Football playoffs: Skyline topples No. 1 Pasco

TACOMA — The ball hung in the air, and all eyes turned as a season floated softly to the back corner of the end zone. Arms and legs lunged skyward, a roar went up, and a champion toppled.

Few people gave the Skyline High School football team much of a chance in its Class 4A state semifinal clash with top-ranked Pasco last night. But with a pair of second-half touchdowns and a last-minute goal-line stand, the fifth-ranked Spartans proved the pundits wrong, eliminating the defending state-champion Bulldogs 28-23 at the Tacoma Dome.

"We knew we could win," said wide receiver Tony Chidiac. "That's all that matters."

The Spartans (12-1) advance to play Evergreen of Vancouver (13-0) in the state-championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome. Evergreen beat Gonzaga Prep 31-30 in Spokane yesterday.

Pasco did not go easily, driving deep inside Skyline territory with less than a minute remaining. On third-and-goal from the 6, however, Skyline linebacker Jason Harris sacked Pasco quarterback Shayne Kelly for a 12-yard loss.

Kelly lobbed a fade route to wide receiver Jose Ortiz on the next play, but Skyline's Ryan Edwards knocked the ball — and Pasco's season — down with six seconds left.

"It hasn't really hit me yet," said Harris, the KingCo 4A Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. "We were trying to keep them from getting the momentum there at the end. He (Kelly) was rolling out. I thought he was going to get rid of the ball, so I just went for it anyway and took him down."

Skyline, making its first semifinal appearance since 2001, advanced to the state-title game for the second time in the Sammamish school's eight-season history. The Spartans last played in the big game in 2000, beating Lakes of Tacoma 42-30 for the 3A championship.

"This is like a dream come true," Chidiac said. "Back in 2000, when I came and watched, it was like, 'Man, I'd love to be there.' And here we are doing it. It's just amazing."

Pasco finished its season 12-1, ending a 17-game win streak.

"The bull's-eye has been on our chest all year," said Pasco coach Steve Graff. "That's why they play the game. Everybody else had us penciled in (to the final) except for Skyline and us. It's a credit to them. Their coaches did a great job."

Skyline scored 14 unanswered points after falling behind 17-14 midway through the third quarter. The first touchdown came on a 9-yard run by Tyler Pelluer, his second score of the game, and the second on a 92-yard reception by Andy Robinson from Aaron Hasson.

Robinson caught the ball near midfield and outran Pasco defenders over the final 55 yards, crossing the goal line with 9:44 left in the game.

"Green," said Robinson, when asked what he saw when he caught the ball. "I didn't know if anybody was behind me. I thought they would be. I just ran as hard as I could."

Hasson finished 14-of-19 passing for 206 yards and a touchdown. Running back Brett Kaluza added 20 carries for 74 yards and a TD.

The Spartans have won 12 straight games after a season-opening loss to Lake Washington, and Saturday will try to deliver head coach Steve Gervais his fifth overall state championship.

"We always thought that this was a great group of kids," Gervais said. "We had to get it across to our kids to understand that you can't beat yourselves. You've got to give yourself a chance to be successful, and we never did that in that Week 1 game. ... That's what they did today. They gave themselves a chance to win the game."

Pasco running back Leon Jackson, who has committed to Nebraska, finished with 18 carries for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He scored on runs of 62 and 67 yards, both in the first half, and had four carries for 145 yards at halftime.

"I'm a little disappointed," Jackson said. "I think we're a better team than what we showed. It went their way, though, and I wish them luck."

The score was knotted at 14 at halftime. But Skyline's second-half surge, coupled with its late stand, proved enough for the Spartans to advance.

"We're a second-half team," Harris said. "We hate to admit it, but we made some changes and came out in the second half and won the game."

Other semifinal

Evergreen (Vancouver) 31, Gonzaga Prep 30

At Albi Stadium in Spokane, No. 4 Evergreen (13-0) capitalized on five turnovers by Gonzaga Prep as the Bullpups (12-2) failed in their quest to make the state finals for the first time since 1987.

"That's so uncharacteristic of us," Gonzaga Prep coach Dave Carson said. "We had what, three interceptions and two fumbles, and they didn't have any. ... With all that, and to still only lose by one, the turnovers were the difference."

Bryan DeAngelo's second interception, at the Evergreen 8-yard line, stopped a Gonzaga Prep drive with a little more than three minutes left, and David Reinikka's interception for Evergreen stopped a final Bullpups drive.

Taylor Rank, the Greater St. Helens League's leading rusher, finished with 131 yards on 25 carries for the Plainsmen.

Matt Peterson: 206-515-5536 or mpeterson@seattletimes.com

Information from the Spokesman-Review was used in this report.

Football state-championship games

(Friday, Saturday at Tacoma Dome)

Class 4A

Saturday, 4 p.m.

Skyline (12-1) vs.

Evergreen (Vancouver) (13-0)

Class 3A

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Bellevue (12-0) vs. Ferndale (13-1)

Class 2A

Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

East Valley of Yakima (13-0)

vs. Othello (9-4)

Class 1A

Saturday, 10 a.m.

Freeman (12-0) vs. Royal (13-0)

Class B-11

Friday, 4 p.m.

DeSales (12-1) vs. Lind-Ritzville (12-0)

Class B-8

Saturday, 1 p.m.

Hunters (10-1) vs. Lacrosse-Washtucna (11-0)