Sumner rallies in regulation, trips up Chiawana in three OT to reach first WIAA championship game in 47 years

Spartans crawl back from a two-touchdown deficit to edge Riverhawks, 37-31, in classic 4A semifinal showdown

Second-seeded Sumner rallied from a large deficit to defeat No. 3 Chiawana, 37-31, in triple overtime Saturday night in WIAA Class 4A semifinals. / Photo by Vince Miller

SUMNER, Wash. - t’s been a long time coming.

After 27 long years, Sumner High School football coach Keith Ross has finally led his team to a WIAA title game following the second-seeded Spartans’ 37-31 triple-overtime Class 4A semifinal victory Saturday over No. 3 Chiawana at Sunset Chev Stadium.

It didn’t take long for Ross to give credit for the accomplishment to everyone around him.

“My wife was in tears because she’s been along for the ride for 27 years and she’s been up and down with me,” Ross said. “This isn’t about me, this is about Sumner. I’m glad we got to (a championship game). This is a team that we knew could get us there.”

It had to survive plenty Saturday to get there.

Chiawana got on the board first, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by Gage Williams in the first quarter.

The Riverhawks added on to their lead on another 1-yard touchdown run by Williams early in the second quarter after recovering a Sumner fumble.

Sumner got an immediate answer on the ensuing kickoff when Neicko Noffke picked up Chiawana’s squib kick and ran it back 72 yards for a much-needed Spartans’ score.

Later in the second quarter, Sumner was in business with the ball inside the Riverhawks’ 5-yard line, but Chiawana defensive back Brooks Zaro jumped a route perfectly to intercept Sumner quarterback Nate Donavan and ran it back 99 yards for another Chiawana touchdown.

Trailing 21-7 at halftime, Ross kept the message simple.

“We told them that (Chiawana) scored on a pick-6 and a fumble, that was it, and that’s the only way people were scoring on us,” he said. “What do you want to be remembered on? Your careers could be over in 20 minutes or you could be in a final. That’s really all I said. I wasn’t mad, I just said, ‘You decide what’s going to happen.’”

A 42-yard field goal from Austin Ferencz in the third quarter cut the Chiawana lead to 11, and a 1-yard touchdown pass from Donavan to Carter Cocke with a two-point conversion made it a three-point game. Ferencz knocked back another 42-yard field goal to tie the game.

Chiawana’s attempt at a go-ahead field goal off the foot of Morgan Dodson knocked off the left upright with 90 seconds to play - and Sumner’s attempt to win the game fell short.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime on 1-yard runs from Williams and Steele Isaacs.

Field goals from each team sent the game into a third overtime before Isaacs ran in the game-winning touchdown from 8 yards out following a missed field goal from the Riverhawks.

“We beat Curtis by two, Puyallup by three, (Chiawana) has beaten everyone by 40,” Ross said. “They haven’t been forged like we have.”

After playing in a game with such high emotions, Ross said he’ll be looking for everyone to come down from that heading into next week’s state championship game against Camas.

“We gotta take breaths and get back down and keep grinding like we do,” he said. “We’re going to be excited, but we’re going to hit the week like we do every week. We’re underdogs and we’ve got to get better.”

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