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TACOMAWEEKLY.com
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013
The Sideline is Tacoma Weekly’s new sports-only blog, providing you with quick game recaps as well as some content that won’t appear in print! Check in for regular updates, and we hope you enjoy! http://www.tacomaweekly.com/sideline
SECTION A, PAGE 6
TIGERS IMPRESS IN CITY CROSS COUNTRY SHOWDOWN Stadium takes boys, girls individual titles
RAMS’ SPEED TOO MUCH FOR SHELTON
Foss comes up just short, Fife topples Clover Park
C
oach Don Clegg was worried coming into the 2013 season. A big staple from recent, successful Rams teams was missing – size on both sides of the ball. Three games into the season, those fears have been erased, as speed has become the main factor the Rams have sprinted out of the gate to a 3-0 start. Wilson displayed more speed on Sept. 20, blowing out Shelton 41-7 at Stadium Bowl in the Narrows 3A opener for both clubs. “We did a good job of taking them out of the game early, and (quarterback) Isaiah (Simpson) was tremendous,” said the dean of Tacoma coaches, who is now in his 26th year with Wilson. The Rams wasted little time getting on the board, as Simpson found plenty of room down the right sideline and went untouched for a 60-yard touchdown on their first offensive play to give Wilson an early 7-0 lead. “I give it up to my teammates tonight. We went hard every play and executed all night long,” said Simpson. “It was a great team win.” Simpson would score the second of his three touchdowns on the night early in the second quarter when he scampered 62 yards to the end zone, as he would compile 202 of his game-high 242 rushing yards in the first half. After Shelton scored to cut the lead in half, Simpson did it again, scoring from 53 yards out to make it 21-7. “I can’t say enough about the clinic that Isaiah and his teammates put on tonight,” Clegg said. With the Rams sporting a 34-7 lead late in the game, quarterback Julius YatesBrown put the capper on this league opener with a 62-yard touchdown run. “I’m pretty happy with the offensive display tonight, but we’ll have to get better at stopping the run when we come up against the likes of North Thurston, Timberline, and Lincoln down the road,” Clegg said. “And look out for a muchimproved Foss team, too.” Yates-Brown, who like Simpson gives the Rams loads of athletic ability, also has caught Clegg’s eye early on. “Julius did a great job of running our option game tonight. He’s been very good to this point of the season and we’ll need him to execute like he has for the rest of the season,” Clegg said.
PHOTOS BY ROCKY ROSS
RUNNING TIGERS. (Top)
Stadium’s Shay Glackin-Coley crosses the finish line in the boys race, taking first place by exactly a minute. (Bottom) The Tigers’ Skye Chen-Johnson runs during the girls race, as she edged teammate Miri Hyman to take first by three seconds. By Jeremy Helling jeremy@tacomaweekly.com
PHOTOS BY ROCKY ROSS
PLAYMAKERS. (Top) Wilson’s Isaiah Simpson (right) races 60 yards for the
first of his three touchdowns to put the Rams on the scoreboard against Shelton. (Bottom) The Rams’ Brandon Montgomery carries the ball in the big win over the High Climbers.
The Rams piled up a staggering 510 yards of total offense on the night, but were scheduled for a tough test on Sept. 26, travelling to take on Timberline. By Steve Mullen
FALCONS FALL JUST SHORT AGAINST RAMS
In just his second year at Foss, Pat Johnson has his players adopting the never-give-up mindset. Battling miscues and turnovers all night, the Falcons still gave themselves a chance to move to 3-0 on the season, but missed a two-point conversion late against North Thurston to give the Rams a 22-20 win on Sept. 20 at Mount Tahoma Stadium. “It’s nice to know that they believe when they walk on the field that they are going to win,” said Johnson of his squad.
“Our goal is to be in every game. I think our kids are buying into that. They play for each other.” Senior bruising fullback Patiole Pesefea scored his second touchdown of the night with 28 seconds left to cap a 10-play, 73-yard drive for the Falcons to bring them within two points. But he was stopped just short on the two-point attempt, and the Rams recovered the resulting onside kick and ran out the clock. Pesefea got the Falcons on the board on the first drive of the game, scoring on a 7-yard run to cap a 15-play, 67-yard drive. Converted to fullback from the offensive line before the season, the 6-foot-2, 295pounder finished with nine carries for 52 yards. “It’s been good for me, helping my X See FOOTBALL / page A9
If early results mean anything, Stadium might make some noise this cross country season. In a clash against Wilson, Lincoln, Foss and Mount Tahoma – a preseason version of the city championships – the Tigers took the individual and team titles in both the boys and girls 2.5-mile races on Sept. 18 at Wright Park. Junior Shay Glackin-Coley began the day by winning the boys race in 12 minutes and 53 seconds, leading almost from the outset. After battling both back and hamstring injuries his freshman year and knee injuries last season, Glackin-Coley noted that he hopes it is the start of a successful run to the state meet. “I have not been able to complete a full season without facing some obstacles,” Glackin-Coley said. “I’m just really excited to be healthy and see what I can do this year. This is hopefully just setting up to get better and better. “I definitely want to make it to state, because I feel like I really
X See CROSS COUNTRY / page A9