Washington started the morning with a bye; the 3-1 record they posted in day one was tied for best at the tournament and enough to allow them to skip the first round.
Their second round opponent was one of the more popular teams at the tournament. California #3, also known as “Team 1925”, went 2-2 on day one and had some of the top talent in the tournament. The reason for their popularity and source for their name were the coaches. Former NFL players Keyshawn Johnson (#19) and Brian Kelly (#25) coached the squad.
The game was at times heated and not remiss of controversy. Washington came out firing, completing their first two passes and moving down to the 13 yard line. After an incomplete pass on “called” first down, the California team began to argue with the officials that it should be 3rd down, not 2nd down as they had just called. The officials met and changed their call to 3rd down, a decision I did not agree with. It was a big call because teams were only allowed three downs to get a first in the tournament. The next pass was incomplete and California took over on downs.
The teams traded stops back and forth before California scored on its second possession. Washington wasn’t able to score on their third drive and California struck the next series on a deep pass to Jordan Peyton. Washington fans may remember him from Skyline’s game against Oaks Christian. Washington stopped both extra point tries to hold the score at 12-0 California.
With time running short Washington went to a no huddle offense, they used it to score on a quick drive. The final play was a connection between Trey Wheeler and Rahmel Dockery. Washington converted the extra point on a slant to Chandler Jenkins. Washington had rallied back to 12-7.
Time would run out on Washington and the final score stayed at 12-7. The team missed some chances to score earlier in the game and the officiating made things tougher than they had to be. In the end, Washington responded very well to the adversity and fought hard to come back. I definitely came away believing the result may have been different had there been three more minutes in the game.
Sunday MVP: Chandler Jenkins
A Liberty HS player takes the honor for the second day in a row. Jenkins had a great game for Washington. On offense he had a couple of big catches, including the extra point conversion. His impact was really felt on the defensive side of the ball. Chandler picked off two passes, both inside the end zone, preventing team California from adding points to the board.
Team Washington represented the state very well among talent from all over the west coast. ESP will have interviews and highlight tapes from the players that we will be releasing over the next few weeks.
A special thanks to JC Boice and Ryan Mullaney from Quarterback Academy for coaching the team. They did a great job of developing the players this weekend as well as calling plays. JC is located here in Washington, you can get more information on their company here.