JOYCE — Crescent quarterback KC Spencer went from anxiety to aerial artistry in a matter of hours, throwing four first-half touchdowns to boost the Loggers to a 46-22 homecoming and senior recognition win over Tulalip Heritage.
Most importantly, the win clinched the Northwest Football League’s No. 3 for postseason. Crescent will face the Southwest District 4 No. 4 seed in a Quad-District playoff game Tuesday. The Loggers’ opponent and the location and time of that game is to be determined.
“We got one [a playoff berth],” Spencer said. “I was nervous going into this game and actually threw up last night, so I had some nerves going into this one.”
Those nerves weren’t evident early on as Spencer rolled right on his first two passes of the game and found Robert Cox for a 40-yard TD and Eric Emery for a 45-yard catch-and-run score.
“We got our skill guys into space and when those guys are in space and we can find them it’s hard to stop them,” Spencer said. “We have a lot of speed, so when we get them running like that, I just have to get them the ball.”
Spencer showed his ability to scramble on his third TD toss, shaking off a tackle at the right sideline at the last second, reversing field and finding Emery all alone for an 18-yard strike.
And Spencer made it 26-0 Crescent when he found Emery streaking up the middle on a 26-yard TD toss with 9:51 left in the second quarter.
All told, Spencer completed 6 of 12 passes for 184 yards and rushed 13 times for 183 yards, including a 77-yard scamper down the sidelines early in the second half.
Some of the most difficult throw and catch combinations arise when quarterbacks see receivers wide open down the field as was the case on all four TD throws. Spencer said he tries to keep it simple in those situations.
“I’m just thinking, ‘Don’t throw it too short, don’t throw a pick [interception],’ ” Spencer said.
Crescent coach Brian Shimko said the Loggers’ success in the passing attack was part of the game plan.
“We had seen that they liked to play zone in the secondary and come up to try and stop the run,” he said. “So we wanted to establish the run and get them coming up to stop our runner and it left big spaces in the back and we took advantage.”
It wasn’t all Spencer, however. Noah Leonard sliced through the Tulalip offensive line in the first quarter to strip the ball from the hands of Hawks quarterback Tim Hill-Thomas on Tulalip’s second drive to set up Crescent’s second score.
Eric Emery caught four passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns. And Cox went up for a Spencer jump ball, outleaping a Tulalip defender on an NFL-quality grab to set up Emery’s 6-yard TD run to make it 32-0 Loggers with 5 minutes left until halftime.
With a big lead on a warmer-than-normal fall day, Crescent relaxed a bit and allowed two rushing scores by Tulalip’s bruising 6-foot, 252-pound, running back Chris Wyatt to pull within 32-16 at halftime.
“We let down a little bit, we were gassed,” Shimko said.
“We got on them a little bit at halftime about that, let them know we still had a lot of work to do.”
Tulalip threatened to make it a one-score game on the first drive after halftime, moving down to the Loggers’ 18-yard line thanks to a facemask penalty on Crescent.
But Leonard, the Loggers’ version of the Seattle Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner, complete with jersey No. 54, made a crucial play.
Leonard timed the Tulalip snap perfectly, slipping low between the center and guard to slap the ball out of Hill-Thomas’ hands and quickly recover the fumble.
“I watched him strip the ball from him, it was a killer play,” Spencer said. “That’s our bruiser for you, though. He puts his time in in the weight room to make those kind of plays.”
Spencer rambled 77 yards to pay dirt on the next play to put Crescent up 40-16, essentially sealing the game.
Emery added a 50-yard rushing TD for the Loggers’ final score.
Shimko said the team achieved its goal for the second straight season — a playoff berth.
“We play in a league of champions [with Neah Bay and Lummi], so getting to the playoffs is an achievement in itself,” he said. “And now we have an opportunity that many teams wish they could have.”
Crescent 46, Tulalip Heritage 22
Tulalip 0 16 6 0— 22
Crescent 18 14 14 0— 46
First Quarter
C—Cox 40 pass from Spencer (run failed)
C—Emery 45 pass from Spencer (run failed)
C—Emery 18 pass from Spencer (run failed)
Second Quarter
C—Emery 26 pass from Spencer (Cook pass from Spencer)
T—Wyatt 3 run (Wyatt run)
T—Wyatt 7 run (Wyatt run)
Third Quarter
C—Spencer 77 run (L. Buchanan pass from Spencer)
T—Hill-Thomas 7 run (pass failed)
C—Emery 50 run (pass failed)
Individual Stats
Rushing—T: Wyatt 15-65, Hill-Thomas 4-60, Davis 8-23. C: Spencer 13-183, Emery 9-63, K. Buchanan 12-12, Lee 1-(-1), N. Leonard 2-(-4), Ward 1-(-5), Cox 1-(-1).
Passing—T: Hill-Thomas 4-15-57, INT; Wyatt 1-8-34, INT; Lukes 0-2-0.
C: Spencer 6-12-184, 4 TDs; Emery 0-1-0, INT
Receiving—T: Jones 4-89, Wyatt 1-2. C: Emery 4-120, Cox 2-64.
