Greyhounds Race Into Finals Pullman’s Quick Strikes Oust Ml

Turnovers didn’t bury Medical Lake, they just put the Cardinals in a coffin that Aaron Linehan nailed shut.

Taking advantage of two early turnovers and the pinpoint passing of Linehan, No. 5-ranked Pullman raced to a 48-21 win over the 10th-ranked Cardinals Friday night at Albi Stadium in the State 2A football semifinals.

“We were fortunate,” Linehan said. “They turned the ball over in the first half and we just ran with it.”

Linehan completed 9 of 16 passes for 224 yards and five touchdowns. Both completions in the first half went for scores. Then he hit seven of nine in the second half against the Cardinals, who finished 10-2, with both losses coming against their Great Northern League rivals.

The Greyhounds (11-1) are headed to state for the first time since 1978, when they lost to Peninsula 34-33, to face No. 3 Elma (11-1) at 10 a.m. next Saturday in the Tacoma Dome.

Medical Lake fumbled on the second play of the game. Linehan hit Cole Sheridan in the left flat and the junior speedster turned that into an 18-yard touchdown.

The Cardinals then started a drive that reached the Pullman 18, but they botched a handoff and Sheridan picked up the loose ball, going 80 yards for a score.

“I can’t believe it. Two times we play them and put the ball on the ground. Amazing,” Medical Lake coach John Giannandrea said. “Amazing. Amazing.”

The Cardinals put together another long drive, only to turn the ball over on downs at the Pullman 10. The Cards forced a three-and-out punt before marching 44 yards, capped by Brandon Moore’s touchdown 2:45 before the half.

However, after an incompletion, Linehan threw a short pass over the middle to Nate Brown, who bounced off defenders three times to turn the play into a 67-yard touchdown.

“I thought if they didn’t get that one just before the half, we had them. That was the turning point,” Giannandrea said. “Then they come out in the second half and score in two plays.”

That would be a 39-yard completion to Sheridan and a 20-yard TD to Brown for a 27-7 lead.

In the first half, ML had 205 yards to Pullman’s 88. The Greyhounds took only 12 snaps, keeping the ball less than 4 of the 24 minutes.

Medical Lake finished with 331 yards rushing, 143 by Aaron Carr and 110 from Moore, but the Cardinals also had five turnovers.

“This time there was a lot more at stake. I was surprised we came out so quickly,” said Sheridan, who rushed eight times for 85 yards and caught four passes for 82. “I was thinking we had to hold them off. Our defense kind of got run down, but now we know we can play it out and endure. This is what we wanted all of our lives.”

Medical Lake got that TD back quickly, but Linehan was too sharp.

“They were playing man (defense) against our trips (three wide receivers),” Linehan said after his first five-TD game. “We were fortunate to get the holes and capitalize on them.”

“He threw the ball well tonight,” Pullman coach Bill Christie said. “He even surprised me.’

Then, after Moore’s third touchdown, Sheridan raced 55 yards around left end to cap the scoring.

“You have to take advantage of the opportunities; you’ve got to step up and make something happen,” Christie said. “A lot of time opportunities come your way and you don’t make something happen. The good teams are going to, take advantage, make a play when you have the opportunity.”

The doubleheader with the B-8 semifinal drew 1,970 fans.

Pullman 48, Medical Lake 21

Medical Lake 0 7 7 7 -21

Pullman 13 7 13 15 -48

P-Sheridan 18 pass from Linehan (Brown kick) P-Sheridan 80 fumble return (kick failed) M-B.Moore 1 run (McCain kick) P-Brown 67 pass from Linehan (Brown kick) P-Brown 20 pass from Linehan (Brown kick) M-B.Moore 1 run (McCain kick) P-Sheridan 16 pass from Linehan (kick failed) P-Brown 22 pass from Linehan (Sheridan run) M-B.Moore 13 run (McCain kick) P-Sheridan 55 run (Linehan kick)

Elma 21, Eatonville 16

In Tacoma, senior quarterback Ben Dougherty threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and intercepted a ball in the end zone late to help preserve a victory for Elma in the other Class 2A semifinal.

Elma will be making its first championship appearance. Eatonville, which has won three state titles, finished 10-1.

Eatonville trailed 13-7 at halftime, but went ahead with 5 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a 24-yard TD pass from Tim Rath to Justin Faust.

Elma responded on its next possession, marching 65 yards in eight plays, capped off by a 1-yard run by Matt Totten.

Dougherty was 21 of 28 with two interceptions.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TODAY’S SEMIFINALS Class 1A: Colfax vs. Okanogan at Kennewick, 4 p.m. Class 4A: Puyallup vs. Central Valley at Albi Stadium, 7 p.m.