19th 2016 2A Playoffs Boys Football
Tumwater District Stadium 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Tumwater 0 10 0 0 10
Archbishop Murphy 10 7 14 17 48

DSC_0621

See game recap below
 


Murphy Avenges 2015 Tumwater Knockout in Otton’s Final Game
By Steve Dion

The juggernaut of 2A this season Archbishop Murphy traveled south to take on Sid Otton and Tumwater for a state semi berth and a chance to avenge last year’s finish when the Wildcats were eliminated by this same Tumwater team.

Archbishop jumped out to a quick double digit lead as Ryan Henderson buried a 39 yard field goal on the opening drive. Later in the quarter Collin Montez scored the first of many Wildcat touchdowns, this time from one yard out.

The Tbirds gathered their composure and established a run game with Noah Andrews and Jakob Holbrook to set up a circus catch in the endzone by Andrew May. Tumwater then tied the game when Nathan Seaman buried a field goal.

As the half was winding down, the Tbirds had a chance to take the lead, but the Cats defense held firm and gave their offense a chance to take a lead to the locker room.

Anfernee Gurley hauled in a late touchdown grab before the second quarter elapsed and the scoreboard read 17-10 in favor of ATM with one half to go.

Tumwater’s defense emerged from the locker room with renewed energy and were able to force two early turnovers. However, these opportunities did not result in any points.

The turning point occurred when Collin Montez picked off a pass deep in his team’s territory and ran the ball back 96 yards for the score.

Emmanuel Osuoha joined the party with a few late touchdowns to add to the Wildcats lead. Abraham Lucas played a crucial role in the second half shutout of the Tumwater attack.

With the win, Archbishop continues their run of dominance and places themselves one step closer to a state title. For Tumwater, their season ends, but more importantly, Sid Otton closes out his legendary coaching career.

The emotions on the field after the game covered the gamut and reminded us why we love high school football.

The Final Score:
Archbishop Murphy 48, Tumwater 10.

Top Performer

Archbishop Murphy
Collin Montez- 2 TDs (1 yard rush, 96 yard interception return)

2016 VFL Coach Interview
Tumwater Thunderbirds
Head Coach Sid Otton

varsity-football-live-webarticle2


2016 Varsity Football Live Coach Interview
Tumwater – Head Football Coach
Sid Otton

The winningest coach in Washington high school football history Sid Otton joins Dick Fain on Varsity Football Live for the final time as the legendary Tumwater coach wraps up his final season with the T-Birds. Coach Otton talks about his cornerstone coaching philosophies and reflects on the lessons football teaches to players on and off the field.

To catch the complete radio interview with Tumwater Coach Sid Otton,
simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 

2A State Rankings
Football Week #3

WASHINGTON STATE RANKINGS WEEK #3

 

TFS-WA-2AFootball-Rankings-KJRLogo

2A LIVE 5! Football Week #3
# School League Record
1 Archbishop Murphy Cascade 3-0
2 Tumwater Evergreen 3-0
3 Prosser CWAC 3-0
4 Burlington-Edison Northwest 3-0
5 Ellensburg CWAC 2-1


2A IN THE HUNT Football Week #3
# School League Record
6 Sedro-Woolley Northwest 2-1
7 Lynden Northwest 2-1
8 West Valley-Spokane Great Northern 3-0
9 River Ridge South Puget Sound 3-0
10 Franklin Pierce South Puget Sound 2-1


2A ON THE BUBBLE Football Week #3
# School League Record
- Fife South Puget Sound 3-0
- Clarkston Great Northern 2-1
- North Kitsap Olympic 3-0
- WF West Evergreen 3-0
- Liberty KingCo 3-0

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

2A State Rankings
Football Week #1

WASHINGTON STATE RANKINGS WEEK #1


TFS-WA-2AFootball-Rankings-KJRLogo

2A LIVE 5! Football Week #1
# School League Record
1 Archbishop Murphy Cascade 1-0
2 Prosser CWAC 1-0
3 Tumwater Evergreen 1-0
4 Lynden Northwest 1-0
5 Clarkston Great Northern 1-0


