3 takeaways from Eastside Catholic-Eastlake: Crusaders take control behind running game

Hosts scores final 23 points after Eastlake quarterback Landon Renfroe leaves with injury in 40-14 victory

Isaac Corey starts his first game at Eastside Catholic after transferring from Hermiston. / Photo by Matt Massey

SAMMAMISH, Wash. – When the gridiron version of the “Battle of the Sammamish Plateau” looked like it was coming down to the wire, the game swung wildly.

Eastside Catholic (1-0) took control of a hard-fought nonleague season opener with neighboring Eastlake and finished off the Wolves, 40-14 ,with a 23-point flurry in the final 8 minutes, 24 seconds on Friday night at Acosta Field.

The Crusaders, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by SBLive.com, shook off Eastlake (0-1) thanks to cutting down on penalties and an injury to Wolves’ quarterback Landon Renfroe. The Wolves’ signal caller exited the game with an apparent right arm injury when he was hit and fumbled with 34.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter with Eastside Catholic clinging to a precarious 17-14 lead.

It was all Crusaders from then on.

Here are three takeaways from the Eastside Catholic-Eastlake game:

As top returning quarterback in 4A KingCo, Eastlake's Landon Renfroe is undisputed leader for Eastlake offense. / Photo by Todd Milles

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DESPITE PENALTIES, CRUSADERS FIND A WAY

The matchup of two teams who each reached the state semifinals last season in their respective classifications and returned with high aspirations again in 2024 looked like it was going to be lost to the team that was issued the most penalties.

The dubious distinction was hounding Eastside Catholic, which won despite committing 15 penalties, including eight of the personal-foul variety, for a whopping 171 yards in setbacks.

"The penalties were definitely a killer,” said Eastside Catholic running back Jeremiah Burroughs, who ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts. “I don’t know if it was just the refs or whatever it was, but we went in the locker room [at halftime] and I was telling the team, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it and we can’t dictate how the refs act.’

"We just have to keep playing our best football and be the elite team that we know we are.”

Before halftime, the Crusaders had already piled up 121 yards on 10 penalties.

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EASTLAKE OFFENSE GRINDS TO HALT AFTER INJURY

It’s clear that the Eastlake isn’t the same team without starting quarterback Landon Renfroe.

Renfroe left late in the third quarter after taking a hit from two Eastside Catholic players, including Cody Thumlert, and fumbling into the arms of the Crusaders’ Jojo Matautia. Renfroe already had 187 yards passing and two touchdowns on 12-of-22 accuracy and was going for more when he suffered an injury on the hit.

After a school-best appearance in the 2023 Class 4A state semis, the Wolves are looking to get back. But if Renfroe’s injury is serious and keeps him ou of the lineup any length of time, it’s fare to say Eastlake will be limited on offense.

After Renfroe left the game, the Wolves’ offense sputtered to the tune of 17 yards of total offense in the final quarter with backup Ryder Barrysmith under center.

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CRUSADERS' OFFENSE STILL NEEDS BALANCE

Ultimately, it was the legs of both running backs Jeremiah Burroughs and Nicholas Jones that carried to the finish line.

Should the Crusaders want to beat the likes of top-ranked Bellevue to give the school its fifth state title, they are going to need more passing proficiency from transfer quarterback Isaac Corey.

“In the second half, we came out and ran the ball and passed the ball,” Burroughs said of the late surge that pushed his team to victory.

Eastside Catholic put up 256 yards rushing to 52 passing. Corey, a transfer from Hermiston, Ore., finished 5 of 14 passing for 52 yards and no touchdowns, but he ran for a 2-yard score to give the Crusaders a 24-14 cushion with 8:24 remaining.

Corey showed mobility outside the pocket, but looked indecisive at times. He will need to step for the storied program to remain a title contender late in the season.

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