Voters made an excellent choice when they selected the Bonney Lake versus Sumner tilt to be shown by a Seattle TV station.
The action-packed script for the 2010 Sunset Bowl between Class 3A Bonney Lake High and Class 2A Sumner High at Sunset Chev Stadium was like something right out of a Hollywood movie. And much to the delight of the Spartan faithful who filled the stands, SHS won the double-overtime match-up 27-21.
“I am really proud of this particular group of Spartans,” Sumner coach Keith Ross said. “They worked really hard in the weight room all summer long and all of that effort paid off big time tonight.
“This was the most exciting victory I have ever been associated with as a head coach.”
Sumner marched the ball quickly down the field after receiving the opening kick-off and when a Sumner running back fumbled the ball into the end zone, offensive tackle Andrew Berg alertly flopped on the loose pigskin for a touchdown. After tacking on a two-point conversion, Sumner led 8-0.
Bonney Lake retaliated midway through the second stanza when sophomore quarterback Chris Brown hooked up with receiver Austin Marshall for a 40-yard touchdown strike. After BLHS kicker Alex Hall legged the PAT, the Panthers trailed by a single point.
Sumner was swiftly on the move again and seconds before intermission Aaron Clark connected with Brendon Baker, who hauled down the 24-yard aerial to put SHS out front 15-7 at the break after the Cody Brennan PAT.
Early in the third quarter the Panthers shifted their running attack into overdrive. Davion Williams, who rushed for 120 of the team’s 240 yards on the ground, busted loose on a quick opener for 50 yards and Hall added the PAT to once again bring BLHS to within a single point at 15-14.
When the Panthers regained possession, Brown went to the well once too often and Sumner defensive back Talis Abolins intercepted, putting SHS in business once again.
As the game entered its crowd-pleasing fourth stage, play intensified on both sides of the ball, but this time Sumner was able to grind out a long scoring drive that was capped off with a 2-yard plunge by senior SHS tailback Cody Haavik, who carried 35 times for 146 yards. The ensuing extra-point attempt was blocked by the Panthers, which opened the window of opportunity for Bonney Lake to tie the score.
That is precisely what happened as the Panthers put together a time-consuming drive that ended with a Williams 25-yard touchdown scamper.
Hall added the critical one point kick and the stage was set for the dramatic overtime proceedings.
The first period of the modified Kansas tiebreaker came and went with neither team scoring. Bonney Lake tried but couldn’t win via the field goal when Sumner linebacker Austin McRae knifed through the wall of blockers to deflect the kick that could have won the game.
In the second overtime session, Haavik hammered his way to paydirt, again from 2-yards out, and again Bonney Lake blocked the PAT.
This time the Sumner stop troops prevailed as Bonney Lake couldn’t reach the end zone, giving the Spartans the win.
The 1-1 Panthers will host Foss High Friday while undefeated Sumner takes travels to Fife.
