One offense mostly struggled.
The other flourished, but its momentum gave way to mistakes.
And both defenses often played as if the season were on the line, rather than just the respect and bragging rights normally associated with an offseason all-star game.
It took nearly four quarters’ worth of back-and-forth bashing Saturday evening at Kiggins Bowl to determine a winner — but the East Southwest Washington all-stars finally kicked through, defeating the West 14-6 in the eighth annual Freedom Bowl Classic.
“It was a good way to go out,” said East quarterback Garrett Grayson, who was awarded the game’s overall most valuable player. The Heritage QB threw for 89 yards while completing 13 of his 21 passes.
But it was Grayson’s legs that delivered the biggest blow.
The East team held a 7-6 lead late in the fourth quarter when Grayson — who had been held in check all game — went to work.
The soon-to-be Colorado State student turned a messy play into a 58-yard touchdown run, sprinting hard while showing off several quick cuts. His collegiate-like run gave East a 13-6 lead with 3 minutes, 12 seconds to go.
“I’d had an OK game going into that,” Grayson said. “The (offensive) line was doing good for me. They were giving me time. I was just throwing. Then they gave me the first run they had, and I took advantage of it.”
The hard-fought contest featured graduated seniors from Greater St. Helens League schools, with proceeds benefiting Shrine charities and organizations.
Evergreen’s Marvin Thomas and Union’s Blake Russell came up big for the East, while Columbia River’s Neil Daly and Skyview’s Ian Zarosinki made strong contributions for the West. All four took home team MVP honors for their respective sides of the ball. And their exceptional effort captured the heart of a heated game during a cool evening — one that saw three personal fouls called as each side balanced pride with emotion.
“It was fun watching the kids get to know each other and come together,” East assistant coach Nate Becksted of Heritage said. “So, the culmination of it being a football game — the game was close.
“We’ve got a lot of good players. And everybody seemed to think we’d have our way with them tonight. But we knew those kids on the other side; they’re all here for a reason, too.”
With the victory, the East improved to 6-2 in the Freedom Bowl.
But it was initially the other side of Southwest Washington that found success.
The West took a 6-0 lead when R.A. Long’s William Yordy connected with Skyview’s Adam Brown for a 19-yard touchdown with 7.7 seconds left in the first quarter.
The score was set up by a lucky break. West wide receiver Danny Christensen (Hudson’s Bay) caught a tipped pass from Yordy for a 48-yard catch, giving West promising field position.
The West threatened again in the second quarter, driving 72 yards via strong runs by Daly and Travis Kinder of Mark Morris.
It was soon third and 12 from East’s 15-yard line. But when Daly broke out of the pocket and rolled right to avoid a hard rush, the pass that followed ended up in the hands of East defensive back C.J. Hatchett.
After the game, Daly smiled when talking about the pick.
“I’ve struggled with turnovers all season,” Daly said. “Like, big whup.”
The West’s defense stood up and backed its QB, helping the team carry a 6-0 lead into halftime.
But while the West was able to cover up its turnovers and mistakes in the first half, it quickly ran out of makeup in the second.
A West fumble at its own 34-yard line was traded for an East score, as Russell cut hard and ran into the right corner of the end zone with 8:33 remaining in the third quarter. An extra point by Camas’ Stu Jergensen followed, making it 7-6 West.
Despite the loss, Daly said he was already forming fond memories of his last big night in Vancouver under the lights.
“It was definitely fun,” Daly said. “Last high school game: you can’t argue with what you got. It was a blast in general. Unfortunately, they won.”
EAST 14, WEST 6
East 0 0 7 7–14
West 6 0 0 0–6
First quarter
West — Adam Brown 19 pass from William Yordy (kick failed)
Third quarter
East — Blake Russell 9 run (Stu Jergensen kick)
Fourth quarter
East — Garrett Grayson 58 run (Jergensen kick)
Individual Leaders
Rushing — East: Blake Russell 10-72, Komivi Akengue 6-39, Garrett Grayson 5-51, Brandon Weller 7-6, Andrew White 1-(-11), Mike McDonald 3-13; West: Travis Kinder 7-35, Neil Daly 9-49, Lane Sari 4-8, William Yordy 2-16, Jonny Barett 1-0, Adam Brown 1-5, Colt Carpenter 1-2.
Passing — East: Grayson 13-21-1-89, Weller 3-4-10; West: Daly 10-20-3-92, Yordy 3-5-72.
Receiving — East: Russell 2-4, Cody Yahn 1-(-1), Nate Penaranda 2-1, Zach Champman 1-3, Taylor Nelson 3-29, Josh Smith 2-21, White 3-45, Akengue 1-(-2), Marvin Thomas 1-(-1); West: Danny Christensen 2-49, Brown 1-19, Theisen Chang 4-57, Gavin Johnson 1-16, J Nusbaum 2-12, Elijah Denis 1-11, Sari 1-0.
