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Handshakes and hugs soon spread around. Chants of “State champs!” echoed loudly from the thousands of Thunderbirds football fans with less than three minutes remaining in Saturday’s Class 2A state championship game.
What was expected to be a tightly-contested game between two of the state’s top teams all season was dominated by third-ranked Tumwater which scored a 34-14 victory over top-ranked Archbishop Murphy to win the title.
The Thunderbirds capped a 12-1 season by winning the school’s fifth state title in football – the first in 17 years. The T-Birds are now 5-0 all-time in state-title games – also winning in 1987, ’89, ’90 and ’93. Many of the current Tumwater players weren’t born the last time the program won a state title.
“This is what we’ve been dreaming of forever,” said senior Christian Bush, who ran for 84 yards on eight carries.
“When it comes down to it, I still haven’t taken it in yet. It feels great. … We did it.”
Tumwater amassed 257 yards of total offense, and worked with a short field on a lot of its offensive possessions. After being forced to punt on its first possession, Tumwater scored touchdowns on each of its next four drives, and built a 27-0 lead with 4 minutes, 18 seconds left in the second quarter.
Daniel Hinkle had three first-half touchdown passes to three different receivers – Wimberly (5 yards), Peyton Olson (41) and Kyle Warner (23). Grant Brandt also caught a 14-yard touchdown on a halfback pass from Warner early in the second quarter.
Handcuffed by five turnovers – two lost fumbles and three interceptions – the previously-unbeaten Wildcats from Everett were left stunned and unable to rally.
Wildcats starting quarterback Austin VanderWel was injured on a tackle during the team’s first offensive series of the second half and left the game briefly.
Backup Conner Kruse replaced VanderWel for the rest of the third quarter, and while he led the offense inside the red zone once, the momentum was shot when Kruse’s pass, intended for the end zone, was picked off by Warner.
It was one of two Wildcats turnovers deep in Tumwater territory.
Archbishop Murphy’s running game had just as much trouble. The Tumwater defense controlled the line of scrimmage and shut down the Wildcats’ (13-1) Wing-T offense, limiting them to 56 yards of offense in the first half.
Sophomore running back Alex Galgano, who came into the game with 1,320 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, finished with only 32 yards on 10 carries. Archbishop Murphy’s two touchdowns came on 1-yard runs by Eneliko Trevaga to close out the first half and Randy Gordon in the team’s final offensive possession of the game.
“What helped us out is we run a similar offense,” said Warner, who accounted for three Tumwater scores – a TD pass, reception and run.
“Our line and linebackers read stuff really well, and our secondary did a good job with the pass. It was a whole team effort.”
Tumwater’s second-half score came in the closing minutes of the game. Michael Glasgo picked off VanderWel and ran it back to the Wildcats’ 48. On the next play, Bush’s 45-yard run set up Warner’s 3-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 34-14.
After finishing 6-4 and missing the state playoffs last season, Tumwater picked itself up from its season-opening loss to Class 4A Olympia and reeled off 12 straight victories including the title-game drubbing.
Tumwater coach Sid Otton had the team’s first meeting of the 2010 season in August in the high school’s gymnasium, where banners from the other four state title years hang from the ceiling.
“I told them 17 years has been too long,” said Otton, who was drenched with water by his team after the final horn sounded Saturday.
“These kids, they didn’t believe in just getting to the playoffs, they had a bigger dream and they went about it one game at a time.
“I knew they were going to do something special tonight. And they did.”
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473 mwochnick@theolympian.com www.theolympian.com/prepsportsblog
