Squalicum, Tumwater could meet again in 2A football quarterfinals

Sorry Nick Lucey. We know it’s taboo to look ahead in the lose-and-your-season’s-over world of the state playoffs, but this is hard to overlook.

Lucey’s Squalicum football team, which recently wrapped up its first unbeaten regular season in school history and claimed the No. 1 seed out of the Northwest District with an impressive victory over Lakewood on Saturday, Nov. 7, could be headed for a state quarterfinal showdown with the team that knocked the Storm out of the quarterfinals one year earlier.

That possibility was officially revealed on Sunday, Nov. 8, when the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association unveiled its state brackets for football, girls’ soccer and volleyball.

The 2A football bracket was certainly highlighted by the potential showdown between third-ranked Squalicum (10-0) and No. 1 Tumwater (10-0), which grabbed the No. 2 seed out of the Southwest District with a 45-0 pounding of Mark Morris in the district playoffs.

Last year, the Thunderbirds ended the Storm’s first trip to the state playoffs with a 59-33 win at Tumwater. This year, Squalicum would host the game.

But before either team can start preparing for that potential showdown, Tumwater must beat Franklin Pierce (6-4), and Squalicum must dispatch with Chehalis W.F. West (6-4) in the first round. The Bearcats enter as the No. 4 seed out of the Southwest District after upsetting Ridgefield 31-30 in triple overtime on Friday, Nov. 6.

The first-round game time had not been set, but the game likely will be either Friday or Saturday, Nov. 13-14, at Civic Stadium.

Here’s a look at what the other Whatcom County teams that advanced to state are facing:

▪ Mount Baker football: After claiming the No. 2 seed out of the Northwest District into the Class 1A State Playoffs, the seventh-ranked Mountaineers (9-1) will travel to face Kalama (8-1) in the first round. The Chinooks received the No. 2 seed out of the Southwest District after winning the Trico League title and are making their first state appearance since 2008. Game time and location had not been set, but the winner will move on to face either 10th-ranked Montesano (8-2) or sixth-ranked Cascade Christian (8-1) in the quarterfinals.

▪ Meridian football: The Trojans (6-4) enter the Class 1A State Playoffs as the third seed out of the Northwest District after winning big at Cedar Park Christian on Friday. They will face Southwest District top seed and fourth-ranked Hoquiam (9-0), which is making its fifth straight state appearance but is seeking its first state win since 1978. Game time and location had not been set, but the winner will face either eighth-ranked Port Townsend (10-0) or third-ranked King’s (9-1) in the quarterfinals.

▪ Lummi football: The Blackhawks (7-2) will head to Tacoma to face fifth-ranked Evergreen Lutheran (8-0) in the first round of the Class 1B State Playoffs. The Eagles are making their fifth state appearance in six years, but are seeking their first state win since 1978. Game time was announced as 6 p.m. Friday at Franklin Pierce High School, and the winner will host either Quilcene (7-2) or Tahlolah (4-4) in the quarterfinals.

▪ Squalicum girls’ soccer: The defending Class 2A state champions hope to take their first step toward a repeat when the Storm (19-0) host Steilacoom (11-7) in the first round of the state playoffs. Game time had not been released, but it will likely be played Tuesday or Wednesday, Nov. 10-11, at Civic Stadium. While Squalicum won the Northwest District title on Saturday, Nov. 7, the Sentinels enter as the No. 4 seed out of the West Central District. The winner will host the winner between Black Hills (14-5) and Highline (10-7) later in the week.

▪ Lynden Christian volleyball: The Lyncs (15-2) will open defense of their Class 1A state title against Montesano (17-1) in a 1:30 p.m. match Friday at the Yakima Valley SunDome. Third-ranked LC enters after winning the District 1/2 title on Saturday, Nov. 7, while the Bulldogs suffered a semifinal loss in the Southwest District Tournament and enters as a No. 3 seed. The Lyncs also share their quarter bracket with Columbia Burbank (12-5) and Cascade Christian (14-4), who LC beat in the state quarterfinals last year. No. 1 Freeman, No. 2 Kalama or No. 5 King’s all are potential semifinal opponents for the Lyncs should they make it there.

▪ Ferndale volleyball: Ferndale (15-3) is making its third straight trip to the Class 3A State Tournament and its fourth appearance in six years, after claiming the Northwest District’s third seed, but the Golden Eagles (15-3) are seeking their first state win since 1992. They’ll look to get that elusive victory in a 9:45 a.m. first-round match on Friday against sixth-ranked Seattle Lakeside (18-2), which finished runner-up to Holy Names in the Sea-King District Tournament last week. Prairie (10-9) and second-ranked Columbia River (17-1) also are in Ferndale’s quarter bracket. The 3A State Tournament will be at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Squalicum, Tumwater could meet again in 2A football quarterfinals."