WIAA 1B state football championship: Wilbur-Creston-Keller finds 'redemption' from last year's crushing loss

Wildcats roll up 416 rushing yards in a 42-34 victory over Liberty Christian in 1B championship game

Behind its power rushing attack, second-seeded Wilbur-Creston-Keller upended No. 1 seed Liberty Christian, 42-34, to win its first WIAA 1B title at Husky Stadium. / Photo by Todd Milles

SEATTLE - After last season's loss in the WIAA Class 1B championship game, the Wilbur-Creston-Keller Wildcats came up with a fitting theme for 2024.

"Road to Redemption."

And on Friday, the second-seeded Wildcats cleared a path toward that elusive first title, holding off No. 1 seed Liberty Christian, 42-34, in the state championship game at Husky Stadium.

Preston Michel rushed for a game-high 210 of the team's 416 yards, scoring three touchdowns as the Wildcats kept the high-powered Patriots' offense on the sideline by running a whopping 85 plays - to Liberty Christian's 31.

"Obviously we have an old-school mentality - smashmouth football," Wildcats coach Darin Reppe said. "I am super proud of our kids. It's a heck of a win."

As much as the Wildcats controlled the first half. opening the game on a 16-play scoring drive, capped by Jaeger Brashears' 4-yard touchdown run - and then scoring on Michel's 4-yard run with 10 seconds reaming to take a 28-14 lead, the Patriots found their own big-play jolt to close the half.

Backup quarterback Trent Ralston fielded the kickoff and ran up the left hash. As soon as he saw a host of Wildats ready to tackle him, he lateraled the ball to teammate Tayton Cruger to complete the 59-yard return for a touchdown as time expired.

And on Liberty Christian's opening drive of the second half, Charlie Branning (179 rushing yards, three TDs) scampered 39 yards for a score to cut the Wildcats' lead to 28-26.

After the Patriots recorded their first defensive stop, they got the ball back with a chance to take its first lead.

But on fourth-and-2, Liberty Christian was stopped at the Wildcats' 38 - and Michel answered on the other end with a 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to push it to 36-26.

"That was big," Reppe said. "The kids had my back. I totally screwed that end of the first half up with clock management."

Indeed, the fabulous 14 players of Wilbur-Creston-Keller had one mission: Find redemption.

"We ended the chapter," Michel said. "Our book is written."

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