Sid Otton not the retiring type | Gridiron Classic Notebook

TACOMA — Sid Otton picked up his 327th coaching victory when Tumwater beat Archbishop Murphy in the Class 2A football championship game Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

And there should be plenty more to come for the state's all-time leader in victories, who just completed his 37th season at Tumwater and 43rd overall.

Otton, who turned 67 on the day the Thunderbirds beat Burlington-Edison in the quarterfinals two weeks ago, said he has no immediate plans to retire.

"I've not set a certain year," he said.

One of his grandsons was a freshman on this year's team. Two other grandsons live in Tumwater, with the youngest, Ryan, only 6.

"If you're asking if I'm going to wait for Ryan, I'm not," Otton said with a laugh.

Tumwater senior Kyle Warner had high praise for his coach.

"We give him all the credit," he said. "He's the best coach I'll ever have. I can't thank him enough for that. Every day was like a life lesson with him."

No. 2 on the all-time win list is the late Terry Ennis, who died in 2007 while coaching at Archbishop Murphy. Ennis won 287 games in 36 seasons.

Otton considered Ennis a friend and attended his memorial service, where a video featured Ennis dancing at a pep assembly.

"They had the dance team out there and he did it better than the girls," Otton said. "That's how he coached. He was just an awesome coach."

Hastie decision not repeated

Ronnie Hastie didn't want to create a stir when he pointed to the sky after scoring a touchdown in Tumwater's semifinal win over East Valley of Spokane.

Hastie, who said he wouldn't make gestures in the future, didn't have to worry about it during Tumwater's 34-14 win over Archbishop Murphy. He had eight carries for 26 yards but didn't score.

On Monday, his end-zone gesture drew a flag for unsportmanlike conduct (calling attention to himself and not giving the ball to referees in a timely manner).

"I didn't do it to get attention," he said. "I did what the Lord wants me to do. It had everything to do with Him."

Tupou plays numbers game

Sometimes, unless you know where to look, Archbishop Murphy's Tani Tupou can be hard to find on the field.

The big tackle, a University of Washington recruit, also plays tight end, forcing him to switch jersey numbers.

"When they need me to go to tight end, I pop on the 90," Tupou said. "When they need me at tackle I just pop on 66."

The senior likes wearing No. 66. It's the number his father, Mosese, wore as a junior college player.

Mangialardi savors moment

Joey Mangialardi was expected to be one of Bellevue's senior leaders. But injuries hampered him all season, and an ankle sprain kept him out of two playoff games.

He played in Bellevue's 38-0 win over Kamiakin for the 3A title Friday, and returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown.

"It was the last game I'm ever going to play," Mangialardi said. "I'm glad I was able to come back for the last game."

Times staff reporter Mason Kelley and freelancer Matt Massey contributed to this report.