There’s a lot on the line when Lynden Christian and Hoquiam square off in a 1A State Football Tournament quarterfinal game on Saturday. At the top of that list is a spot in the semifinals.
Third-seeded Hoquiam (10-0 overall) is coming off its biggest state-playoff victory in school history. The Grizzlies advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2015 and only the second time time in its last 13 trips to the state tournament when they defeated Stevenson in a 49-0 opening-round victory last Saturday. The win was the second playoff shutout in school history and set a school record of 11 straight wins at Olympic Stadium.
Usually a pass-heavy offense, the Grizzlies tipped the scales in Saturday’s win, rushing for 281 yards and five touchdowns in the rout.
The majority of those yards came from speedy tailback Antonio Garcia, who exploded for 134 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 11.2 yards-per-carry for the game.
The tweak to the offense to play a more physical style suited to playoff football didn’t effect the Grizzlies much on the scoreboard, as their 49 points against Stevenson was their highest point total of the season and the fifth time this season they’ve scored 40 points-or-more in 2018.
Hoquiam will need every bit of their high-powered offense as they are facing a Lynden Christian team that poses a real threat to keep Hoquiam from its first ever 11-win season.
The Lyncs (9-2) finished co-league champions in the Northwest Conference with Meridian, which ended Elma’s season with a 40-21 win last week. Lynden Christian looked solid in coming off a 20-0 first-round win over Cascade Christian on Saturday, giving the Lyncs their first state-playoff victory in 15 years.
While Hoquiam likes to spread the field and rely on 1A Evergreen league MVP — quarterback Payton Quintanilla — to get the ball in the hands of weapons such as Garcia, running back Matt Brown and a corps of receivers led by first team all-leaguers Dane McMillan and Jonah Doll, Lynden Christian’s offense is vastly different.
The Lyncs play a run-oriented offense that focuses on getting touches for their top two athletes, Easton Stremler and Levi Korthuis, both of whom are capable of moving the chains.
In its victory over Cascade Christian, the Lyncs had scoring drives of 14 plays for 59 yards and 10 plays for 58 yards. Lynden Christian quarterback Trajan Schouten went 15-for-21 passing for 90 yards, but 63 of those came in the second half. So it’s a safe bet that the Lyncs will come out looking to control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of Quintanilla and Hoquiam’s potent offense.
But Lynden Christian didn’t get to the state quarterfinals on a strong running game alone, as the Lyncs’ defense held Cascade Christian to 43 yards in the first half and 142 for the game. That defense is also a reason that Lynden Christian is ranked above Hoquiam in the latest 1A state rankings, according to maxpreps.com, with the Lyncs ranked fourth with Hoquiam sitting in the seventh spot.
The Grizzlies will also have to adjust to playing a home game outside of the friendly confines of Olympic Stadium. Due to a WIAA rule that requires state playoff games to be played on a turf field starting in the quarterfinal round, Hoquiam will host Lynden Christian at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen. The last time the Grizzlies set foot on rival Aberdeen’s home turf, they earned a 28-7 victory back in Week 2.
But Hoquiam has handled everything thrown its way this season and has found a way to emerge victorious each week. We’ll see if the Grizzlies can continue that trend and reach the final four on Saturday.
Hoquiam running back Matt Brown runs the football during the Grizzlies’ opening-round win against Stevenson in the 1A State Football Tournament on Saturday. (Photo by Patti Reynvaan)
