TUMWATER — On paper, the second-seeded Tumwater Thunderbirds were supposed to have their hands full with the seventh-seeded Franklin Pierce Cardinals in the 2A State quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals have been an offensive juggernaut all season, averaging a hair under 50 points per game behind the unstoppable rushing attack of Bryson Allen and Ja’mire Ford.
Thanks to a strong week of practice and a collective knowledge within the coaching staff of how to weaken Franklin Pierce’s Power-T offensive scheme, the Thunderbirds made light work of the Cardinals 27-6 to advance to the state semifinals for the third consecutive season.
It all started on the practice field, where defensive coordinator Tony Prentice and offensive staffer Pat Johnson were leaned upon heavily. Johnson was the offensive coordinator at Tenino when the Beavers utilized the Power-T offense, and he coached the scout team all week to prepare the T-Birds for what they’d see on Saturday. Prentice, meanwhile, mixed up defensive fronts and movements to craft a game plan for how to stop the dynamic Franklin Pierce tailback duo.
Tumwater head coach William Garrow is often one to give credit to his coaching staff before taking it himself. After the masterclass the T-Birds put forth in the state quarterfinals, not many would blame him. Tumwater held Franklin Pierce to just 6 points — its lowest scoring output in over two years — and just 161 total yards of offense, including 117 on the ground.
“Our defensive coaches had a really good plan dialed in. We’re not very big up front, and so they mixed fronts,” Garrow said. “They used movements, and they did a really good job of keying in our linebackers and our defensive backs on what their eyes should look for so that they didn’t get beat with the deception. Pat knows the Power-T inside and out. He coached our kids and our coaches on blocking rules and what the Power-T is trying to exploit. We got the best looking scout team that we could have hoped for multiple days in a row.”
Despite senior running back Peyton Davis leaving the game late in the first half with a left hamstring injury, the T-Birds still turned up 255 rushing yards led by a committee of stout backs, including Tyler Briscoe, Blake Heryford and Grady Wall.
But it was the passing offense that struck first for Tumwater. Quarterback Jaxon Budd tossed a dime to the corner of the end zone to find his tight end Evan Baxter for a 22-yard score. Baxter has just seven receptions on the season but has hauled in five touchdowns.
Franklin Pierce turned the ball over on downs on each of its first two possessions before a disastrous snap on a fourth-down punt attempt set the T-Birds up with the ball inside the Cardinals’ 10-yard line. Davis scored easily from 3 yards out to extend the lead to 13, but the extra-point try was botched.
Franklin Pierce cut into the lead just before halftime as quarterback Jeremiah Orcutt found Adam Cook, who made a highlight-reel catch on the dome of Charlie Crawford for a 25-yard score to make it 13-6 at the half.
Tumwater marched down the field in 10 plays out of the locker room and capped it off with a Heryford 7-yard scamper. The senior broke through an arm tackle of a defensive tackle before cruising to the end zone.
Both teams exchanged fumbles on the ensuing two drives, and Franklin Pierce had a promising drive halted early in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-short run that nearly required a Gene Steratore index card to determine. But the officials ruled it short, and Tumwater took over with a chance to put it away.
Five T-Birds carried the ball en route to an eight-play TD drive highlighted by Briscoe’s 4-yard run. Junior defensive back Ethan Bello wrapped up the dominant victory with an interception late in the fourth quarter.
“They had a chance to score, and we stopped them. That really put a dagger in it,” Bello said of the pick. “Our defense made a really great statement. We worked hard for this, but we’ve got to still keep fighting.”
Briscoe led all T-Birds with 80 rushing yards on 15 carries with two scores, with Heryford following closely with 79 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Garrow has continuously been impressed by the depth of his roster, one that has embraced the “next man up” mentality. This mentality has propelled the T-Birds back to the semifinals, where they will face East Valley (Yakima) on Saturday, Nov. 29 at Tumwater District Stadium. The time has not yet been announced.
“We just wanted to play another week. I don’t care if we win by one or we win by 50,” Garrow said. “We just want to get another week together with our kids and maintain the standard that Tumwater football has set. Any time you can practice on Thanksgiving, that’s a neat moment.”
