Class 4A football: Pasco ends Ballard's dream season
TACOMA — The trophies had been presented, the cheers had subsided and the crowd had begun bunching toward the exits as Ballard coach Doug Trainor walked slowly off the Tacoma Dome field last night.
Everything had changed so fast. Up one minute, down the next. But in those short moments between victory and defeat, Trainor had found perspective.
"They reached their goals," he said. "You know, there's not a lot of guys that can say that."
Still, the Beavers' ultimate dream failed to materialize last night as they fell to Pasco 21-14 behind Leon Jackson's two-touchdown performance in the Class 4A state championship football game in front of 10,074.
Ballard's entry in the state-title game marked the first for a Seattle public high school since 1988, when Ingraham beat Kentwood, 21-0, for the big-school championship.
That fact has been a source of pride for the 10th-ranked Beavers (11-3), who had never been to the state playoffs before this season.
"No matter what your situation is, or where you're at, or where you're practicing, what your weight room looks like, what your budget is, you can overcome anything in any sport through hard work," Trainor said. "And that's why we're where we are."
In contrast, Ballard's opponents last night, the fourth-ranked Pasco Bulldogs (13-1), were title-game regulars. Pasco has appeared in four of the past six championship games, winning three (1998, 2000 and 2003).
"This is great for the kids and great for the community," said Pasco coach Steve Graff, who improved to 72-13 in seven years leading the Bulldogs. "My heart goes out to Ballard. They played their butts off, but someone had to lose."
Thank Pasco's Jackson for that.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound running back gained more than 1,800 yards rushing this season and was named the Big Nine Conference's co-offensive player of the year. But after aggravating an old shoulder injury early in the game, he played mostly defense and slotback.
In fact, he only carried once for 6 yards.
But Jackson made an impact the two other times he touched the ball, returning a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter and catching the game-winning 37-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 remaining.
"I was thinking, 'Gotta catch it! Gotta catch it!" said Jackson, who slipped through the middle of the Ballard secondary unnoticed and untouched. "This is how I envisioned it. I had dreams of it, day and night. And my dream came true."
Ballard's star receiver/safety Keauntea Bankhead blamed himself for allowing Jackson's touchdown.
"I take full responsibility for that one," he said. "That was my guy. I just let him slip by me. It was my fault."
Ballard had one last chance, taking over on its 32-yard line with 1:09 to play.
The Beavers drove in nine plays to the Pasco 32, but quarterback Cole Morgan's Hail Mary pass to Bankhead in the end zone with six seconds remaining was batted down as time expired.
Morgan completed 9 of 21 passes for 99 yards, but it was Pasco quarterback Roby Clyde who had the more memorable game.
Clyde, a 6-5, 205-pound senior, led Connell to the Class 2A state championship last year before transferring to Pasco after the season. Last night, he struggled early, misfiring on his first seven passes and throwing a pair of interceptions deep in Ballard territory. But he rebounded in the second half, throwing two fourth-quarter touchdowns and finishing 5 of 14 for 79 yards.
In addition to his game-winner to Jackson, Clyde tossed a 5-yard scoring pass to senior Marc Mackay. With an extra-point kick from Gavin Lindsey, Pasco tied the game 14-14 with 11:55 left.
"Connell was great last year," he said of his title drive with the Class 2A Eagles. "But this is even greater."
Mackay's touchdown reception capped a 13-play, 84-yard drive, Pasco's most productive of the game.
With the game tied, 7-7, midway through the third quarter, Bankhead maneuvered his way through several would-be tacklers, spun to the outside, then turned on the speed, out-running everyone to the end zone for a 31-yard score.
Mike Hart added the extra point to give Ballard a 14-7 lead with 6:25 remaining in the period.
Pasco, trailing 7-0 at halftime, cut the deficit to one point with 10:17 to play in the third after Jackson scooped up a J.T. Diederichs fumble and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. Lindsey converted the extra point, tying the game, 7-7.
"I saw it, and I said, 'That's mine!" Jackson said. "And the ball bounced right in my hands perfectly."
The Beavers started their first offensive possession at the Pasco 22 courtesy of a 30-yard punt return by Bankhead. Three handoffs to Diederichs later, they were in the end zone.
A successful extra-point try by Hart gave Ballard a 7-0 lead with 10:11 to play in the first quarter.
Diederichs, who scored on a 4-yard run, carried six times on Ballard's first seven plays. The first three times, he went behind the lead block of 6-5, 308-pound lineman Tyler Ashby, who started the game in the backfield and made sporadic appearances there throughout.
The Beavers stalled inside Pasco territory twice in the first half, missing a 46-yard field goal attempt with 1:54 to play in the first quarter, and getting stuffed on fourth-and-2 from the Pasco 17 with 56 seconds remaining before halftime.
Diederichs rushed 30 times for 113 yards and a touchdown in his final high-school game, bringing his season rushing total to 2,127. Bankhead added 15 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown, accounting for 205 all-purpose yards.
Ballard finished 11-3, marking its fourth consecutive year of improvement under Trainor. The Beavers are 24-17 overall during his four year-tenure, after going 26-64 in the previous 10 seasons combined.
"I'm just glad that all their time that they put into this thing was worth it," Trainor said. "A lot of times, it's hard to validate that. These guys did."
Correspondent Terry Wood contributed to this report.
Big Nine's final word | |||
Pasco won its third 4A state championship, and Big Nine Conference teams have played for the title eight times in 10 years: | |||
Year | School | W-L | Place |
2003 | Pasco | 13-1 | First |
2001 | Pasco | 13-1 | Second |
2000 | Pasco | 14-0 | First |
1999 | Richland | 13-1 | First |
1998 | Pasco | 13-1 | First |
1996 | Richland | 11-3 | Second |
1995 | Kamiakin | 10-3 | Second |
1994 | Walla Walla | 11-3 | Second |
Source: WIAA |