BY TYLER HEMSTREET
Contributing Writer

Nursing a 1-0 lead with two minutes to go until halftime, Bellarmine Prep boys soccer coach Joe Waters was making plans to talk about a conservative game plan for his team in the second half of its Class 4A state quarterfinal game against Puyallup.

His players had other ideas. They wanted to stay aggressive.

And Cooper Doxon’s goal in the 38th minute hammered the point home.

The Lions took advantage of the halftime lead and added two more goals in the second half, running away with a 4-1 quarterfinal win over the Vikings Saturday night at Harry Lang Stadium.

Bellarmine (14-1-2) will play Narrows League 4A champion Central Kitsap at 7 p.m. Friday in the state semifinals at Sparks Stadium. It will be the Lions’ seventh semifinal appearance under Waters.
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Click here to view Narrows League 4A boys and girls basketball preview capsules.

If you’ve read this story, you know major changes could be coming to the high school sports landscape in the South Sound.

As the story says, Bellarmine Prep, Central Kitsap, Gig Harbor, Olympia and South Kitsap are expected to apply for admission to the South Puget Sound League by Monday.

So, will they be accepted?

From the conversations I’ve had the past couple days with more than a dozen athletic directors, coaches and administrators, I can say with certainty that I don’t know for sure. From the SPSL’s perspective, there are positives and negatives to expanding. However, schools that go so far as submitting an application rarely get turned down for admission.
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DON HUNT
Contributing Writer

Central Kitsap running back Nicholas Zawadski ran for a career-high 336 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns, but it took a 52-yard scoring pass from Joshua Schweiterman to Greg Cleveland with 59.5 seconds left in the game to seal a wild 38-34 Narrows League victory over Mount Tahoma Friday night.

The Cougars led most of the game, but Mount Tahoma quarterback Junior Gillespie lofted a 52-yard touchdown strike to Robert Donald with 2:01 remaining that gave the host Thunderbirds a 34-31 lead.

But whatever momentum Mount Tahoma had collected, Central Kitsap stole it right back with one flip of the wrist from Schweiterman, its senior quarterback.
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No. 3 Auburn (4-0 league, 4-0 overall) vs. No. 8 Kentwood (3-0, 4-0), 7 tonight at French Field

The lowdown: The game of the year in the SPSL North, Auburn and Kentwood are two eerily similar teams. The Trojans and Conquerors rank first and second in the SPSL in rushing attacks and total defense. Auburn moves the ball almost exclusively via the run. Running backs Alphonse Wade and Austin Embody – both are averaging more than 100 yards per game – spearhead the ground game. The Trojans have attempted the second-fewest passes in the league, completing 13 of 27 attempts for 188 yards. Kentwood’s offense is slightly more balanced, but still run-heavy. RB Mikell Everette has run wild, picking up 11.3 yards per attempt. QB Shane Green has been incredibly efficient, completing 21 of 32 passes for 401 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Auburn, winner of the last two SPSL North crowns, has won 28 straight regular season games, the longest such winning streak in Class 4A.

TNT pick: Auburn 21, Kentwood 17
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Here are capsule previews of the Friday night’s big games in Week 4.

SPSL South
4A No. 10 Graham-Kapowsin (2-0 league, 3-0 overall) at 4A No. 2 Curtis (3-0, 3-0), 7 p.m. Friday

The lowdown: If it’s possible to win a league title in Week 4, this is one game where it could happen. The only remaining undefeated SPSL South squads will square off in what should be a hard-fought, close contest. Offensively, both teams have different strengths. The Eagles have relied on a powerful ground game. RB Matt Dawley is a workhorse, leading the league in rushing attempts (86) and yards (622), while Dalton Dorosky has shown big-play abilities, running for 189 yards on seven carries. Curtis has the ultimate play-maker in Rahmel Dockery. Read more »

Capital (7-3) vs. No. 4 Union (9-1), 7:30 tonight at Doc Harris Stadium
Lowdown: Don’t be fooled by the Cougars’ three losses – all to playoff teams – this is a good squad. Capital thoroughly trounced Enumclaw, 42-7, last week. In that game, the Cougars showed their offense was more than the Tyler Sundberg Show. Sundberg has rushed for a school-record 31 touchdowns, but he’s not the team’s only scoring option. QB Alex Everson ran for two scores and threw a touchdown – his 15th of the season – against Enumclaw. South Sound fans should be familiar with Union. The Titans topped Lakes 28-7 in the 3A state semifinals and return the core of that team, including all-state receiver Mitch Saylor. Capital won’t want to kick or punt the ball to Saylor. He returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the Titans’ 56-10 throttling last week of Olympic, a team Capital defeated 35-7 in Week 4.
The News Tribune pick: Titans will slip past the Cougars in this matchup of 2008 semifinalists.
Union 27, Capital 20
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