Beamer grabs first place after shutout of Jefferson

Todd Beamer Titans defensive captain Lincoln Mitchel-Liulama stood alone, on the field, with the biggest grin.

Todd Beamer Titans defensive captain Lincoln Mitchel-Liulama stood alone, on the field, with the biggest grin.

With the clock at all zeros, the linebacker and his defensive brethren were the last men standing after its shutout 20-0 win Friday against the Thomas Jefferson Raiders at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

Mitchel-Liulama couldn’t help the smile. The Titans (5-1, 4-0) not only achieved the shutout they’ve been look for all season, but the win over the Raiders (1-5, 0-4) put Todd Beamer atop the North Puget Sound League Olympic division alongside Auburn Mountainview after the Lions handed Auburn its first league loss of the season.

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“Our D-line, man,” Mitchel-Liulama beamed. “We pressured the QB. We made him go out of the pocket where he wasn’t comfortable, and our coverage was nice all night.”

That it was.

The Todd Beamer defense set up its special night three plays into game.

Thomas Jefferson faced third-and-long after two unsuccessful run attempts. Raider quarterback Mason Delacruz dropped back to pass, and senior linebacker Josh Chrichton broke through two Jefferson linemen with ease and sacked Delacruz for a 10-yard loss, forcing Jefferson to punt.

The Raiders forced two more punts to end the first quarter, allowing just 17 yards through the first three possessions.

“We got close to a shutout last week,” Chrichton said. “I think it added more motivation for the defense to be better this week.”

While the defense was hyped, the Titans’ offense got off to a sluggish start. After one quarter, Beamer held a 3-0 lead.

But after a few short gains to start the second quarter, the Titans’ running back corps of Billy Vann, Kuma Scanlon and Colin McKay finally got going. The three marched the ball down to the to the Jefferson 2-yard line, and Vann added Beamer’s first touchdown, giving it a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Beamer coach Darren McKay said the biggest concern was containing the Raiders’ speedster, Delacruz. With the exception of a 40-yard pass from Delacruz to Charles Wilbur-Willams, the Titan defense did just that. The Titans held Delacruz to 25 yards rushing on five attempts.

“We were concerned with Delacruz scrambling around like he’s done the last couple games,” McKay said, “but they just didn’t do it as much. I don’t know if they were trying to protect him a little bit because he’s taken some shots, but he’s a really good athlete.”

Jefferson had an opportunity early in the second quarter to put three points on the board with a field goal, but Beamer’s strong defensive effort carried over to special teams, too. Raiders kicker Diego Pineda-Topete didn’t get enough lift on the kick and the Titans were able to get a hand on the ball and recover it near midfield.

Mitchel-Liulama said Jefferson didn’t appear to have the speed the Titans prepared for during their week of practice, and that lack of speed seemed to affect Jefferson in all areas.

“It just seemed like they had slow feet tonight,” Mitchel-Liulama said. “That allowed us to get to the ball quicker. Blocking the field goal pumped us, our whole sideline up.”

Alley added another field goal midway through the third quarter and Vann added his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter.

Once again, the Titan rushing group pulled equal weight in the win, with all three backs rushing for 211 yards. Jefferson, meanwhile, was held to 58 rushing yards and 56 passing yards.

It’s exactly the kind of win the Titans need. Not only do they have a short week, with their next game on Thursday, but they don’t get much time to celebrate being on top of the division as they host the team right on their heels: Auburn Mountainview.

Mitchel-Liulama said it feels good to have sole possession of first place, but he added that the teams is well aware of who’s up next.

The senior linebacker, who grinned from ear to ear, said the focus through the first three days of practice this week will be no laughing matter.

“This the goal we set out for – in the summer,” he said. “To get to this position and to be able to play a game like this. This is like a playoff game. Time to get right back to work.”