For the first time since 1997, the Thomas Jefferson Raiders beat their cross-district rivals on the football field at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.
The Raiders got a 13-yard touchdown run from quarterback K.W. Williams late in the fourth quarter Friday night to cap a 31-28 win over the Eagles. Jefferson safety Dylan Cooper intercepted a Federal Way pass to wrap up the game for TJ.
The game-winning touchdown came with 1:40 left in the game and ended a huge performance from Williams. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior finished with 289 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns.
The win improved the Raiders to 3-6 overall on the season and they will take on Spanaway Lake Thursday night at Art Crate Stadium in Spanaway in an SPSL crossover game. The loss dropped Federal Way to 3-6 overall. The Eagles will host Tahoma at 7 p.m. Thursday at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.
The Raiders jumped on Federal Way early Friday night thanks to a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes. Williams hit junior tight end Tim Luafatasaga on a 33-yard touchdown and followed with a 27-yarder to Phillip Haywood to put TJ up 14-0.
But Federal Way was able to fight back to cut the Jefferson lead to 17-14 at halftime. The two teams then exchanged second-half touchdowns, culminating in Williams’ run with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter.
at Curtis 70, Beamer 24 — The Todd Beamer Titans football team already had its first-ever spot in the postseason locked up entering Thursday night’s tilt with the second-ranked Curtis Vikings in University Place.
And that was a good thing. The Vikings made quick work of Beamer during a 70-24 South Puget Sound League South Division game. The 70 points tied the league record for total points in a season with 416, set last year by Auburn.
Curtis (9-0) scored on its first seven possessions in the first half, rolling out to a 56-6 lead in the second quarter. The Vikings added two more third-quarter touchdowns.
Beamer (4-5) picked up three touchdown passes from senior quarterback T.J. Esekielu, including a pair of 65-yarders to senior Dominique Maxie, who finished with three catches for 163 yards and the two touchdowns.
Esekielu became the first player in the history of the SPSL to throw for over 1,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. He finished the regular season with 1,386 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground and 1,271 yards and 12 TD’s through the air.
Esekielu’s 2,657 yards of total offense rank him third all-time in SPSL history behind Lake’s Drew Miller, who had 3,366 in 1995.
The Titans, who finished in fourth place in the SPSL South, will travel to Vancouver’s Kiggins Bowl Stadium to take on the Skyview Storm at 4 p.m. Saturday. Skyview (8-1) won its third consecutive Class 4A Greater St. Helens League title last weekend with an exciting 37-34 win over the Union Titans.
The Storm features a prolific offense, led by quarterback Kieran McDonagh, running back Parker Henry and wide receiver Ellis Henderson.
McDonagh completed 17 of 22 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns during the win over Union and Henderson had six catches for 70 yards and a TD. Henry finished with over 1,000 yards on the ground during the regular season.
Auburn Mountainview 14, at Decatur 6 — The Gators ended their first season in the SPSL 3A Division with a loss to the Auburn Mountainview Lions on Thursday at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.
The Lions (3-6 overall, 1-4 SPSL 3A) got a pair of first-half touchdowns from Skyler White. White returned a Decatur punt 38 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. He added an 8-yard TD run in the second quarter to put the Lions up 14-0.
Decatur (1-8 overall, 0-5 SPSL 3A) avoided the shutout with a fourth quarter, 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jason Wiley to Vohiness Jennings.
