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Tom Wyrwich covers High School Sports for The Seattle Times.

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December 2, 2007 10:35 AM

Lewis & Clark's pivotal moment

The Lewis and Clark players slouched into the locker room, and they each knew it. That was a pathetic first half. Then coach Tom Yearout really laid into them, the kind of fire-and-brimstone speech a coach doesn't use unless he really has to.

If you're looking for a moment that turned Lewis & Clark into the Class 4A football champion, this it it: halftime, Oct. 16, Albi Stadium, against Gonzaga Prep. The Tigers didn't come back to with the game, but they left that locker room with a completely different mentality, one that carried them to this victory just as much as their big running back, Alex Shaw.

"It's been a phenomenal change," Shaw said. "The first half we played against G-Prep was probably the worst half of football I've played in my life. Hands down. He just told us the facts and told us we needed to play LC football."

Said Yearout: "It was one of the only times I've not seem them play hard. Since that half, they've played really hard. They've played with great passion. I've heard a lot, and rightfully so, about how hard Bothell plays, and we played just as hard."

The Gonzaga Prep game was LC's last of the regular season (the Tigers didn't play a week 9 game). From that point on, LC won five consecutive postseason games, heading to Western Washington for the final three of them.

The bus trip became routine. The let the kids sleep for the first few hours, and they'd eat in Federal Way and showed in Tacoma, trying to time each as if it were a game in Spokane. Then it was off to the Dome.

"We tried to have a normal bus ride like we were going to Albi," Yearout said.

Shaw was a beast in this game. When he ran for only 1 total yard on the first drive, it looked a bit like Bothell's game against Gig Harbor, another bigger team that Bothell beat 35-0. But beginning with the next drive, he just starting plowing over the Cougars. He finished with 176 yards and set a 4A championship record with 37 carries.

For two consecutive years, the Class 4A champ is a team that few predicted. And for the second consecutive year, Bothell was the short end.

In last year's game, a fumble on a punt return set up Oak Harbor's victory. This time, an interception gave Lewis & Clark one last possession.

"You know we're going to overtime," another reporter said. But only seconds after he said that, LC's Taylor Eglet threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Hanson with 64 seconds left.

It was an incredible weekend of football. Just look at the 3A and 4A games. In the 3A game, the winning score came with 1 minute, 44 seconds left. In the 4A, it didn't come until there was a minute and four seconds left. It doesn't get much better than that.

On Tuesday, I'll close out the football season by taking at look at what teams could be back at the Dome next year.

Here's a quick note about the Renton basketball team, which in back-to-back days beat a pair of ranked Class 4A teams, No. 9 Gig Harbor and No. 7 Kentwood. We'll have our next rankings a week from Tuesday, and I guarantee we'll have some shake-ups.

Morning stars

1. Alex Shaw, Lewis & Clark, football. Ran for 176 yards and a touchdown in LC's upset victory (The Tigers beat the No. 1 team that was undefeated -- yes it was an upset).

2. Josh Smith, Kentwood, basketball. The Conks lost to Renton, but Smith -- a 6-foot-9, 305-pounds sophomore -- still had 30 points and 15 rebounds.

3. Kevin Baffney, DeSales, football. Passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns and added a TD run in 30-0 victory against Toutle Lake in the 2B championship.

4. Austin Alfred, Royal, football. Passed for 229 yards and a touchdown and ran for 86 yards and two TDs in Royal's 28-16 win against Connell in the 1A championship.

5. Marcisa McMillan, Lindbergh, girls basketball. Scored 17 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in Lindbergh's 48-40 victory against Auburn Mountainview.

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Submit a comment

Posted by Deee

7:58 PM, Dec 02, 2007

Could Bothell and Skyline face off in the 4A Title game next year?? They both return a lot and bothell has a good qb next year. He could not play this year due to transfer rules!! Patrick Otterback will be a beast next year. Watch out for Skyline and Bothell next year 4A.

Posted by Prepfan

8:23 PM, Dec 02, 2007

You know, I've thought about that, too, but I didn't want to say it because as soon as I post this there will be 10 posts from Edmonds and another half dozen from Spokane saying how arrogant Bothell/Kingco fans are.
But you have emboldened me, so what the heck.
Just looking at the rosters, Skyline and Bothell both return a ton of key players. I know that E-W, Eastlake, and OH graduate many of their key players, and I think Ferris does, too. Not sure about Lewis and Clark.
I don't know all the particulars about Skyline, but Bothell returns five starters on both sides of the ball, and that doesn't include Otterbeck at running back as he was the No. 2 behind Kirchner. Next year will be the first time in three years that Bothell doesn't have to replace the entire O-line. The questions for Bothell will be at D-line and quarterback. I've heard the same thing you heard about a sophomore quarterback who was ineligible for varsity this year, but I don't know any of the particulars. And don't count out James Korn, this year's backup quarterback. Smart kid who has great feet.
In any event, Skyline is a runaway choice for preseason No. 1 in 4A. If LC has even half of their starters back, they're No. 2. I would think Bothell would be up there somewhere in the top five.
Now let's see, Deee, how many posts pile up saying how arrogant we are for thinking that.

