Over the first eight weeks of the season, Tumwater and W.F. West have been two of the best 2A teams in the state.
Both entered Friday night’s matchup undefeated at 8-0, and a win would strengthen either team’s case as the No. 1 overall seed entering the 2A State Tournament next week.
Tumwater boosted its resume in a big way, dominating in all three phases en route to a 51-21 victory over the Bearcats to clinch the EvCo title for the fourth year in a row.
“I’m really proud of the way that they played tonight,” Tumwater coach William Garrow said. “That’s a good Chehalis team, and they did what they were supposed to do. They handled business.”
The Tumwater offense was forced to punt on its first drive, but the T-Birds built a 10-0 lead on their next two drives thanks to a passing touchdown from Jake Reid to Tyler Briscoe and a 35-yard field goal from Grady Wall.
The defense helped add onto the lead on W.F. West’s next drive, as Landon Anchors came away with a 45-yard scoop-and-score to put Tumwater up 17-0 early in the second.
“Our defense has done an incredible job this year of creating big plays in big moments against really good teams,” Garrow said.
Tumwater’s special teams unit made sure to do its part, too.
On the opening kickoff of the second half, Ethan Bello broke free for a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown, a score that extended Tumwater’s lead to 24 just seconds into the third quarter.
“It’s cool to see it happen,” Garrow said, crediting both Bello for his “special athleticism” and his assistant coaches. “It’s just a testament to them. I don’t coach kickoff or kickoff return. Those guys do that. They put together the game plans, they get the kids out there to execute them, and when it happens, it’s really cool to see.”
After an interception led to another T-Bird touchdown, W.F. West trailed 38-7.
The Bearcats were able to string together a pair of touchdown drives in the second half, and they went on to finish with more than 300 total yards, but they also turned the ball over three times and ran for just 62 yards.
“Too many turnovers, too many drops, too many missed blocking assignments,” W.F. West coach Dan Hill said. “We did not play well tonight, and it showed.”
Wyatt Hoffman finished with 260 yards and a passing touchdown, and Holden Kunz finished with eight receptions for 94 yards. Constantine Robertson caught four passes for 65 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown near the sideline in the end zone for W.F. West’s second touchdown of the night.
Liam Land led the way on the ground, posting 49 yards on just four carries.
W.F. West (8-1) will learn its Round of 32 opponent on Sunday, when the WIAA announces the matchups for the first round of the postseason.
“Just gotta keep rolling with the punches,” Hill said. “The playoffs are always exciting. We still gotta get better. We’ve got work to do.”
Briscoe led the Thunderbirds with 186 total yards (165 rushing, 21 receiving) and three total touchdowns, including two on the ground, and Jayden Hinchcliffe added 47 yards and a rushing TD of his own.
Reid finished his night 7 for 10 through the air with 114 yards and two touchdowns, and Hans Bergford caught two passes for 51 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown.
Grady Wall added 11 tackles and an interception on defense, and Gabe Millard posted four tackles and also came away with a pick. Ethan Marson had six tackles, including two for loss, and a pair of sacks.
Penalties continued to plague the Thunderbirds throughout the game. They were called for more than a dozen, which cost them more than 100 yards.
“I really wish we were a lot cleaner in the penalty game,” Garrow said. “Our kids play really hard and really physical, and we’ve got to clean up whatever it is that the officials are seeing in that instance. I’ve got to do a better job.”
Tumwater (9-0) will also learn its Round of 32 opponent on Sunday, and he remains confident in his bunch regardless of where the seeding committee puts them.
“They’ll put us wherever they put us,” Garrow said. “We played hard, we put together a good resume I think, and we’ll just go see where we land.”
