By Ben Zimmerman, Special to the Spokesman-Review----------
PASCO – They swapped momentum like a live grenade, Cusick and defending champion Liberty Christian.
Chris Reynolds’ touchdown on a 92-yard kickoff return and Alec Bluff’s score on a 55-yard interception came just a minute and a half apart, sparking an avalanche of 34 unanswered Cusick points to close a Class 1B state play-in game at Chiawana High School onSaturday.
The ferocious finishing kick erased a 20-point deficit and secured a 54-40 victory for the Panthers (8-2). The win sets up a quarterfinal showdown against top-ranked, undefeated Neah Bay at 1 p.m. Saturday at South Kitsap High School in Silverdale.
“That was just like in a movie,” said Bluff. “We came back against the defending champs. We were looking for ’em all year, we’re not even ranked... We came out and handled business.”
The win avenged a 34-32 loss to Liberty Christian in last year’s state semifinals, an outcome that has fueled these Panthers throughout the fall. Cusick head coach Sonny Finley said he felt “out-coached” by Patriots boss Mike Olson in that game, and spent “any free time I had” preparing for the rematch.
It took two quarters and change for that preparation to manifest itself. Before its late burst, Cusick had spotted Liberty Christian a near-immediate 16-0 lead, then squandered a 20-16 halftime advantage by surrendering a trio of explosive scoring plays and falling behind 40-20 with under 20 minutes left in the game.
That’s when Reynolds fielded a line-drive kickoff at his own 8 and shot up the Cusick sideline like a shiver up a spine.
“Even before Chris took it back all the way, I knew we could come back,” said Panthers junior Eli Peterson, who rushed for 87 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns. “As soon as we lost to them last year, I told myself we’d come back the next year and beat them.
“It’s pretty cool,” he added. “Pretty amazing.”
Reynolds’ return and a successful conversion run by Cusick quarterback Tyson Shanholtzer (15-of-23 passing, 221 yards, two TDs) made it 40-28 with 2:59 to go. After corralling LC tailback John Lesser for a four-yard loss on a screen pass, Bluff doubled-down on the Cusick momentum by stepping in front of Taylor Lindquist’s pass over the middle and intercepting it, then cutting rug to the end zone.
“One play can just spark it,” said Bluff, who had eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 48 yards and a score, forced one fumble and recovered two. “Someone sets the spark to the powder keg, like that kickoff.”
Shanholtzer ran in the conversion to make it 40-36 with 1:24 left in the third quarter.
The Patriots turned the ball over on downs, Cusick’s Miles Finley tackling Lindquist shy of the marker on a fourth-down run, and the streaky Panthers offense strung together a quick march. Shanholtzer hit Peterson for a 19-yard gain on a screen pass, and Bluff’s 10-yard run moved Cusick to the 6.
From there, Bluff took a handoff right and cut back left for the go-ahead score.
He wasn’t done.
On the Patriots’ next snap, Chad Browneagle stripped Lindquist in the backfield and Bluff recovered the fumble at the Liberty Christian 14. Peterson scored on a seven-yard run three plays later.
His six-yard touchdown run with 2:36 left in the game was the dagger.
“Cusick’s as good as anyone we played this year,” said Olson. “I hope they come out of this game healthy. They have a good shot of going all the way.”