The Best Games

The Seattle Times' 10 greatest high-school football games of the century:

1. NOV. 7, 1975

Blanchet 42, Garfield 35 (4 OT) Why it mattered: Two unbeatens met in the greatest - and longest - Metro League championship game ever played. Blanchet, defending state big-school champion, extended its winning streak to 26 games in front of 12,951 fans at Memorial Stadium. This remarkable game had everything - future UW stars on both teams, Garfield's comeback from a 14-0 deficit and 11 touchdowns, seven in overtime. What happened: Regulation ended in a 14-14 tie, but Blanchet running back Joe Steele led the way in overtime, scoring on a 5-yard reception and throwing the clinching 11-yard TD pass to Steve Williams. A penalty and the Braves' defense stopped Garfield's final possession. Steele ran for 140 yards and two more touchdowns, but it took him 36 carries. Stars in the making: Steele, Seattle's quintessential hometown hero, finished his prep career with 3,814 yards and 44 TDs, then became Washington's career rushing leader. Teammates Ken Gardner and Trip Rumberger, as well as Garfield's Bruce Harrell and Anthony Allen, later played for the Huskies. Postscript: Blanchet's streak ended the next week with a loss to Sammaish. Steele's chances of becoming an NFL player ended with a knee injury his senior year at Washington. He was drafted by the Seahawks but never made it out of training camp. Steele, 41, lives in Kirkland and works in commercial real estate.

2. Dec. 2, 1987.

Peninsula 35, Pullman 34. Why it mattered: In only the second year of the Kingbowl - when the state finals were played at the Kingdome - unbeaten Peninsula won in perhaps the most dramatic Kingbowl finish. The comeback victory capped an unbeaten season for the Gig Harbor school and ended an unlikely roll for Pullman, the Frontier League runner-up. What happened: Paul Skansi of Peninsula returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown with about 7 minutes left. Peninsula trailed 13-0 and was outgained 403-285 in total offense as the Greyhounds stopped a record-setting passing game, led by Skansi and QB Steve Hunt. Mike Hull scored three TDs for Peninsula, and Skansi had four catches for 71 yards and 173 yards in return yardage. Stars in the making: Skansi would go on to star with Washington, where he ranks first in career receptions. He played seven years with the NFL's Seahawks and ranks ninth in career receiving yards. Postscript: Skansi, 38, has been an assistant coach at Idaho for five years. He became a mortgage banker after a career that included starring for the Huskies, playing for the Seahawks and a year with the CFL's Ottawa Roughriders. "It still ranks pretty high for me because of what it was for - a state championship," Skansi said.

3. Jan. 1, 1921. Everett 16, Cleveland Tech 7. Why it mattered: The two unbeaten teams met in a game billed as the national high-school championship. Legendary Enoch Bagshaw had built Everett into one of the most dominant teams in state history after being hired in 1909. He suffered just one defeat to a high-school team from 1911 to 1920, outscored opponents 419-14 in '20 and won games 67-0, 68-0, 84-0 and 90-7. What happened: Everett jumped ahead in the first half and held off Cleveland Tech. A gray seagull glided over the field in a figure-eight pattern as the crowd of 11,000 in Everett cheered. The good-luck flight helped lead to the school changing its nickname to Seagulls. Stars in the making: Halfback George "Wildcat" Wilson, who played one more year in Everett, was one of seven Everett players who followed Bagshaw to Washington and helped the Huskies to two Rose Bowls. Postscript: Wilson, named the outstanding Husky of the first 50 years, played for the Providence Steamrollers, where he won an NFL title in '28. He became a longshoreman and died of a heart attack in San Francisco in 1963. Bagshaw was fired at Washington in 1929, named the state supervisor of transportation and died of a heart attack in 1930 in the Capitol Building.

