In their first game of the football season, Federal Way High School hosted the Union Titans at Federal Way Memorial Stadium. The Eagles lost 34-27 after struggling in the second half.
Last Friday, they avenged their season-opening loss with a 23-14 win over Union. For the Eagles, revenge was not on their mind. They simply wanted to advance in the playoffs.
The game was somewhat the opposite of the last game. Federal Way struggled to put points up in the first half and found themselves behind 14-10 late in the game.
They managed a clock-eating, nine-play drive much like the few Union had in their first meeting and took a 16-14 lead with just over two minutes to play. An interception by Ben Koler and a 43 yard touchdown run by Chico McClatcher would put the game away.
“I was frustrated with our inability to score in the first half,” said Federal Way head coach John Meagher. “We thoroughly outplayed them on offense and defense in the first half. It was good we were able to come back at the end and put it out of reach.”
Coach Meagher says that not putting up points despite outplaying their opponents has been somewhat of a problem for the team in recent years. This was the first time he remembers it happening in a playoff showdown for the Eagles.
Next up for Federal Way is a showdown with the Newport Knights of Bellevue, the third-seeded team from the KingCo 4A conference. They have a 9-2 record this year and have won eight straight games since back-to-back losses to Bothell and Skyline early in the season.
Newport likes to run the ball no matter what the other teams stack in the box. In their opening round 43-40 win over Lake Stevens, they rushed for over 400 yards. Their wishbone attack is led by their conference’s leading rusher, Paul Wells.
“The hardest thing about Newport is to replicate what they do in practice,” Meagher said. “It’s tough to replicate that triple-option type of football at that tempo. It’s a throwback style of football you just don’t see much anymore.”
The game will be the first road playoff game for Federal Way this year. Though Meagher prefers the home games, he is not fazed by having to travel this week. He looks at a previous win this season against a tough Kentwood team as a sign his team can play on the road.
If the Eagles win they will play either the Bothell or Bellarmine Prep matchup. It would be played in the Tacoma Dome.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been in the Tacoma Dome,” Meagher said. “I know that the team in 76 and 77 went to the semis and finals, but I don’t even know where they played those games. So yeah, there’s been a lot of talk about the dome.”
Federal Way’s quarterfinal game against Newport is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 at Newport High School.