2A IN THE HUNT Football Week #1
# School League Record
6 Ellensburg CWAC 0-1
7 Sedro-Woolley Northwest 1-0
8 Hockinson Greater St. Helens 1-0
9 Burlington-Edison Northwest 1-0
10 North Kitsap Olympic 1-0


2A ON THE BUBBLE Football Week #1
# School League Record
- WF West Evergreen 1-0
- River Ridge South Puget Sound 1-0
- Franklin Pierce South Puget Sound 0-1
- Black Hills Evergreen 0-1
- West Valley-Spokane Great Northern 1-0

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

Varsity Hoops Live – Vern Foster – Mark Morris vs. Tumwater (Boys)/Mark Morris vs. Black Hills (Girls)

KUKN 105.5FM


Varsity Hoops Live Game Recaps- Mark Morris vs. Tumwater (Boys)/Mark Morris vs. Black Hills (Girls)

Listen to Vern Foster’s game recaps by clicking on play button below

Game Recap 2/19: Vern Foster from KUKN 105.5
2-19-16

vhl_logo1

Audio Recap: Woodinville vs. Tumwater

Game Recap
Woodinville vs. Tumwater 1-18-16

Woodinville and Tumwater squared off at the ShoWare Center for a non-league matchup in the King Showcase. Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the contest with postgame comments by Woodinville head coach Mark Folson and senior Tony Miller!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 


Woodinville Soars Over T-Birds in King Showcase


Woodinville Soars Over T-Birds in King Showcase
By Steve Dion

Monday- January 18th 2016 Boys 4A/2A KingCo/Evergreen
ShoWare Center 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Tumwater 4 16 8 21 49
Woodinville 14 13 13 17 57


Woodinville senior Micah Johnson

The first boys match-up of the King Showcase was a clash between the Woodinville Falcons and Tumwater Thunderbirds. Woodinville took advantage of a cold start by the T-Birds and picked up a double digit lead after one quarter at 14-4. The Falcons converted on self-induced turnovers by THS due to lack of communication. As the first half wore on, the T-Birds found a rhythm and closed the gap through added emphasis in the paint. Weston VandenHazel pulled in 5 of Tumwater’s 17 offensive boards which translated to buckets. Woodinville carried a 7 point lead into the locker room.

Micah Johnson set the tone in the third quarter by helping limit Tumwater to eight points in the quarter from his stifling defensive effort. After the game, Coach Folsom stated, “He’s our motor. We talk a lot about him setting the tone defensively. When there’s good ball pressure, it makes everybody better.” The pesky guard led WHS with three takeaways.

Leading 47-31 with the game seemingly in the bag for Woodinville, Tumwater made their move. Ty Gentry sparked the biggest run of the game; a 14-3 stretch that brought the game within one possession. Despite the comeback by Tumwater, Coach Folsom said, “I thought our kids held our poise, it was a tough to call, it was a physical game, I thought our kids stayed together and ultimately got it done.” However, lack of execution down the stretch and fouls thwarted the T-Birds effort to push the game to overtime. According to the winning coach, “They were excited for the opportunity to play in this venue…we’re trying to get back to the state tournament and this is in preparation for that.” Leading scorer Tony Miller agreed about the event and venue stating, “It’s a big win. The environment was different because we were playing with no background in a bigger arena. Other than that, there wasn’t much of a difference in how we played.”

The Final Score
Woodinville 57, Tumwater 49.

Top Performers:
Woodinville
Tony Miller- 20 points, 11 rebounds

Tumwater
Ty Gentry- 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists

Prosser Prevails in 2A, Ingvalson Adds to Mustang Legacy

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

Saturday Dec 5th 2015 2A Boys Football
Tacoma Dome 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Prosser 8 14 0 0 22
Tumwater 0 8 0 7 15

15-WA-Fball-Prosser-ArticlePhoto

See game recap below
 


Prosser Prevails in 2A, Ingvalson Adds to Mustang Legacy
By Steve Dion

Saturday morning at the Dome kicked off with the 2A final between perennial powerhouse Tumwater and Prosser who has a rich football history, but had not reached this stage of the postseason for the better part of a decade. Both teams featured a strong fan sections along both sidelines. Prosser took down the 2014 champs in the semis, would they claim the 2015 crown? Or would Sid Otton add another championship to his legendary coaching resume?

