5 games you should not have missed in Week 3 of Washington high school football

Third-ranked Freeman wins key 2B Northeast showdown against No. 6 Northwest Christian of Colbert, 19-7

After two impressive WIAA playoff runs the past two season in Class 1A, Freeman should be a serious player in 2024 in the Class 2B ranks. / Photo by Lane Mathews

First-year Freeman football coach Mike McKeown insists his Scotties aren't trying to be classification crashers.

The boys in powder blue were a handful the past few seasons in the Class 1A ranks, but dropped down to 2B after the WIAA's reclassification cycle.

And they are liking their new surroundings just fine.

Scoring twice in a four-minute span at the end of third quarter was enough for third-ranked Freeman to turn away defending 2B Northeast champion and No. 6 Northwest Christian of Colbert, 19-7, on Friday night on the Scotties' home field.

Junior Logan Schultz accounted for both touchdowns on throws - a 34-yarder to William Morphy and then an 12-yarder to Nash McLean, who also scored on a 46-yard punt return in the first half.

"Nash McLean had a heck of a night," McKeown said.

Morphy's score gave Freeman a 13-7 lead. And after the Scotties' defense posted a quick three-and-out to get its offense the ball back near midfield, McLean received a short pass in the right flat and juked two defenders for his receiving touchdown with 32 seconds to go in the quarter.

"We were fired up. Our kids were excited," McKeown said. "They knew Northwest Christian would be a dogfight and what they accomplished last year. But we've got a lot of kids who have played in big games as well."

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JUANITA SHOCKS WOODINVILLE

Jared Carter has lived the up-and-down nature of football to an extreme over the first few weeks of coaching the fall season at Juanita High School.

First, he lost starting quarterback Dallas So'oto, regarded as one of the best dual threats in the state, to a season-ending knee injury in Week 1. And his Rebels lost a low-scoring heartbreaker to Kamiak in Week 2.

On Friday, Carter's squad was staring at a two-touchdown deficit to 10th-ranked Woodinville.

But the Rebels stood tall, taking the lead with a minute remaining - and then surviving Gavin Watts' missed 30-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining for a 29-28 win at Pop Keeney Stadium.

"We have 30 seniors on this team," Carter said. "We are not scared to line up against anybody."

After So'oto's injury, backup Ian Flynn, a senior, immediately called a team meeting to reassure his classmates he wasn't going to let them down.

And he didn't in the final minute.

Flynn lofted a 27-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone to tight end Casper Larsen to cut it to 28-27, and after a Falcons' penalty on the two-point conversion, Isaiah Villanueva ran it in for the lead.

"(Flynn) played awesome," Carter said. "He was spinning it."

Casey Larson returned the kickoff for Woodinville 60 yards to put the Falcons immediately in scoring position. But seconds later, Watts missed the field goal wide.

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LAKES EMERGES FROM DEFENSIVE STANDSTILL

From the start of the offseason, Lakes coach Dave Miller declared this offense was safely in the hands of first-year starting quarterback Willie Nash.

Nash is making good on that pledge.

The senior delivered a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-head 59-yard score to Exavier McChristian with 4:47 to go as the eighth-ranked 3A Lancers stunned 4A Curtis, 14-10, on Friday night in University Place.

Curtis drove past midfield on its final series, but Lakes sealed the game on Tupu Saleaumua's interception.

"Just two great defenses going at it," Miller said. "You had to earn every inch."

Nash is a team favorite whom Miller said "has the intangibles that overcome some of the physical things other quarterbacks have."

"Down 10 (points) ... he is that guy who can dig deep," Miller said. "Sometimes more talented guys check out at that point."

Nash's 3-yard touchdown to Tristan Baker cut Curtis' lead to 10-7 with 11 minutes remaining. And on the game winner, the Lancers' signal caller had to thread a pass to McChristian along the right seam, who outran the Vikings' secondary for the score.

"It was well-covered," Miller said. "The ball was in a perfect spot."

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GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN DIGS DEEP FOR FIRST WIN

Graham-Kapowsin coach Jeff Logan admitted the reigning Class 4A runner-up was in "unchartered territory" being 0-2 this season - and staring at potentially another defeat down by 13 points to 4A SPSL foe Emerald Ridge on Friday night at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

But the Eagles found a way behind ninth grader A.J. Tuivaiave.

Tuivaiave tossed two touchdown passes over the final 13 minutes, and led the Eagles' last-second, game-winning drive as they edged the Jaguars, 20-13.

Blake Pearson scored the winning touchdown on a 5-yard run with 14 seconds remaining.

Earlier, Tuivaiave connected with Kase Betz on a 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown, and a 14-yarder to DJ Ta'ape for a score on fourth down to tie the game at 13-13 midway through the fourth quarter. He finished 16-of-22 for 215 yards passing.

The comeback win comes on the heels of last-second heartbreaking losses to O'Dea and Skyview to open 2024.

"Everybody knows we lost two football games in the craziest way to lose a football game," Logan said.

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LEWIS & CLARK RALLIES TO STUN RIDGELINE

When fomer Eastlake coach Kyle Snell took over at Lewis & Clark this summer, he wasn't sure what he had in a football team.

But he knew he had a few fast state-championship track guys to deploy.

And he did Friday night as the Tigers overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to upend 2023 state playoff participant Ridgeline, 31-27, in the nightcap of a Greater Spokane League doubleheader at ONE Spokane Stadium.

The rally came a week after the Tiges dropped a game to Mead - one in which they led in the fourth quarter.

"It's a huge win for us," Snell said.

Trailing 27-24, Lewis & Clark had to go 75 yards in the final 4:46 for the go-ahead score.

Except it didn't take the Tigers nearly as long to do it as Tyler Daniel opened the series with a 34-yard pass to Mason Kershaw, then a 40-yard connection with Elijah Nelson, who was part of the school's WIAA championship 4x100-meter relay team last spring.

JT Pary punched it in from 1 yard out to cap the 27-second drive, giving the Tigers a 31-27 lead.

When you’ve scored 26 and 16 points (the past two weeks), you are going to take the touchdown however you can get it," Snell said.

Ridgeline drove just outside the red zone in the final minute, but Landon Garner's fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 12 seconds remaining.

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