One of the most prolific players to ever lace up football cleats at Eastside Catholic High School came through in the clutch in the Class 3A state championship game on Dec. 4.

Eastside Catholic senior quarterback Harley Kirsch, who will play football at Cornell University in the fall of 2016, threw two interceptions in the first half and had a paltry 65 yards passing as the Crusaders trailed the Bellevue Wolverines 35-14. In the final two quarters of play and overtime, Kirsch went 14-for-19 for 184 yards and three passing touchdowns in the Crusaders’ dramatic comeback 48-42 overtime victory against Bellevue in the Class 3A state title game. It was the second year in a row the Crusaders conquered the Wolverines with a state championship trophy hanging in the balance.

Crusaders’ head coach Jeremy Thielbahr wasn’t surprised Kirsch played proficiently in the pressure packed scenario of the final game of his high school career.

“Harley Kirsch is the utmost competitor that I have ever been around. His ability to come back and do what he did in the second half is a tribute to him and his family. He is such a great kid. My hats off to him and the way he can compete. He bounced back in the second half and showed what he can do,” Thielbahr said.

Kirsch was determined to right the ship after trailing by 21 points at halftime.

“I had a horrendous first half. I had some bad throws but no one lost faith in me. I dug down deep and we turned it around as a team,” Kirsch said. “At halftime we basically said its do or die. We have two quarters and we didn’t know what was going to happen but we were going to fight and we were going to win this game.”

Crusaders’ running back Brandon Wellington agreed with Kirsch’s sentiment.

“This group is just tremendous. You never see anyone with their heads down. We are always going to push and we’re always going to fight because we’re a rowdy group and it shows,” Wellington said. “Going into overtime we knew we had it. The energy changed, the atmosphere changed. The momentum was on our side and we knew we couldn’t be stopped.”

Kirsch hit Hunter Bryant on two touchdown tosses and connected with Matt Laris on a 4-yard touchdown strike, cutting Bellevue’s lead to 42-35 with 5:49 left in regulation. Brandon Wellington capped the comeback with a 1-yard touchdown in overtime lifting the Crusaders to a 48-42 win that will never be forgotten on the Sammamish plateau for decades to come.

“I’m just happy that we got a state title. To win a state title and go out like that just makes me so happy,” Kirsch said. “I’m so lucky to be on this team with so much talent and so many good personalities. I grew up with a lot of these guys since middle school. It’s weird to say that high school is over for me but I have had so much fun these past four years and that is regardless of the success we’ve had. I’m going to miss this so much.”

The Crusaders will definitely miss their signal caller too.