Prosser’s explosive passing game was demonstrated in the first half as Tanner Bolt distributed the ball to his corps of wideouts to the tune of 213 yards on 21 attempts. Three of these throws resulted in touchdowns to Kolby Swift, Kason Blair, and Noah Flores. Going into the game, it was uncertain whether or not Tumwater scat-back Easton Trakel would be available for the game as he was absent in the semis. Trakel did play and in his postgame remarks, Prosser head coach Corey Ingvalson stated, “we knew he would play. He’s too good of a player not to.” Indeed, Trakel was the lone scorer for the T-Birds in the first half when he took a Noah Andrews pass 42 yards to the house. Tumwater would trail by 14 heading into the break, but were faced with a similar situation against Montesano last Saturday when they overcame a two touchdown deficit in the second half.


Tumwater’s first attempt to cut down the Mustang led was thwarted when Michael Kernan picked off Noah Andrews on a shot to the endzone. Both defenses kept the ball within the twenties effectively with only two and three trips to the red zone in the game for Prosser and Tumwater respectively. The clock began to become a factor that was working against a Tumwater comeback especially with Prosser in control of the ball and only seven minutes remaining. Trayten Rodriguez changed the complexion of the game when he intercepted Bolt and brought the ball back to the Prosser 24. Moments later, Tolo Hafoka punched it in to bring the score to 22-15. Prosser needed a handful of first downs to seal the win. The TBird defense shut the door. After turning the ball over on downs, Tumwater had their chance. The Mustangs held their ground and stopped the TBirds on fourth down and seemingly the ability to line up for kneels. Prosser chose to line up in the gun and they “shot” themselves in the foot, a botched snap recovered by Tumwater. The T-Birds were on the move.

The deciding moment of the game was a Spencer Dowers scramble up the middle in which the ball popped loose. Riley Lusk picked it up only to be blindsided by a TBird tackler causing another fumble. Lusk immediately found his composure and jumped on the loose ball. This time, Coach Ingvalson opted to line up in victory formation. He has now won a state title as a Prosser student, assistant coach, and now first year head coach of the Mustangs. Following the trophy ceremony, he talked about his fantastic senior class and explained his respect for “their commitement to eachother. Their commitment to the program to get it done.”

The Final Score:
Prosser 22, Tumwater 15

Top Performer

Prosser
Tanner Bolt- 21/35, 280 yards, 3 TDs

Tumwater
Easton Trakel- 2 rec, 47 yards, TD

Tumwater Pitches Second Half Shutout, Will Play for 2A Title

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

Saturday Nov 28th 2015 2A Boys Football
Tacoma Dome 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Tumwater 0 7 10 7 24
Archbishop Murphy 0 21 0 0 21

15-WA-Fball-Tumwater-ArticlePhoto

See game recap below
 


Tumwater Pitches Second Half Shutout, Will Play for 2A Title
By Steve Dion

The Tacoma Dome has become a second home for Sid Otton and his T-Birds football team which he sends to deep playoff runs virtually every year. Archbishop Murphy is no stranger to late November football either as the Wildcats were the 2A runner-up in 2010 and 2011. With both teams boasting 12-0 records, who would win the penultimate game of the season?

A defensive struggle summarized the first frame as both teams failed to put any points on the board. Archbishop Murphy struck first when Bailey Singh-Ha hauled in a 32 yard pass from Connor Johnson. Exactly three minutes later, Wildcat tailback Anfernee Gurley notched a rushing touchdown. Tumwater’s Noah Andrews made his first big play of the game by taking the ball 43 yards to the house to cut down the lead. AMHS went into halftime feeling good due to Connor Johnson’s quarterback sneak for touchdown at the second quarter buzzer.

