SUMNER IMPROVES TO 10-0, HOSTS 4A PLAYOFF OPENER

Sumner High improved to a perfect 10-0 on the season and advanced to the Class 4A state playoffs, all courtesy of a 47-14 pasting of Glacier Peak.

The Friday night, Week 10 contest was played on the Spartans’ home turf at Sunset Chev Stadium.

Ranked No. 3 in the statewide AP poll, the Spartans head into the 4A’s Sweet 16. The tournament trail begins with a tilt against the Monroe Bearcats, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Friday; Sumner will again serve as host.

In defeating Glacier Peak, the Spartans called largely upon junior Tre Weed. He was responsible for four touchdowns and made an impact on the Spartans’ first play. Taking a pitch from quarterback Luke Ross, he completed a pass to Skyler Sandretzky, a play that covered 78 yards. The drive came up short of the end zone, but Sumner reached the scoreboard thanks to a Nick Phillips field goal.

Weed scored on a long TD pass from Ross later in the first quarter, then added a scoring run in the second. He added touchdown carries in both the third and fourth periods.

Sumner also received a pair of TD receptions from Tyson Rainwater and a second field goal from Phillips.

DAY’S EIGHT TOUCHDOWNS SPARK PANTHERS TO PLAYOFFS

A record-setting performance by Jason Day propelled the Bonney Lake Panthers to a 56-42 victory over Mercer Island in the opening round of postseason football.

The Week 10, Saturday afternoon contest was at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.

Bonney Lake now will travel to challenge the Squalicum Storm, the 10-0 champion of the Wesco North. It’s the opening round of the 16-team Class 3A tournament and will be played at Civic Stadium in Bellingham. Game time is 7 p.m. Friday.

Bonney Lake will take an 8-2 record into the contest.

Against Mercer Island, Day accounted for eight touchdowns, seven on the ground. Both are Bonney Lake High single-game records.

He ran for TDs in the first and second quarters and also hauled in a scoring pass from Kaiden Hammand during the second period. He added three rushing touchdowns in the third quarter and two more in the final frame.

Mercer Island carried a losing record into Saturday’s game, but used a number of big plays to keep things interesting.

POWERFUL PAPERMAKERS TOO MUCH FOR ENUMCLAW

The Enumclaw High Hornets faced a mighty tough challenge in the Class 4A playoffs, opening against the highly-ranked crew from Camas.

The Papermakers showed why they carry the state’s No. 2 ranking, destroying EHS 56-0. The contest was staged Friday night at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas.

Camas flexed its muscle early, posting two touchdowns in the first quarter. That was just a warm-up, however, as the Papermakers found the end zone five times in the second period to take a 49-0 lead into halftime.

Enumclaw finished the season 5-5 overall, having posted a 4-3 record in North Puget Sound League 4A play.

WHITE RIVER FINISHES WITH FOUR-GAME WINNING STREAK

The White River Hornets started slow but finished on a four-game winning streak, landing at .500 during coach Jeff Zenisek’s first season on the job.

The Hornets played their final game the evening of Nov. 3 at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood and made the most of the Week 10 opportunity, blasting Clover Park 41-14.

White River faced its toughest tests early in the season and it showed. With some of the South Puget Sound League 2A’s better teams in the mix, the Hornets lost five of their first six games. But the tide eventually turned and White River rattled off victories over Foss, Evergreen and Renton before whipping the Warriors in the season finale.

Beating Clover Park didn’t start so easy. The Hornets managed only a Greg Piontek field goal during the first quarter and a Luke Northam touchdown run in the second period. Northam also ran in a two-point conversion, giving White River a halftime lead of 11-0.

The second half delivered a much different story, as the Hornets put 30 points on the scoreboard. Ethan Clay got the ball rolling with a 17-yard TD run and Michael Pedreira hauled in a scoring pass from Northam, both in the third quarter. In the fourth, John Bellin and Hunter Smith added rushing touchdowns.

Final numbers showed Northam carrying the ball 14 times for 101 yards; that was just the tip of the rushing iceberg, as 11 ballcarriers combined for 307 yards on the ground. In the air, the QB trio of Trevor Johnson, TJ Stroschein and Northam went 9-of-14. The most impressive numbers, perhaps, were turned in by the White River defense; Clover Park was limited to just 39 offensive snaps and four first downs.

Another key statistic: every member of the White River roster played in the game.

Jason Day finds plenty of running room during Saturday’s victory over Mercer Island. The Bonney Lake junior set records rushing touchdowns and eight total TDs. Photo by Vince Miller.