The second meeting between Tahoma and Federal Way this season had higher stakes as a playoff berth was on the line. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the end result was the same as they lost 26-22 to the Bears on Friday at Bill Maxwell Stadium.
Heavy rain fell throughout much of the game, but it didn’t stop the teams from taking to the air.
The first half was nearly all Tahoma. They scored on the first drive of the game on a 19-yard pass from Amandre Williams to Aidan Harmon. A 30-yard reception by Jerrel Chapman helped push them down the field on the drive.
The Eagles didn’t have much going offensively in the first quarter. Their third drive was their best, but quarterback D’Jimon Jones was picked off on a deep pass by Tahoma’s Caleb Brown on the Bears’ 17-yard line.
Federal Way’s first drive of the second quarter proved more fruitful. They drove from their own side of the field in a drive that culminated in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Jaeger Steckler.
Andrzej Hughes-Murray ran the two-point conversion in to give the Eagles an 8-7 lead.
The rest of the first half was not too kind to the Eagles. Penalties and discussions between the referees caused the first half to drag on for much longer than usual, breaking up the rhythm of the game. Federal Way seemed to be affected more.
Tahoma added touchdowns on a 1-yard run by Dylan Stewart and another Williams-to-Harmon connection from 11 yards out.
The latter touchdown was particularly deflating for the Eagles as it appeared they had an interception deep in their own territory. Instead, a hands-to-the-face penalty was called prior to the turnover. The flag was thrown late and the referees had a long conference with each other to discuss the penalty.
In the end, the number they called the penalty on was a Federal Way player who does not play on the defensive side of the ball.
With the ball back in their possession, Tahoma drove down the field as halftime neared.
As Tahoma crossed midfield, another big penalty went against the Eagles. They were called for a late hit along the Tahoma sideline. The Bears were subsequently hit with a penalty during the aftermath on the sideline.
The referees conferred for over five minutes before marking off the penalties.
A pass interference call on the play after the delay put Tahoma in the redzone.
Federal Way caught a break on the last play of the half as the Bears returned their punt for a touchdown, but it was called back for a block in the back.
Halftime finally arrived at 8:40 p.m., an hour and 40 minutes after kickoff.
Federal Way’s defense found its groove in the second half. An interception early in the third quarter led to a 44-yard pass from Jones to Brian Parker to bring the game to 20-14 in favor of Tahoma.
Their only major defensive lapse of the second half proved to be the game-winner for Tahoma. Williams found Austin Brown for a 64-yard touchdown pass with just under five minutes left in the quarter. Brown raced by a Federal Way defender and juked past another on his way to the end zone.
The Eagles added one final touchdown with just over a minute left in the game. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Tahoma, ending the playoff hopes for Federal Way.
“I’m proud of the way the kids fought,” Federal Way head coach John Meagher said. “We had a lot of adversity thrown at us in terms of injuries and different things. The kids fought hard all the way to the end. We’ll just have to put things together and go win next week.”
The loss was the fifth of the season for the Eagles where they were within two scores. Three of those were within one score.
Tahoma earned the South Puget Sound League North’s fifth seed with the victory and will face Lake Stevens in the first round of the playoffs.
Federal Way (2-7, 2-2) faced Puyallup (5-4) after the Mirror’s publishing deadline on Thursday, Nov. 5 at Federal Way Memorial Stadium for their final game.
Todd Beamer falls to Kentwood
The Titans will be the fourth seed out of the South Puget Sound League North after falling to the Kentwood Conquerors 14-0.
Chavez Kalua-Fuimaono’s 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was the only offensive touchdown of the night as both teams struggled to move the ball.
Devonte Sanchez picked up a Beamer fumble and ran it in for a 30-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give the Conquerors a 14-0 lead that held for the reaminder of the game
Beamer will face the Skyline Spartans (8-1) — winners of the KingCo — in the week 10 playoff crossover tonight at 7 p.m. at Skyline High School. The winner will be District Two’s top seed for state playoffs and will face the winner of Gig Harbor/Mariner.
Thomas Jefferson earns second seed
Thomas Jefferson added another impressive win to their resume as they topped the Kentlake Falcons 36-14.
A sluggish first three quarters saw the Raiders fall behind 14-9, but a monsterous fourth quarter led to 27 unanswered points.
An ill Kenny Turner led the way with four touchdowns and 200 yards rushing. A Statue of Liberty play at the end of the third quarter was the turning point.
On third and 16 from their own 14, Turner took the ball 68 yards down to the Kentlake 18-yard line. The Raiders took the lead shortly thereafter and never looked back.
Tyson Sonnenfeld added a touchdown as well on a 57-yard run.
The Raiders earned a home game with the win. They will play the KingCo’s third seed, Mount Si (6-3), tonight at 7 p.m. at Federal Way Memorial Stadium in their week 10 crossover playoff game. The winner will face the winner of Graham-Kapowsin/Snohomish in the first round of the state playoffs.