The Thunderbirds put the clamps on defense down in the second half by preventing the Wildcats from adding to their point total. But they had work to do. Cade Otton answered the call on a 21 yard touchdown early in the third. The game really began to hit the skids at this point as both teams refused to pull away. In the final minutes, Tumwater was down by four. It was gut-check time; touchdown or bust. After a THS timeout, Spencer Dowers executed the play discussed in the huddle perfectly; a quick toss to reliable Andrews who shed a few tackles and dove for the corner pylon. Touchdown! An elated Tumwater sideline breathed a big sigh of relief when the scoreboard read triple zeros after Aiden Slater brought down AM’s quarterback on the final desperation play.

After the game, Coach Otton admitted this was up there with one of the best games he has coached. Noah Andrews said with “three minutes left and we’re down, we’re not really having a lot of hope. It’s just never giving up.” On the winning touchdown, he noticed the defender lost his balance and “I saw him dive at my feet, so I just put my hand down, and dove in.” A play this junior leader will likely not forget anytime soon!

The Final Score:
Tumwater 24, Archbishop Murphy 21

Top Performer

Tumwater
Noah Andrews 25 rush, 102 yards, TD, 2 rec, 43 yards, TD (game-winner)

Archbishop Murphy
Anfernee Gurley 8 rush, 58 yards, TD, 5 rec, 140 yards

Student-Athlete Interview with Tumwater’s Cade Otton

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

14-WA-Fball-Tumwater-OttonC-ArticlePhoto


2015 Varsity Football Live Interview
Tumwater Thunderbirds – Junior
Cade Otton

Grandson of longtime Tumwater head coach Sid Otton and current junior for the T-Birds Cade Otton talks to Dick Fain about his high school football experience thus far. He also discusses his involvement with Shirts Across America and the positive takeaways he had from his time with the organization that is focused on helping those affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

To catch the complete radio interview with Tumwater Junior Cade Otton, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

14-WA-Fball-Tumwater-OttonC-ArticleBanner

 

Coach Interview with Tumwater Head Coach Sid Otton

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

14-WA-Fball-Tumwater-OttonS-ArticlePhoto


2015 Varsity Football Live Coach Interview
Tumwater Thunderbirds – Head Football Coach
Sid Otton

The winningest head coach in Washington high school football history Sid Otton joins Dick Fain for a few minutes to talk about his 2015 team and the successful Tumwater program over the years. He also chats about his Grandson Cade whom currently plays for the T-Birds and makes him proud on and off the field. This is a must-listen interview with a local legend.

To catch the complete radio interview with Tumwater Coach Sid Otton, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

13-WA-Fball-Tumwater-OttonS-ArticleBanner

 

Sedro-Woolley Marches to State Final

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

Saturday Nov. 29 2014 2A Boys Football
Tacoma Dome 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Tumwater 0 7 14 6 27
Sedro-Woolley 7 7 7 7 28

Game Recap below

14-WA-FBall-Tumwater-Playoffs-11.29-1-Article

Sedro-Woolley Marches to State Final
By Colin Caruso

When taking on a Tumwater Thunderbird squad with Sid Otten at the helm, the winning-est coach in Washington state history, you know you need to bring your ‘A’ game in order to contend. Strangely enough in this game, it was the team with the fewer mistakes that was able to prevail. An unbelievable 7 turnovers in the first half, seemingly no one wanted the football, led to a 14-7 lead for the Sedro-Woolley Cubs going into the half.

Finally the teams settled down, took care of the football, and we saw some of the finest high school football of the season in the second half. Sid Otten called a fake punt early in the third quarter that led to a Ian Saner touchdown run on the next play, his second of three on the day, to tie the game up at 14. But the Cubs answered quckly. A 4 play march, topped off by a Quinn Carpenter 35 yard run, put the Cubs back on top, 21-14.

Ian Saner wouldn’t let it stay at that score, and punched in another touchdown late in the third to tie the game back up at 21. After a series of punts, Mason Elms, a quarterback/wide receiver/running back/wing back for the Cubs stormed down the far sideline for a 24 yard score. About the score, Elms mentioned, “I wasn’t planning on scoring.” But he did, and he put his team ahead midway through the fourth quarter.

Tumwater would answer with a Griffin Shea score, but the kick missed left, and Tumwater found themselves trailing 28-17 with under 3 minutes to play.

