Bonney Lake advances to 3A's Elite Eight, Sumner bounced from playoffs by Bishop Blanchet

For the first time in Bonney Lake High history, the Panthers football team won a state tournament game.

Friday on the road, the Panthers handed No. 3 Lincoln Abes its first loss of the season, 35-28.

Coach Jason Silbaugh said, “I think in my coaching career this is the top win.”

The Panthers traveled to the Lincoln Bowl and Silbaugh said no one but the team and the coaching staff gave the Panthers a shot to beat the undefeated Narrows League champions.

Silbaugh said the boys had to adapt to the speed of the Abes, which he said was a very fast, athletic team at quarterback and running back.

The Abes scored on its first possession. The Panthers turned around on its first possession and pounded the ball down the field for a touchdown.

Silbaugh said that was when the “kids really knew we can this.” He said as the first half went on the Panther defense took a toll on Lincoln, playing a tough, physical game. The starting quarterback for the Abes, who was the backup, went out after a hit and the usual started came in. The starting running back also left in the first half.

As the game wore on the Panthers were able to out muscle the athletic Abes in the trenches. Silbaugh said in the second half the defense began stopping Lincoln forcing punts.

With less than two minutes to play in the game, senior running back Ethen Koepke scored his third touchdown of the evening.

His six brought the Panthers within one, down 28-27.

Silbaugh said he planned to go for the two-point conversion if he got the look he wanted.

“They lined favorably for us,” Silbaugh said. “Jason Day made an incredible play and pounded it in. It was exactly the play we did against Enumclaw to win in overtime.”

The game wasn’t over yet.

With about 40 seconds remaining, the Abes drove down field .

Sitting on Bonney Lake’s 26 yard line, junior outside line backer Riley Teed and defensive lineman Joseph O’Reilly sacked Lincoln’s quarterback in bounds for a loss of 12.

It caused Lincoln to use a timeout.

With time running down, from the 33-yard line Lincoln’s quarterback lobbed a pass to the endzone and it was intercepted by senior cornerback Patrick Oxile who returned it 89 yards for a touchdown.

“It was great,” Silbaugh said. Nobody thought we could them… but us.

The pick six secured the Panthers first postseason win.

Bonney Lake now 7-4 enters the quarterfinals.

Next up for the Panthers are the undefeated 10-0, defending 3A state champions, the Eastside Catholic Crusaders.

The game will be played Friday, Nov. 20 at Seattle Memorial Stadium

Sumner

On a rain-soaked night in Sumner, the Spartans saw its perfect season come to an end.

Sumner hosted Bishop Blanchet Friday in the sweet 16 and lost 28-21.

The Spartans closed out an impressive season with the SPSL 3A League title, an undefeated league record at 7-0 and 10-1 overall.

Friday in the Bishop Blanchet game all things went the Spartans way, in the first half.

Sumner scored on a 46-yard run by Connor Wedington and quarterback Luke Ross hit Tre Weed for another six. Nick Phillips nail the extra points.

Despite building a 21-7 lead at the opening of the third quarter, it wasn’t the Spartans night.

The Braves started the second half with a 26 yard touchdown pass to cut Sumner’s lead to seven.

Both teams at times had trouble with turnovers in the third quarter.

Sumner’s Jose Mascareno snagged two interceptions in the second half, but offensively the Spartans had difficulty capatilizing of Blanchet’s mistakes.