Prep Football Notebook | Lakes to play without top lineman

Dave Miller wants to see Sione Potoa'e get one more game.

The Lakes coach detests the idea that his star lineman could have his high-school football career come to a close while watching from the stands Friday as the third-ranked Lancers from Lakewood (12-0) play No. 3 Liberty of Issaquah (11-1) in the Class 3A state semifinals at 1 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.

Potoa'e (6 feet 3, 285 pounds), who has made a verbal commitment to Washington, is serving a one-game suspension after being ejected in the third quarter of last Saturday's quarterfinal victory over Mount Spokane.

"He's a great kid," Miller said. "He just lost his composure a little bit. Hopefully we can get the job done without him [against Liberty] and he can come back next week. ... My heart goes out to him. I just hope we can win so he can be on the field for the final game of his high-school career."

Miller said the ejection was for a late hit after emotions had flared earlier in the game following some verbal jousting. It left Lakes without three starters, as linebacker/tight end Darius Waters and center Jeff Munsey had been sidelined by injuries in the first half. Both are expected to play Friday.

Even without the trio, Lakes recorded its third straight shutout win, 24-0. The Lancers have allowed only 14 points over the past eight games. But Miller expects the defense to be tested by a Liberty offense that has been explosive.

"They have a quick-strike offense," he said. "No lead is safe."

The Lancers lost to Union of Vancouver in last year's semifinals, 28-7. They also came up short in the semis in 2002 against Lynden and in 1999 against Sammamish. Lakes won its only title in 1997 over Ferndale, and lost the 2000 final to Skyline.

Bellevue thriving late in season

It never hurts to have a little extra motivation.

After losing two games to nationally ranked opponents, the rumblings started. Bellevue had fallen a bit and the Wolverines looked vulnerable.

Well, after taking care of Glacier Peak 34-7 in the quarterfinals last week, Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff gathered his players and told them he was proud of the way they had responded to adversity.

The Wolverines went back to basics after losing to Grant of Sacramento on Sept. 19 and have reeled off nine straight wins since, the only test coming against third-ranked Liberty, also a state semifinalist. Bellevue won that one, 27-21 in October.

Friday night, Bellevue (10-2) faces Union of Vancouver (11-1) at the Tacoma Dome.

"At the beginning of the year, those two losses [to Grant and Katy, Texas], everyone thought we weren't as good as last year and that we weren't going to be in the position we are in now," UCLA-bound lineman Julious Moore said. "We're just proving all the haters wrong."

Making gains

in Snohomish

Before their quarterfinal loss to Bellevue, Glacier Peak's Grizzlies were one win from becoming the first Snohomish school to advance to the semifinals since 1998.

Snohomish lost to Marcus Trufant's Wilson team that year and hasn't made it to even the quarterfinals since — and likely won't for quite awhile, because the opening of Glacier Peak last year gutted the Panthers' depth.

The last time a Snohomish school had faced Bellevue in the playoffs was in a first-round game in 1991, when — ironically — Glacier Peak coach Rory Rosenbach made his first varsity start as a sophomore. The visiting Panthers prevailed 40-34 before losing to Puyallup in the semifinals.

Lions have

their attention

No. 2 Archbishop Murphy (11-1) faces a familiar opponent in a Class 2A semifinal against No. 3 Lynden (11-1) on Saturday. Last year, the Lions ended the Wildcats' season in the semifinals en route to the state title.

"We remember that disappointment," said Archbishop Murphy coach Dave Ward. "We beat them earlier in the season, then weren't ready for the challenge and didn't play our best. We definitely have everyone's attention this week."

King's QB is

Mr. Touchdown

Despite throwing two interceptions in three pass attempts in the closing minutes of his team's 54-47 Class 1A quarterfinal loss to Nooksack Valley last week, King's quarterback Thomas Vincent can't complain much about his junior season. The 6-foot, 181-pounder threw for 2,592 yards and 37 touchdowns and rushed for 1,617 yards and 22 touchdowns.

"He's had touchdowns all over the place," King's coach Jim Shapiro said. "He's one heck of a high-school football player as a junior, in really his second year of playing the game."

The Cascade Conference offensive most valuable player is receiving recruiting interest from Division I colleges. And there's talk at King's of the potential for a Marques Tuiasosopo-type performance — 300 yards passing, 200 yards rushing — by Vincent next season.

Vincent is so athletic that Shapiro played him in all four quarters on defense for the first time this season in the quarterfinals. Vincent rushed for at least 200 yards in three games this season and passed for at least 300 in two.

Notes

• Lynnwood coach Dorian Manza resigned Monday after a 4-26 record in three seasons. The Royals (2-8 overall, 0-4 WesCo 3A this season), however, finished with two consecutive wins for the first time since 1999.

• Liberty receiver Jake Bainton said his injured right foot is still sore: "It's painful, but I've just got to keep going to physical therapy and keep icing. I'll be ready."

• Skyline is 5-1 in semifinal games, the only loss to Bellevue in 2001. The last team to beat Skyline in the playoffs was Kennedy, in 2006.

• Chelan's 1A quarterfinal win last Saturday gave the Goats (6-5) a winning record for only the second time all season. They were 2-1 after Week 3. Three Goats linemen — Colter Courtney, Quin Courtney and Doug Ramsey — weigh a combined 855 pounds.

Staff reporter Mason Kelley, freelancers Joshua Mayers

and Darren Fessenden and

The Wenatchee World

contributed to this report.