In early September, 62 teams kicked off the Class 2A football season, all hoping to make some sort of postseason run. Now, with a dozen games in the record books there are just four left standing. Among that elite group is the squad from Enumclaw High.
To reach this point, the Hornets cruised through the regular season without a blemish on their record, posted a district victory and added two triumphs in the state’s 2A playoffs.
The most recent victory in what has become a 12-win season came Nov. 17 when the EHS bunch bottled up the Highline Pirates 41-30. The contest, played on a chilly Friday night at the Enumclaw Expo Center, perhaps wasn’t always as close as the final score indicates. The Hornets maintained at least a two-score lead most of the way and, toward the end, had pushed the margin to 41-18. Highline added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns after the outcome had been decided.
THIS WEEK’S OUTLOOK
Now in the Final Four round of the playoffs and just one victory away from playing for a state championship, Enumclaw is slated for what should be its toughest test of the season. This Saturday, November 25, the Hornets will make the 114-mile drive north to challenge the Anacortes Seahawks.
Kickoff will be at 3 p.m. on the turf at Anacortes High.
The winner will head to the state 2A championship game, to be played December 2 at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The season’s culminating contest will begin at 3 p.m.
The Enumclaw-Anacortes winner will play the winner of the other semifinal contest, which pairs No. 1 Tumwater against No. 4 North Kitsap.
The 11-0 Anacortes squad from the Northwest Conference will host Enumclaw in this week’s semifinal pairing due to their status as the No. 2 seed into the Class 2A playoffs. Enumclaw is a step behind, ranked No. 3; thus, a road trip.
The Seahawks have come a long way, quickly. Football had become something of an afterthought at Anacortes and, in 2019, the school fielded only a junior varsity team. A bolt of energy brought renewed interest, larger turnouts and, within two years, the Seahawks had become a power.
This year’s squad boasts a solid defense that has posted four shutouts and allowed, on average, fewer than six points per game. The Seahawk offense puts up 33 points per night, on average.
Enumclaw will have to contend with the Seahawks’ Brock Beaner, a force on both sides of the ball while lining up at both running back and linebacker. When Anacortes puts the ball in the air, quarterback Rex Larson completes nearly 75 percent of his throws.
Enumclaw’s high-powered offense is averaging 46 points per outing while the stout Hornet defense has registered five shutouts and allows 7.3 points.
The Hornets have plenty of star power of their own. Quarterback Gunnar Trachte was named the SPSL 2A Offensive Player of the Year, running back Wyatt Neu was the league’s Most Valuable Player and Karson Holt was a first team, all-league pick at both wide receiver and linebacker.
Photo by Kevin Hanson Enumclaw High senior Landon Brauer was busy Friday night, helping the Hornets register a state quarterfinal victory over Highline. He’s shown here celebrating a long pass reception (which was nullified by penalty).
