Skyview passes another test, going to state

OLYMPIA — The Skyview Storm earned this one. No, they really earned this.

Not just the victory Friday night, but this fourth consecutive trip to the Class 4A state football playoffs.

“Tradition never graduates,” Skyview quarterback Brody Barnum said.

And that Skyview tradition continues.

Barnum threw for 391 yards and Jeremiah Wright caught 11 passes for 214 yards and three scores as Skyview led from start-to-finish in a 38-27 victory over Olympia in a 4A state preliminary round playoff game.

Skyview will be back at state — the sweet 16 – starting next week.

“Small league. We knew we couldn’t take a three-seed,” Barnum said, referring to the five-team Class 4A Greater St. Helens League. “We had to play tough football. We play in the best league in the state. Every team in our league is a playoff team.”

Yet only two could advance to Week 10. And the second-place team had to go on the road.

“It’s a tradition,” Wright said. “We knew we had to hold on to it and keep it going.”

“It’s what we worked for all spring, all summer,” said Angelo Sarchi, who scored a touchdown run for the Storm and was instrumental on defense.

The Storm understand the pressure of these Week 10 games. Win or be done.

The Storm aren’t done.

Skyview scored the first 24 points of Friday’s game before the Bears rallied in the second half to keep things interesting. The Storm, though, never wavered.

Wright’s third touchdown gave Skyview a 38-20 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Olympia would score three minutes later and then recovered an onside kick. However, Skyview’s Michael Lundgren recovered a fumble to keep it an 11-point game. The Storm ran out the final four minutes.

The Storm will face Chiawana in the first round of the state playoffs. The when and where is still to be determined.

No matter who they play, the Storm expect to be up for any challenge.

“The last few weeks, we’ve been playing complete games,” Barnum said. “All the way across the board: offense, defense, special teams.”

Barnum finished 23 of 36 with no interceptions and his 391 yards.

“Yeah, I did alright, but I owe it to everyone else. They gave me the opportunity,” Barnum said. “I’m the most unathletic guy on the field. I give it to the guys who can make plays.”

The Storm have plenty, but no one made more plays this night than Wright.

“We just knew. We just knew,” Wright said. “Not in a cocky way. We just know if we get the ball in each other’s hands, we can do Skyview football. We’re going to make big plays.”

Hayden Froeber scored Skyview’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run. Wyatt Stallman added a field goal for a 10-0 lead. Sarchi ran untouched for a 19-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes left in the first half.

Then it was the Jeremiah Wright show.

He got behind the Olympia defense and caught a bomb from Barnum. Some 85 yards later, it was 24-0 Storm.

Olympia would get a touchdown right before the end of the first half and then scored first in the second half to get close.

Wright, though, spun free for a 20-yard touchdown reception to make it 31-13.

Scott Gunther, who scored three touchdowns for Olympia, got in the end zone again to make it 31-20. He finished with 227 yards on 29 carries.

But again, Skyview went back to the Barnum-Wright combination to extend the lead.

“We came in knowing this was going to be a dogfight,” Wright said. “But we can’t be stopped if we just do what we gotta do. Nothing more, nothing less. Do what we do, and we’re going to dominate.”

Skyview did what it does and is going back to the state playoffs.

SKYVIEW 38, OLYMPIA 27

Skyview    7    17    7    7—38
Olympia    0    7    13    7—27
First quarter
Sky — Hayden Froeber 2 run (Wyatt Stallman kick)
Second quarter
Sky — Stallman 25 FG
Sky — Angelo Sarchi 19 run (Stallman kick)
Sky — Jeremiah Wright 85 pass from Brody Barnum (Stallman kick)
Oly — Scott Gunther 3 run (Skyler Davis kick)
Third quarter
Oly — Gunther 67 run (pass failed)
Sky — Wright 20 pass from Barnum (Stallman kick)
Oly — Gunther 57 run (Davis kick)
Fourth quarter
Sky — Wright 14 pass from Barnum (Stallman kick)
Oly — Owen Shea 37 run (Davis kick)

Individual statistics
RUSHING — Skyview: Froeber 10-39, Barnum 10-21, Sarchi 14-69, James Millspaugh 1-(minus 2), Dyvon Green 1-21, Team 3-(minus 5). Olympia: Gunther 29-227, Ketner Young 1-(minus 12), Hayden O’Haver 1-(minus 4), Shea 5-58, Dayne Shafer 1-7, Connor Clark 1-13, Ibi Cessay 1-1.
PASSING — Skyview: Barnum 23-36-0-391. Olympia: Young 4-12-0-32, Dayne Shafer 1-1-0-48, Gunther 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING — Skyview: Wright 11-214, Cole Grossman 5-78, Froeber 2-17, Tavis Pinkney 3-60, Jayden Chatman 1-13, Travis Yajko 1-9. Olympia: Gunther 2-8, Cessay 3-72.