4. Nov. 23, 1973 Kentridge 26, Wenatchee 24 Why it mattered: How dominant was Wenatchee in '73? The Panthers were not only unbeaten but unscored upon during the regular season. Most expected Wenatchee - mythical (poll) champions the previous three years - to steamroll to the big-school title in the state's first season of playoffs, particularly after victories over future Pac-8 and NFL quarterbacks Steve Dils (Fort Vancouver) and Jack Thompson (Evergreen of Seattle). What happened: Wenatchee, befuddled by Kentridge's wishbone offense, trailed 14-0 at halftime at Memorial Stadium, the first time the Panthers were behind all season. The Panthers closed the gap but never led. Stars in the making: Wenatchee kicker Steve Robbins later played at Washington; WR Mike Allen was a track star for Washington State. Kentridge QB Randy Westendorf was an All-Big 8 defensive end at Colorado. Postscript: Twenty-six years later, Wenatchee Coach Lee Bofto recalls the score exactly. "It took me 8 months of deep depression to get over it," he said. "I'm still not over it." Bofto retired in 1984 with a 149-43-3 record.

5. DEC. 3, 1999

Prosser 42, Sammamish 38. Why it mattered: Prosser won its third state title in its fifth appearance in the finals of the 1990s. To do it, the Mustangs from the Yakima Valley had to end Sammamish's remarkable Cinderella playoff run and a spirited comeback. The tiny Totems, who had just 36 players and averaged 200 pounds across the line, tied for second in KingCo with two losses, but stunned unbeatens O'Dea (ranked No. 3) and Lakes (No. 1) on the way to the title game at the Tacoma Dome. What happened: Tali Ena's 12-yard touchdown pass to Lance Womach with 17 seconds left was the fifth lead change and decided the game. Ena, nephew of the former Washington State player of the same name, was 5 for 6 passing on the final drive. Sammamish came back with 21 straight points after Prosser scored 28 straight to take a 35-17 lead early in the third quarter. Stars of the night: Ena was 20 for 32 passing for four touchdowns and 292 yards, a Class 3A title-game record. Chris Raftery of Sammamish ran for five touchdowns, a 3A final mark, finishing with 154 yards on 28 carries. Postscript: Dwaine Hatch coached his second Bellevue team to a state final. His Bellevue High team won it all in '83.

6. Dec. 5, 1987 Puyallup 27, Gonzaga Prep 21 Why it mattered: Puyallup's victory won the big-school state title and ruined the Spokane school's hopes for a second straight championship. The game also introduced the state to one Bill Hobert, a junior quarterback from Puyallup who would spice up his name and become part of Husky football history. What happened: Hobert's 84-yard touchdown pass to Dan Thurston with 4:15 left gave Puyallup the victory. Hobert passed for 374 yards and three TDs; Thurston caught nine passes for 200 yards. Between them, they set seven Kingbowl big-school records. Stars in the making: Hobert would go on to Washington and the NFL. Postscript: Hobert never lost a game as the Husky starter, leading the UW to the Rose Bowl, a 12-0 season and a national championship as a sophomore. But during his junior season it was revealed that Hobert had accepted a $50,000 loan from a booster in violation of NCAA rules. The resulting probation led to Coach Don James' resignation.

7. Nov. 3, 1961 Mercer Island 7, Lake Washington 6 Why it mattered: The dramatic loss at Mercer Island High ended Lake Washington's 51-game unbeaten streak. The Kirkland team dominated the state in the late 1950s, starting its remarkable streak in September 1956. The Kangaroos won eight KingCo championships in 11 years. What happened: Lake Washington's Mick Backer returned the opening kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown, but a fumble foiled the extra-point attempt. Mercer Island tied it in the third quarter on Frank Lyon's 3-yard run. Jeff Plante's pass to Charles Burdell on the extra point won the game. Postscript: Word spread quickly up and down the Eastside after the Kangs' defeat. At Pop Keeney Stadium, Bothell players learned of the upset along the sideline during a game. First-year coach Jim Jolgen's team lost 2 of 4 games in '61, but then went on to win 24 straight.

