3A Playoffs | Hale breaks on through
After the final seconds ticked off the clock, coaches took pictures of the Memorial Stadium scoreboard, fans hugged and players cried tears of joy.
For the first time since 1980, Nathan Hale High School is in the round of 16 in the state football playoffs.
“I’d say we were due,” said third-year Raiders coach Hoover Hopkins.
The winning play came when Nathan Hale receiver Nissim Shulman caught a pass from quarterback Jordan Sullivan and ran away from Kennedy defenders for a tiebreaking 55-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left.
When Kennedy got the ball, it couldn’t move and the clock ran out. Then cellphones came out and people began snapping photos of the scoreboard that read: Nathan Hale 21, Kennedy 14.
“I guess you could say I’m speechless,” Hopkins said.
Shulman, a junior, ran a seam route on third-and-18 from the Nathan Hale 45-yard line. The pass was high, but Shulman, who said the ball wasn’t even intended for him, tipped it with his right hand, ran under it and went untouched to the end zone. It was his second catch of the season.
“When I caught that ball, all I was thinking was ‘run,’ ” said Shulman. “I had to score.”
Nathan Hale (7-3), which will visit Franklin Pierce next week, was without suspended junior Donta Smith. Smith, who was punished for fighting with an O’Dea player last week, will be eligible to play next week.
Kennedy, which was last year’s Class 3A runner-up and will miss the round of 16 for the first time since 1991, was plagued by two costly mistakes and an offense that couldn’t get in sync.
Down 7-0 in the second quarter, Nathan Hale stalled at the Kennedy 18 and lined up to attempt a 35-yard field goal on fourth-and-five. But a Lancer jumped offside to give the Raiders a first down. Two plays later, Michael Fields scored on a 13-yard run.
Then in the third quarter, Kennedy (6-4) fumbled on a punt return, setting up the Raiders at the Lancers 42. It took nine plays, but Sullivan found J.R. Jackson on a 10-yard slant for a TD and a 14-7 lead.
“They were more ready than we were,” said Lancers coach Bob Bourgette.
The few Kennedy bright spots came from quarterback/defensive back Nolan Washington, who scored on a 47-yard interception return in the first quarter and on a 29-yard scramble early in the fourth that tied it at 14.
Other games
Auburn 34, Arlington 7
At Auburn Memorial Stadium, junior running back Jeff Gouveia had 80 yards and four TDs on 12 carries to lead the Trojans (8-2) past the Eagles (4-6) and into the playoffs. Gouveia also had 12 tackles as Auburn held Arlington to 12 yards rushing and 74 passing. The Trojans next face the winner of tonight’s O’Dea-Capital of Olympia game.
Evergreen 42, West Seattle 21
At Highline Stadium, the eighth-ranked Wolverines (9-1) scored three consecutive TDs in the third quarter to take control against the Wildcats (5-5) after the score was 7-all at halftime. Nuve Kongaiaka had four rushing TDs for Evergreen of White Center, which next hosts the winner of tonight’s Auburn Riverside-Meadowdale game.
Newport 19, Columbia River 11
At Kiggins Bowl in Vancouver, the Knights of Bellevue (7-3) turned a running-into-the-punter penalty in the fourth quarter into their first points and rode the momentum to a win over the Chieftains of Vancouver (6-4). Blake Gibbs scored Newport’s first two TDs - on runs of 68 and 10 yards - and finished with 120 yards. The Knights will host Bellevue next week.
At Bellevue 45, Shelton 21
The seventh-ranked Wolverines (9-1) cruised past the High Climbers (6-4) and into the playoffs for the seventh time in the past eight seasons. Bellevue has won the 3A state championship five of the past six seasons.
Lakes 42, Issaquah 14
At Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood, the top-ranked Lancers (10-0) rolled past the Eagles (6-4) to set up a potential matchup with Skyline next week. Skyline hosts Bonney Lake tonight.