An already dominant running game got even stronger Saturday afternoon as class 3A Eastside Catholic marched to a 16-8 victory over 4A Eisenhower of Yakima in the “Kickoff Classic” at Qwest Field.
“It was just a team effort,” said senior Mike Bush, who is coming off the Crusader’s first 1,000-yard season. “We have a great team this year, a lot of returning seniors, and we just have to come out and make a statement.”
Bush carried the ball 26 times for 169 yards Saturday, but a new face also emerged in the backfield. Senior Marion Bactol, who only had 13 carries for 57 yards as a junior, carried the ball five times for 91 yards and one touchdown in his first game as a senior.
“This is my coming out party,” Bactol joked.
Eastside Catholic totaled 294 yards rushing yards from four different ball carriers. Bactol put the Crusaders in the lead for good with 2:49 remaining in the first half, running straight up the middle for a 47-yard score. The touchdown came immediately after he had returned a kickoff 30 yards into Eisenhower territory, and provided Eastside Catholic a 9-2 halftime advantage.
The Cadets battled back with 9:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, scoring on an 8-yard strike from quarterback Taylor Elmo to Jordan Gaut. The extra point from Warren Griffin was blocked, leaving Eastside Catholic with the lead, 9-8. The Crusaders added to their advantage on their ensuing drive. Senior Kellen Matsuno capped off an eight-play, 79-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run. Bush, who has drawn interest from Division I programs Army and Washington State University, played a key role in the drive with runs of 34, 16 and 13 yards. He tweaked his ankle on his last run, forcing him from the game. Not being able to punch the score in didn’t bother him, however.
“Hey, it’s a team effort,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if I score touchdowns. As long as that scoreboard says we win, that’s what matters.”
Eastside Catholic’s defense also came up huge on Saturday. The Crusaders forced five Cadet turnovers, including three within the red zone.
“We made two or three good plays, then put the ball on the ground and threw interceptions,” Eisenhower coach Dan Eyman said. “You’re not going to win football games against good teams doing that.”
Senior defensive back Spencer Esau had two interceptions, including one in the end zone in the first quarter and one to seal the victory on Eisenhower’s final drive in the fourth quarter. Bactol added an interception. Eastside Catholic also recovered two fumbles, including one at its own 1-yard line in the third quarter. Senior Collin Caudill recorded a safety in the second quarter when he sacked Elmo in the end zone. That came after Eisenhower earned a safety, and took the initial lead, 2-0, on a bad snap to the punter.
“This game is just a build-up of everything else through previous seasons, and our hard work showed. We came out on top,” Bactol said.
Eastside Catholic at Archbishop Murphy
Kickoff: 7 p.m. tonight
Quick look: Archbishop Murphy won its season opener 26-15 over Lynden. The Wildcats held their opponents to just 19 rushing yards in the first half. New coach Dave Ward spread the ball out in his Wing-T offense, letting 10 players get carries. Quarterback Jake Downs completed four passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
Prediction: In the first matchup between the private schools, expect to see a lot of yards racked up on the ground. Archbishop Murphy, which won the class 2A state title in 2006, was forced to forfeit eight games last season because it used an ineligible player. Coupled with the recent passing of long-time coach Terry Ennis, the Wildcats are playing with a lot of emotion this season. Eastside Catholic forced five turnovers and limited Eisenhower to 88 rushing yards last week. It will be a hard-fought game, but the visitors should have enough firepower to win. Final score: Eastside Catholic 27, Archbishop Murphy 16.