8. Nov. 27, 1947 Bremerton 19, Ballard 14 Why it mattered: Bremerton capped a 12-0 season to win the Cross-State League and mythical state titles. A Thanksgiving Day crowd estimated at 16,000 turned out for the first game ever played at Memorial Stadium. What happened: Bremerton's senior quarterback, Don Heinrich, completed 8 of 11 passes for 101 yards and scored a TD. Coach Dwight Scheyer's visitors scored all their points in the second quarter. Stars in the making: Heinrich would go on to star for Washington. He led the nation in passing, earned All-America honors and teamed with Hugh McElhenny to form perhaps the most potent 1-2 punch in UW history. Postscript: After an NFL career, Heinrich became a radio announcer for Husky games. He died of cancer in 1992, just days after the Huskies won a share of their only national football championship.

9. Nov. 29, 1986 Gonzaga Prep 27, Kennewick 21 (2 OT) Why it mattered: Gonzaga Prep was ranked No. 1 and Kennewick No. 2 in a semifinal battle of two unbeaten Eastern Washington teams. The game at Albi Stadium was named Spokane's best high-school football game of the century by the Spokesman-Review. What happened: Ron Hawkins' third touchdown of the game, a 9-yard run in the second overtime, won it for Gonzaga Prep. Asked how he felt after the game, Gonzaga Prep Coach Don Anderson said, "Too tired to celebrate, stunned, glad it was over." Postscript: Gonzaga Prep beat Juanita 14-7 the following week, preventing Juanita from winning its third straight big-school title. Anderson retired from Prep in '97 with a 266-66-4 record, 15 league titles, five Kingbowl appearances, two state titles and four unbeaten teams. He's now a volunteer assistant coach at Ferris.

10. Nov. 5, 1971 Burlington 21, Mount Vernon 6 Why it mattered: Two years before the birth of state playoffs, No. 2 Burlington laid claim to the mythical state title against No. 3 Mount Vernon in a game between two unbeaten teams. The Skagit Bowl was played before a crowd so large - estimated at 8,000 in Burlington - that telephone-company workers wore spiked boots and climbed light poles to watch. What happened: Dave Komar rushed for 126 yards and all three Burlington TDs. Postscript: Though no postseason playoffs were in effect, Burlington claims the '71 team as one of its three state football champions.

Others of interest

Nov. 25, 1948: West Seattle 6, Wenatchee 6: The Thanksgiving Day game at muddy Memorial Stadium featured the first live TV broadcast in Seattle. KRSC had to keep cameras moving to avoid the image burning into the screen for a ghosting effect, and a cable shorted out, killing audio. Ted Bell called the game for TV, AM and FM - a triplecast. The game didn't convince KIRO radio manager Loren Stone that TV had a future in sports. "It's cute," he told a friend, "but I don't think it'll ever amount to much." Nov. 13, 1964: Eisenhower 14, Davis 7: When No. 1 Davis met No. 2 Eisenhower on a raw November night in 1964, the mythical big-school state championship was decided before 7,500 fans at Yakima (now Zaepfel) Stadium. The game featured five Division I athletes, including Ike's Steve Dale, who would play for USC before a knee injury and a JC transfer named O.J. Simpson ended his career. Davis' revenge was an unbeaten season and state title in basketball. Nov. 9, 1973: Stanwood 17, Curtis 0: Stanwood closed down its cannery to allow the town to head to Marysville for the quarterfinal game in the first year of the playoffs, and then Terry Ennis' first team closed out Curtis' 37-game win streak. Curtis was led by the Levenseller brothers, Mike (later a WSU receiver) and Steve (UPS back). Stanwood made it to the finals before losing to Ellensburg. Nov. 21, 1976: Napavine 74, Prescott 60: This B-8 championship game was highest-scoring final in state history. Played in Centralia a year before the state began playing title games at the Kingdome, this game featured 18 TDs, 21 state records and 1,176 total yards, but only three punts and 27 passes. Wayne "The Juice" Porter scored six TDs for Napavine. Nov. 18, 1989: Kennewick 23, Richland 21: An estimated 14,000 fans turned out at Fran Risch Stadium in Richland for the state quarterfinal game. Led by QB/LB Nate Holdren, a future Michigan player, Richland was No. 1 ranked and unbeaten. The Lions came back from a 14-7 halftime deficit to win. Ed Troxel of Kennewick retired after the next season.