WRHS FOOTBALL: Saints march in to face Hornets

Friday night’s 30-7 victory over Sumner High allowed the While River Hornets to claim a share of the South Puget Sound League 2A football title and earn a home-field advantage in the first round of postseason play. The Hornets’ league mark of 6-1 and overall record of 7-2 is quite a turnaround for a squad that went just 1-9 a season ago. White River tied for the league’s top spot with Franklin Pierce, the only club to defeat the Hornets in league action. For their turnaround season, the Hornets were rewarded with a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday on their home turf. The opponent will be the Interlake Saints out of the KingCo 3A/2A Conference. The Saints will trek to Buckley having compiled a 3-4 conference mark, good for a three-way tie for fourth place in a league dominated again by state power Bellevue. Interlake started the season 0-5 and then won three straight before losing last week to Juanita. The Saints showed they can put points on the board when given the opportunity, averaging 42 points per game in the final four outings. White River heads into postseason play led by quarterback Zach McMillen, who has thrown for 915 yards and seven touchdowns; Josh Miller, the team’s leading rusher with 822 yards; and, on defense, Blake Maresh, who has racked up 80 tackles. Friday’s regular-season finale saw White River jump to a 14-0 halftime lead, give up a third-quarter score, then tack on three touchdowns to roll to a victory at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner. After a scoreless first quarter, Devin Liebel scored on a 12-yard run and Brandon Dove hauled in a short pass from McMillen before halftime. After the Spartans sliced the margin thanks to a 14-yard run by Lokahi Kamau, Miller answered with a pair of short TD runs to give White River a healthy lead. The final two points of the night came when Sumner was whistled for intentional grounding in the end zone. White River wound up with nearly 400 yards in total offense, running for 264 and passing for another 120; McMillen completed nine of his 12 throws. The Spartans were held to 229 on the ground and 66 through the air, completing just three of 17 passes.

By Kevin Hanson • November 1, 2011 3:31 pm

The Hornets’ league mark of 6-1 and overall record of 7-2 is quite a turnaround for a squad that went just 1-9 a season ago. White River tied for the league’s top spot with Franklin Pierce, the only club to defeat the Hornets in league action.

For their turnaround season, the Hornets were rewarded with a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday on their home turf. The opponent will be the Interlake Saints out of the KingCo 3A/2A Conference.

The Saints will trek to Buckley having compiled a 3-4 conference mark, good for a three-way tie for fourth place in a league dominated again by state power Bellevue. Interlake started the season 0-5 and then won three straight before losing last week to Juanita. The Saints showed they can put points on the board when given the opportunity, averaging 42 points per game in the final four outings.

White River heads into postseason play led by quarterback Zach McMillen, who has thrown for 915 yards and seven touchdowns; Josh Miller, the team’s leading rusher with 822 yards; and, on defense, Blake Maresh, who has racked up 80 tackles.

Friday’s regular-season finale saw White River jump to a 14-0 halftime lead, give up a third-quarter score, then tack on three touchdowns to roll to a victory at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.

After a scoreless first quarter, Devin Liebel scored on a 12-yard run and Brandon Dove hauled in a short pass from McMillen before halftime. After the Spartans sliced the margin thanks to a 14-yard run by Lokahi Kamau, Miller answered with a pair of short TD runs to give White River a healthy lead. The final two points of the night came when Sumner was whistled for intentional grounding in the end zone.

White River wound up with nearly 400 yards in total offense, running for 264 and passing for another 120; McMillen completed nine of his 12 throws. The Spartans were held to 229 on the ground and 66 through the air, completing just three of 17 passes.