KENNEWICK, Wash. – In the battle between Gonzaga Prep’s rushing attack in Kamiakin’s exhibition, visiting Bullpups Lilomaiava Mikaele and the team came out on top.
Michaels rushed 30 times for 190 yards and three touchdowns as No. 10 Gonzaga Prep beat No. 7 Kamiakin, 40-27, at Lampson Stadium on Saturday. drunk,
The win sets up Gonzaga Prep (9-2 overall) in a quarterfinal rematch with No. 2 Lake Stevens this weekend.
Last season, Lake Steven defeated the Bullpups, 35-14, in the 4A quarterfinals.
“This is very exciting,” Gonzaga Prep coach Dave McKenna said. “It feels good. They have a good football team. But for us, it’s all about the guys up front.”
Overall, Gonzaga Prep rushed the football 65 times for 296 yards.
That helped keep the ball out of the strong hands of the Kamiakin unit.
“Their offense is tough to defend, even though we were quick,” Kamiakin coach Scott Biglin said. “It just makes you weak.”
Offensively, the Braves were able to move the ball through the air.
Kamiakin quarterback Carter Polani finished the game completing 27 of 48 passes for 374 yards.
Gavyn Buchanan (8 catches for 129 yards) and David Kuku (9 catches for 124 yards) had monster games for Kamiakin.
The Bullpups were able to stop the Braves’ offense when needed.
“Give credit to HT Higgins,” McKenna said. “He’s our defensive coordinator. When we do what we are taught to do, we do it well.
Michael was similarly impressed.
“It’s great to see my defense move up,” said Mikaele. “They just get better each week.”
Gonzaga Prep trailed 12-0 early in the game.
However, the Bullpups rallied to take a 13-12 halftime lead. And early in the third quarter, Prep’s William Alexander-Durr picked off Poland and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown and a 20-12 lead.
The Braves answered late in the third quarter when Devin Crow scored on a 4-yard run, then added a two-point conversion. Suddenly, tied up at 20-20.
But Gonzaga Prep, using its running game, continued to wear down Kamiakin’s defense.
The Bullpups got two unanswered scores on runs by Noah Holman (1 yard) and Mikaele (3 yards) to give them enough breathing room.
Kamiakin tried to respond, as Poland drove the team 99 yards on a 2-minute drive, capping the drive with a touchdown pass. 8 yards to Gabe Tahir with 2:38 to play – cutting Gonzaga Prep’s lead to 34-27.
But it was Michael who gave the Bullpups some breathing room again, pounding the football on the ground until he found the top zone on a 14-yard touchdown run to seal the game-winning run in the minute. the rest of the competition.
For Kamiakin, it ends a season with a young team that finished an impressive 8-3.
“If you had watched us last summer at camp, if you would have said we would be playing in the first state tournament, we wouldn’t have believed it,” said Biglin.