The T-birds forced a 3 and out and drove down to the Cubs 22 yard line. There they set up for a 39 yard field goal. The Cubs line broke through the Thunderbird line on the attempt, and Elijah Hill’s kick was blocked with less than 20 seconds remaining. The Cubs recovered, kneeled out the clock, and advanced to the state finals.

A GREAT game back and forth between two deserving teams. Congratulations to Sedro-Woolley for advancing to the Gridiron Classic.

The FinalScore – Sedro-Woolley 28, Tumwater 27.

Top Performers:
Tumwater
Ian Saner – 18 carries for 91 yards and 3 TD

Sedro-Woolley
Carter Crosby – 82 rush yards and 1 TD
Mason Elms – 80 rush yards and 1 TD

2013- Coach Interview with Tumwater’s Sid Otton

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

 


2013 Varsity Football Live Interview
Tumwater Thunderbirds – Head Football Coach
Sid Otton

Winningest Coach in State History

Join us as Dick Fain talks with legendary Coach Sid Otton about his winning streak – possibly leading to number 350 this week. The Tumwater T-Birds have 5 State Championships under Coach Otton’s reign, and are currently ranked #2 after starting the season 3-0.

In his 40th season, Coach Otton believes a positive approach, commitment and dedication are keys to a successful season.

“We’re off to a strong start … they’re gaining confidence … but our approach is to never look at the rankings … we’re just looking at the next game.”

As for the keys to preparing for another State Championship run, Coach Otton hopes the team will “stay healthy, stay focused on the next snap, respect their opponent, and try to get better and better and better.”

 

To catch the complete radio interview with Coach Otton,
simply click on the play button below.

 

Lynden Lions Win 3rd Straight 2A State Title; Fifth Title in Six Seasons

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

Saturday Dec 7th 2013 2A Boys Football
Tacoma Dome 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Lynden 14 14 7 3 38
Tumwater 7 6 0 15 28

See game recap below
 


Lynden Lions Win 3rd Straight 2A State Title; Fifth Title in Six Seasons
By Colin Caruso

You know you have a battle on your hands when you have the two time defending champion Lynden Lions playing last year’s runner up and 2010 champion, the Tumwater Thunderbirds. Both teams began the game undefeated and brought monstrous fan sections for support.

Lynden jumped all over the Thunderbirds early, as the Lions forced an early fumble, recovered by Blake Browning and returned for a 40 yard touchdown. The Lions also capitalized on a short punt on Tumwater’s next possession and two plays later scored on a 57 yard touchdown pass to Scooter Hastings to take a 14-0 lead.

Tumwater needed a response, and junior running back Trevor Davis answered with a beautiful cutback run for a 47 yard score to close the Lynden lead to 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Davis touchdown didn’t slow the Lions one bit, they responded with an 11 play, 83 yard drive capped off by a Sterling Somers 1 yard run. Both teams would add another score before the half, and Lynden had a strong 28-13 lead going into the locker room.

After a punt from each team to start the second half, Lynden put together a five play 67 yard drive, finished off by another Jaremy Martin rushing TD. The Lions took a commanding 35-13 lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Following Martin’s touchdown, the Thunderbirds were able to put together a quality drive of their own to give some life to their team. The drive was capped off by a quarterback keeper that was fumbled but recovered by tight end Nick Foerstel for a one yard score. With a successful two point try, the lead was again just 14 for the Lions, 35-21.

After a snap that quarterback Lions quarterback Sterling Somers was not prepared for, the Thunderbirds jumped on the loose ball and took possession on their own 48 yard line, down 14 with under nine minutes to play. They turned that possession into a five minute scoring drive, to cut the Lion lead to just seven with 4:26 on the clock.

Tumwater lined up for the onside kick and they just missed recovering, and the Lions received possession and drove down for a game clinching Alex Otano-Guenther 30 yard field goal. Congratulations to the Lynden Lions for winning three straight 2A state finals!

Top Performers:
Lynden
Sterling Somers – 16/21 263 yards and 1TD, 10 carries for 31 yards and 1TD
Jaremy Martin – 12 carries for 90 yards and 2TD

Tumwater
Jayden Croft – 11 carries for 24 yards and 2TD