Bennum-Led Trojans Fulfill Title Dreams -- Meridian Qb Passes For 390 Yards, 5 Tds

TACOMA - In 1992, Jeff Bennum and his fifth-grade classmates watched his brother's Meridian High School football team lose a state semifinal game in double overtime at the Tacoma Dome.

Bennum and classmates talked that night about how they would return to the dome someday and win. Yesterday, they did precisely that.

Bennum, small-town quarterback extraordinaire, led the Trojans from outside Bellingham to the state Class 2A title with a 57-14 thrashing of East Valley of Yakima. It was Meridian's first state football title.

"We knew we could do this," Bennum said, mentioning how his team gained confidence during the summer by beating almost every 3A and 4A team it played in passing leagues.

Yesterday, Bennum completed 25 of 33 passes for 390 yards and five touchdowns. Four of the incompletions were drops. He also rushed for a touchdown.

His passing yardage was the most in a title game by a quarterback above the B-11 level. He had 45 touchdown passes, the fifth-best season total in state history, and 3,151 passing yards this season.

Bennum already has made one newspaper's all-state, all-classification team, getting the nod over every 3A and 4A quarterback in the state.

Bennum, listed as 5 feet 10, 150 pounds, isn't being recruited by major colleges. Western Washington University has shown interest and he may play baseball in college.

Yesterday's game was supposed to be to be a classic "offense vs. defense" matchup, but it was all offense and all Meridian.

The score was 35-7 at halftime and East Valley's frustration became apparent in the third quarter. The Red Devils were flagged five times in the period for personal fouls.

After the game, East Valley Coach Barry Reifel, who has a reputation for sportsmanship, was disappointed by the behavior of his players.

"I'm not happy with that at all," he said of the penalties. "I don't know what to say. It's not good character on behalf of our team."

Meridian outscored East Valley 22-0 in the third quarter, then didn't score again. Bennum left with 6 1/2 minutes to play. Meridian fans cheered loudly and he raised his helmet in appreciation.

The win concluded a 13-0 season for the Trojans, who outscored opponents 686-127.

East Valley had the game's only 100-yard rusher in Claudio Garcia (16 carries, 110 yards).

East Valley finished 11-2. The Red Devils had allowed only one offensive touchdown in three playoff wins but couldn't begin to stop Meridian and Bennum.

-------------------------------------------------------.

. Mr. Touchdown .

. Meridian quarterback Jeff Bennum passed for 45 touchdowns this season, the fifth-best total in state history. The leaders:

. Player School Year TDs .

. Brian Lindgren DeSales 1998 63 . Pat Graham DeSales 1991 52 . Brian Lindgren DeSales 1997 50 . Brian Lindgren DeSales 1996 49 . Jeff Bennum Meridian 1999 45 . Bobby Lucht Eatonville 1994 44 .