TACOMA — Neah Bay’s attempt at a 1B state title repeat went down to the final seconds at the Tacoma Dome on Saturday night.
The Red Devils were two yards and two seconds away from forcing overtime, but they were unable to stop Liberty Christian freshman John Lesser from scoring on a touchdown run as time expired to give the Patriots a 34-28 win.
“All we needed was a stop and . . . sometimes it bounces the wrong way for you,” Neah Bay coach Tony McCaulley said after the game.
“That’s the way it goes. But heck of a game.”
I’ve got to give it up to [Liberty Christian]. They played good, they deserved it.”
Liberty Christian coach Mike Olson said he wasn’t hesitant to give the ball to a freshman with the game on the line.
“He’s a good one, huh?” Olson said of Lesser.
“I’ll be honest with you, it was a pretty easy call because they were blitzing us and we didn’t hardly have enough time to throw.
“We knew we wouldn’t even have to block a couple of them.”
The big story for Neah Bay was what happened in the previous 47 minutes and 58 seconds.
Too many fumbles.
Too many penalties.
Too big of a hole to climb out of.
The Red Devils nearly made it out, though.
Josiah Greene recovered a fumble at the goal line to prevent Liberty Christian from going ahead by two scores.
Then, a few plays later, Greene scored on a 65-yard run, and Cody Cummins tied the score at 28 with 2:49 remaining in the game.
Greene finished with 184 yards rushing and 131 yards passing.
But the Patriots quickly made their way down the field to set up the winning score, with the biggest play of the drive a run by quarterback Mike Olson, the coach’s son, on fourth down and 10.
Neah Bay fumbled three times in the first half to help Liberty Christian build up a 20-8 second-quarter lead.
“All these kind of games in the playoffs, it comes down to turnovers. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers,” McCaulley said.
“We won the turnover battle against Lummi, [Liberty Christian] won it against us. That happens. I’m not blaming anybody, it just happens.
“But we were fortunate. We were fortunate to be in it at the end.”
As the Red Devils were clawing their way back into the game, yellow flags kept slowing them down.
A 64-yard run by Cummins to the Liberty Christian 4-yard line was called back because of a holding call.
A personal foul and false start moved the ball from the Patriots’ 6-yard line to the 26, eventually setting up a fourth and goal from the 21 that the Red Devils were unable to convert.
In the third quarter, a pass interference penalty at the goal line called back an interception by Joey Monje and gave Liberty Christian a first and goal on which they eventually scored.
And those were just the biggest plays undone because of penalties.
In all, the Red Devils were flagged 12 times for 98 yards. The Patriots were called for six penalties, and none in the second half.
McCaulley was admittedly irked by some of the calls, particularly the pass interference that negated the interception, but also repeated something he told the Peninsula Daily News before the season started: good fortune is part of winning a state title.
“You know, it happens. It’s part of the game,” McCaulley said of the questionable calls.
“I’m a little disappointed in it, but it happens.
“And like I said last year [after winning the state championship]: You’ve got to have a little bit of luck on your side,” McCaulley said.
“We just didn’t, and that’s just the way it goes.”
Neah Bay loses some key contributors to graduation, such as Leyton Doherty and Monje, both of whom came up huge in the playoffs, and Dale Dawson.
Monje broke off some long runs against Lummi last week and Doherty made big catches in all three of the Red Devils’ playoff games.
On Saturday, Doherty caught four passes for 99 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
Neah Bay will, however, return a strong core of players next year who will be hoping luck will be on their side as they chase their third consecutive title game appearance.
Or maybe the returning Red Devils will just try to outwork luck.
“I expect to be here,” McCaulley said.
“I’m sure this is going to burn them. I’m sure they’re going to go into the offseason and work even harder.
“We’ll be back next year.”
Among the Neah Bay players coming back will be Josiah Greene — who was the 2011 1B state player of the year and a possible recipient of the same award this season — Tyler McCaulley, Zeke Greene, John Reamer and Cummins, who ran for 79 yards Saturday.
Those Red Devils will come back next year with the lessons of two state championship games.
First, they know how to win, and should have the confidence that they can do it again.
Second, they know how slim the margin for error is between winning a title and settling for second place.
“It was a good playoff run. I appreciate the way the kids played all year, and didn’t give up [today],” Tony McCaulley said.
“That’s a game we should have won, I think. I really do. I think we should have won it.
“But, we didn’t.”
1B State Championship
Liberty Christian 34,
Neah Bay 28
L. Christian 12 8 8 6— 34
Neah Bay 8 6 0 14— 28
First Quarter
LC—Tyler Morris 18 pass from Mike Olson (run failed)
NB—Cody Cummins 4 run (Zeke Greene pass from Josiah Greene)
LC—Brandon Peterson 35 pass from Olson (pass failed)
Second Quarter
LC—Olson 19 run (Morris pass from Olson)
NB—Leyton Doherty 46 pass from Josiah Greene (pass failed)
Third Quarter
LC—John Lesser 3 run (Peterson pass from Olson)
Fourth Quarter
NB—Cummins 3 run (pass failed)
NB—Josiah Greene 65 run (Cummins run)
LC—Lesser 2 run (no attempt, time expired)
Individual Stats
Rushing— LC: Lesser 17-69, Olson 11-39, Reace Howard 7-33, Peterson 1-2. NB: Josiah Greene 19-184, Cummins 20-79, Joey Monje 4-24, Tyler McCaulley 3-11.
Passing—LC: Olson 9-18, 145 yards; Lesser 1-1, 28 yards. NB: Josiah Greene 6-15, 131 yards.
Receiving—LC: Peterson 6-83, Morris 4-90. NB: Doherty 4-99, McCaulley 1-18, Zeke Greene 1-14.