Posted by I Wonder...

8:27 PM, Dec 02, 2007

Test Shaw for steroids...?
That was a "man" playing a "boys" game.

Posted by EW Fan

8:41 PM, Dec 02, 2007

I definitely agree about Skyline. They have Jake Heaps (sophomore) and Kasen Williams (freshman) who are both gonna be phenomenal next year and then even more so when they are seniors. That will be exciting to watch. But yeah Skyline will be very tough next year.

And EW is graduating our QB (McCartney) and our WR (Wafer) but Tony Heard (RB) is still gonna be there. But regardless of how many players we graduate we're still gonna have a good team because we have a solid football program. This is the 4th straight Wesco South Division title and 2nd straight semifinals appearance. I didnt think we'd have a chance this year after graduating Eric Greenwood, Casey Hamlet, and Josh Heard (Tony's brother) but we still bounced back. Who knows how good of a team we'll have next year. Only time will tell.

And no, you guys arent being arrogrant. Hopefully some of the other EW fans wont post here saying you are.

Posted by Tyler

9:55 PM, Dec 02, 2007

Hey I Wonder..., thanks for the comment on my boy shaw. He really is a man among boys. I played with his older brothers. His older brother, Josh, was the same way, except he played tight end. Carl played WR, but wasn't as big. Alex just happened to be fast enough and in a position to be playin RB (he used to be a FB, but LC decided to use at RB this year instead. Worked out well for them huh. All those kids are like tonka trucks... big, fast and strong.

Posted by esdoc

11:19 PM, Dec 02, 2007

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING PREPFAN...

Ha. Got ya. Why would you think your comment would gather hate posts?

Your comment is a prediction, and who would jump on you for predictions with almost a year to go? I would hope you would support your team to predict they'd finish in the top five. Just don't be like other Bothell fans and say "WHEN Bothell WINS state next year....it will be a fitting finish to a great season...." or something else of that arrogant calibre. You see how those fans are not on the forum any longer now their "WHEN" (not "IF") announcements have self-destructed.

Here is a question, since you are saying Skyline and Bothell in 4A: Will Skyline be 4A next year? Is that a for-sure thing? I just haven't read about it (not really following 3A that much this year) so I don't know.

As for EW, I think the current sophomore/backup QB has a very nice arm, but I've never seen him much in game situations. I don't know if he scrambles like Kyle, and no QB I've seen is tougher than Kyle, going head into LB's chests when they think this skinny QB is just gonna fall over....but having a senior Tony Heard back will be huge. I hope the new crop of receivers will step up: that is a big unknown. A solid program will rarely have a sudden down year, so I look for EW to be right in there again.

Considering that EW was UNRANKED at the beginning of the season after going to the semis last year, it was nice to see EW going undefeated and coming within minutes (and inches on the PAT) of staging one gigantic comeback, all in minutes within the 4th Quarter. So, probably won't really worry where EW is ranked next year at the beginning, as the Warriors proved the rankings to be, shall we say, slightly inaccurate....and irrelevant.

Posted by esdoc

11:24 PM, Dec 02, 2007

FOUND IT....

Skyline for sure in 4A next year. Great: 4A is getting crowded....Bothell, Eastlake, EW, Oak Harbor, etc....and now Skyline.

Posted by Chet812

6:25 AM, Dec 03, 2007

The KingCo Athletic Directors are scheduled to meet in January to finalize the details regarding which schools move up or down as well as a combining the 4A and 3A divisions - similar to how it is done in WesCo. This of course is after they poll their own coaches in all of the respective sports.

Posted by esdoc

8:21 AM, Dec 03, 2007

yes...in WesCo EW would play 3A teams in regular season.

Does that mean though that when time comes for playoffs Skyline would go back to 3A (the way for example Meadowdale in Wesco does: play EW all season then play 3A for playoffs) or will it play in 4A?

Posted by Shame Train

10:31 PM, Dec 03, 2007

If its a Bothell v. Skyline next year I predict Skyline over Bothell 21-14

Posted by Prepfan

10:51 PM, Dec 03, 2007

Shame Train,
Even as a Bothell fan, I find that funny! I guess that means that after a couple of nights to sleep on it I'm starting to get over it. When all is said and done, high school football is still just a game. It's the greatest game on Earth, and when your team is going well there's nothing like it, but it is still just a game and the real value has very little to do with who goes home with the biggest trophy.
Thanks for making me smile about the final score for the first time.
Best wishes to all those incredible young men who entertained us on the field this season, and, I hope, made progress on the road to manhood.