Knights face Ferndale in 3A playoff today

East Valley’s second straight State 3A high school football playoff appearance is no walk in the park.

The Knights (9-2) drew a road game against the state’s top-ranked team in today’s opener in Bellingham.

Ferndale (10-0) was last year’s state runner-up and is quarterbacked by one of the state’s most sought-after athletes.

Jake Locker, a 6-foot-2, 210 pound athlete, throws and runs from Ferndale’s wing-T offense. As a junior he rushed for more than 900 yards and threw for more than 1,300.

This year the high-powered team has outscored its opposition by an average 57-11 score. Only twice have teams held them below 50.

But the Golden Eagles’ closest game is a good comparison for the Knights, a 56-28 win over Mid-Valley school Ellensburg.

On Tuesday Ellensburg beat Clarkston 42-41 in three overtimes. The Knights beat the Bantams 46-0.

“Obviously Ferndale has a great player, but they haven’t had a game,” said East Valley coach Adam Fisher. “Essentially they didn’t play beyond about six minutes of the second quarter because their games were out of hand.”

Knight strategy today, he said, will be to execute both offensively and defensively to keep the game close and give themselves a chance for an upset.

The Knights were the Greater Spokane League’s No. 1 offense with 2,215 rushing yards and 1,007 more through the air. They led the league in scoring with a 37.7 average.

They also led the league in rushing defense and were second in the league in overall defense, although teams threw for 1,069 yards against them.

Fisher has long said that the difference between Eastern Washington and Western Washington high school football is that there are more good programs here than there.

“I feel very comfortable that our league has prepared us for this,” said Fisher. “I said that last year and I think our league is better this year than last year. That’s very advantageous for us.”

On Tuesday, EV reprised its regional victory over West Valley-Yakima, 24-6. The visiting Rams made things difficult for EV’s running game early. But the Knights softened them up through the air and ultimately rushed 45 times for 186 yards.

Leading rusher Ryan Campbell needed 22 carries to net 85 yards before leaving the game midway through the third quarter. His replacement, Anthony Laborin had 18 more rushes for 57 yards as the team worked the clock the rest of the way.

Key, however, was the Locker-esque effort of Jye Lanphere who was 10-for-18 passing and rushed three times for 42 yards. Sam Hale caught five first-half balls for 170 yards and a touchdown.

Season over for CV

It’s tough to spot a team 24 first-half points and win.

Central Valley fell behind host Southridge of Kennewick 24-0 in their regional State 4A play-in game.

Though rallying to within a touchdown after three quarters, the Bears lost 38-16 to end their season with an 8-3 record.

Camren Ebat threw for a touchdown and rushed for one and Zach Evans kicked a 34-yard field goal during the third-quarter rally.

But overall, CV had no answer for Suns quarterback Jason Munns who passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for the fifth. Running back Evan White added 176 yards on the ground.

Ebat hit Brad Johnson for CV’s first touchdown. After Evans kicked his field goal, Ebat capped team scoring with a 1-yard plunge.

Evans rushed for 107 yards on 17 carries, CV gaining 232 on the ground.

Freeman begins journey

Freeman’s Northeast A League champion football team begins its bid for a return to the state title game at home today.

The Scotties (7-2) host Brewster (7-4) at 1 p.m. in a play-in game to the State A round of eight.

Brewster won an earlier qualification contest, 27-24 over Wahluke.

Winner remains home for a game against either Okanogan or unbeaten top-ranked Royal the following weekend.

Good start deceiving

A promising first-half start made way for a disastrous finish as East Valley’s state-qualifying girls soccer season came to an end Tuesday.

The Knights lost 4-1 to Seattle Prep.

They had led 1-0 on Kaylyn Plumb’s goal midway through the first half.

But Seattle Prep countered seven minutes later en route to the win.

The Knights ended their season at 10-9, but benefited from the state experience. They have only three seniors on the team.

Goalkeeper Megan Como, midfielders Kayla Perno and Kelsey Hentges played in their final match for EV.