Jefferson outlasted Puyallup in the SPSL 4A title match Wednesday night, winning the game in a shootout, 1-0.

Raiders goalkeeper Luis Roman made two saves in the shootout — he also scored on a PK — and you can watch his game-winning save, preserving Jefferson’s 4-3 win in the shootout, and ensuing celebration below.

Here’s a link to my game story, which also includes a write-up on Emerald Ridge’s thrilling 3-2 win over Tahoma in the meeting of the SPSL North and South divisions’ third-place teams. Luke Munizza scored two goals on headers in the final four minutes, including the game winner with 3.2 seconds left.
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What was a fairy tale run for Rogers High’s girls basketball team came to an abrupt end Saturday in a Class 4A regional at Juanita High as the Rams fell to Eastlake, 75-35.

“I think we always believed in ourselves,” Rogers head coach Amy Looker said of the late season rally that saw the SPSL South’s third-place team reach the bi-district semifinals. “I don’t think a lot of outside people believed in us, but they just kept working hard every day at practice to make each other better. And we just kind of got better at the right time, at the end.”

However, in the end, it wasn’t enough as the harsh reality check on the Cinderella story was provided by Eastlake (15-9). Behind a barrage of 3-pointers, the Wolves dismantled the Rams.

The Rams (13-12) couldn’t recover from a second quarter that saw them be outscored 22-4. The lone field goal Rogers made in the quarter came on a fastbreak layup by Mackenzie Lancaster at the buzzer.
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SPSL SOUTH BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW CAPSULES

CRYSTAL BALL
1. Curtis (23-6)
2. Federal Way (14-10)
3. Spanaway Lake (7-13)
4. Beamer (6-13)
5. Puyallup (21-9)
6. Emerald Ridge (2-18)
7. Bethel (10-13)
8. Rogers (17-8)
9. Graham-Kapowsin (1-18)
*2010-11 records

STARTING FIVE
F Darius Johnson-Wilson 6-6 Sr. Curtis
Played a key role in Vikings reaching state finals last season

G D’Londo Tucker 5-11 Jr. Federal Way
Lightning-quick guard leads an attack that will push the tempo

F Braxton Tucker 6-4 Jr. Spanaway Lake
Double-double machine will emerge as one of league’s standout players

W Thomas Rhodes 6-3 Sr. Beamer
He’ll have more games with double-doubles than not

G Dom Jordan 5-9 Jr. Curtis
Experienced point guard can distribute ball and score when needed

FASTBREAK
The SPSL South is wide open this season. Want proof? None of the players selected to last year’s all-league first- or second-team return. Unlike in past seasons when there’s been a clear-cut frontrunner, expect a wild season filled with teams beating up on each other. Read more »

By SHAUN SCOTT
Staff Writer

Panic never entered into the minds of the Curtis Vikings football team, despite trailing Emerald Ridge early in the second quarter.

Curtis turned the ball over twice and saw the Jaguars take 7-0 with early in the second quarter.

The Vikings didn’t trail for long. Curtis scored 27 unanswered points in the final eight minutes of the second quarter, taking a commanding 27-7 lead at halftime. Curtis continued its dominance in the second half, cruising to a 51-20 victory on Friday night at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

Curtis running back E.J. Deveaux was an unstoppable force and finished with four rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.
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For 364 days, the Puyallup High football team counted down the days.

The Vikings were intent on exacting revenge on Emerald Ridge after the Jaguars ended their 19-game losing streak against Puyallup last fall.

“That loss last year left a bad taste in our mouth,” Vikings senior lineman Joshua Garnett said. “We wanted to come out and dominate them.”

Puyallup did just that, trouncing the Jaguars 35-7 in a SPSL South contest Friday night at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

Garnett verbalized what many Vikings had felt for the past year. On Oct. 8, 2010, Emerald Ridge snapped what was then the longest current losing skid in Class 4A when it stunned Puyallup, 20-17.

The loss was the low-point of a season that saw Puyallup stumble to a 3-7 record, its worst in more than a decade. A year later, the Vikings (4-1 league, 4-2 overall) are tied for second in the SPSL South standings with a postseason berth within their grasp.

“We’re playing pretty well right now,” said quarterback Rhys Gervais, who accounted for five touchdowns for the second week in a row. “Our offense is clicking and the defense is strong.”
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By Shaun Scott
Staff Writer

The Emerald Ridge Jaguars football team put together its most dominating performance on the gridiron since 2008 on Friday night against the Spanaway Lake Sentinels.

Emerald Ridge scored six rushing touchdowns on its way to a convincing 41-12 win against the Sentinels at Sparks Stadium. Emerald Ridge quarterback Jake Sommer rushed for three rushing touchdowns. Sommer, who injured his groin in a loss against the Rogers Rams last week, refused to let last week’s setback slow him or his team down.

Jaguars running back Ashanti Kindle, who had two rushing touchdowns in the win, said Sommer is the epitome of a leader.

“Words cant even explain how good he’s been doing,” Kindle said. “Last week he got hurt but he was able to come back tonight and he played amazing.”
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By Shaun Scott

The Emerald Ridge Jaguars defense made two defensive stands to preserve a
21-14 victory in their home opener against the Beamer Titans.

After regaining possession of the ball with 1:19 left in the third quarter, Beamer mounted a 17-play drive that came up an inch short of a game-tying touchdown.

After a 11-yard run by Shawn Priggett got the ball to Emerald Ridge’s 7-yard line, Beamer was in good shape with a first and goal opportunity. After three unsuccessful rushing attempts toward the end zone Beamer called on running back Marley Liulama, who has the size of an offensive lineman, on a fourth and one running play up the gut.

The Jaguars defense swarmed Liulama just inches before the goaline, forcing Beamer to turn ball over the on downs with 6:35 remaining in regulation.

“Down on the goal-line we knew they were just going to try to pound it. So they put their big back (Liulama) in. We had eight guys in the box and the guys just made a play,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Brian Anderson said. “That was a great series for our kids out there.”
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Emerald Ridge has hired former Bethel boys basketball coach Pat Mullen to lead the Jaguars’ program. Mullen was at Bethel for 16 years and took the Braves to the state tournament nine times. He reached the Class 4A finals twice, winning the state title in 2005.

I’m going to try to get a hold of Mullen and will post more.

Mullen replaces Ben Muehlenbruch, who resigned his position after four years as the head coach.